Math Proficiency Testing

Our objective is to place you as accurately as possible based on your current knowledge of math.

It’s possible that you’ve had a successful experience at a particular level in math in middle school, but that you haven’t yet had enough experience to warrant advancing you to the next level. This does not mean you aren’t a strong math student. It just means you need additional time to sufficiently master the current level.

We know what’s required of students at the next level, and we want to make sure you are prepared. An appropriate placement will put you on the pathway to success. An inappropriately advanced placement can lead to struggle and have negative ripple effects on your math learning and course options down the road.

The majority of our freshmen start in Algebra 1 or Geometry Honors.

...and the winners are not the students who move through the levels the fastest. Rather, the winners are those who learn the math well at each level. If you are ready to take Algebra 1 in your freshman year then you are not behind. If you start in Algebra 1 and you’d like to reach Calculus by senior year, then we have a pathway for that.

By far, the number one success factor for advanced high school math is a rock-solid foundation in Algebra and Geometry. Rushing through these levels can lead to significant struggle.

We have an engaging core curriculum that will help students build and solidify their foundation. It offers an excellent balance of mathematical procedure, sense-making, and problem-solving. The skills students develop in our Algebra 1, Geometry Honors, and Algebra 2 courses prepare them very well for college and career.

The math placement process begins when incoming students request their freshman year courses in the Enrollment system. Each student will enter the name of the 8th grade math class he is currently taking in the Enrollment system. He will also enter the course he desires to take during his freshman year. The math placement team will then pre-register each student in ALEKS based upon this information, and an email will be sent with login and password information.

Typically, the desired course will be the next course according to the following sequence:

Pre-algebra → Algebra 1 → Geometry Honors → Algebra 2 → Precalculus → Calculus

So, for example, a student taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade would typically list Algebra 1 as his current course and Geometry Honors as his desired course. If you're not sure which course to request, then don't worry about this input. We'll assign an ALEKS exam based on your 8th grade class and, by default, we'll advance any student who passes to the next course level. We will contact you if your course request is out of sequence.

ALEKS exams will be assigned to students according to the following table:

Most students request Algebra 1 or Geometry Honors and are only required to take one exam. However, if a student requests placement into Algebra 2 or above, he will be required to show proficiency in multiple ALEKS exams, as outlined in the table above. He will still get three attempts at each exam but all testing must be completed by April 18.

A student taking multiple exams must email deptmath@bcp.org as soon as he has either passed his first exam or completed his three attempts, so that we can move him to his next exam.

*Students requesting AP Calculus AB will also be required to pass both the Geometry Honors and Algebra 2 test using ALEKS. A one-time in-person test covering Precalculus Honors topics is required. This is a traditional paper and pencil test (one attempt).

A Note About Self-Study 

If your son has studied a second math course alongside the course he studied in school during the 8th grade, and he wishes to challenge both courses, then he will be allowed to do so. In addition to entering his information into the Enrollment system, a student wishing to challenge a self-studied math subject must notify the math placement team of his intent at deptmath@bcp.org.

Our model is similar to that of many major universities across the country which use ALEKS (www.aleks.com) to assess incoming students and place them into math courses. Specifically, we are replacing the traditional, on-campus, multiple-choice single exam with an assessment model that allows each student to take an ALEKS exam up to three times, at home, during the course of a the assessment period (3/31-4/18). The objective is to avoid the stress of a single, high-stakes testing event and to offer each student ample opportunity to demonstrate his knowledge level of math, in order to achieve the most accurate placement.

The assessment period begins on Monday March 31st and ends at 10:00pm on Friday, April 18th There are no extensions. Within this period, the student may take his ALEKS assessment up to three times and we will count the highest of his attempts when placing him for his freshman year. He may practice using ALEKS in between assessments as much as he likes. Please note that ALEKS may generate a progress assessment in the course of practice. These progress assessments are for practice only. Only the three assessment attempts mentioned above will be used for math placement. Specifically, these three attempts are labeled:

• Initial Knowledge Check (must be taken upon first login into ALEKS)
• 2nd Attempt Knowledge Check
• 3rd Attempt Knowledge Check

When the assessment period begins, we will email the ALEKS login ID and password, using the email address that was provided to us. Upon initial login, the student will be required to take the assessment for the first time. He will see the results immediately upon completion. His score is measured in terms of the overall number of topics mastered. A minimum score is required to advance to the next-level math course during his freshman year. (See the "ALEKS Scores and Bellarmine's Advancement Policy" section below.) If the student is content with his score on his first attempt, then there is no need to take it again. If he wants to use his second and third attempts, then the timing of those is up to him, as long as they are completed before the end of the assessment period.

A student taking multiple exams must email deptmath@bcp.org as soon as he has either passed his first exam or completed his three attempts, so that we can move him to his next exam.

Because all ALEKS assessments are adaptive, no two are alike. All assessments are taken at home and can be accessed using a Mac or PC at www.aleks.com. The assessments are not timed but typically take about 90 minutes.

Instructions for Taking the ALEKS Assessments at Home

• No external aids or assistance are allowed, meaning the student may not receive any external help in answering the exam questions. Brushing up on topics is allowed, but the student must generate answers to the exam questions on his own, without help. PLEASE NOTE: The use of external aids or assistance is likely to result in a math placement for which the student is not qualified. This, in turn, increases the risk of lower math grades which may disqualify him for honors and AP math courses in the future. Use of external aids also constitutes a violation of the Bellarmine Honor Code and could lead to expulsion.
• In order to obtain the most accurate assessment possible, we recommend the student find a quiet place where he can focus on the exam without distraction.    
• There are roughly 30 questions in the assessment - sometimes more, sometimes fewer.
• The exams are not timed and need not be completed in one sitting. They typically take around 90 minutes. The student may log out and return later to pick up where he left off.
• Students will not be allowed to go backward in the assessment and revisit questions.
• In order to get the most accurate proficiency measurement, the student should only press the “Have Not Yet Learned This” button if he has truly not seen the material in the question before. Otherwise, the student should attempt every question to the best of his ability. For example, if you have not studied circle properties and the question is asking you to use circle properties to solve for some length or angle, then click “Have Not Learned This.” If you try and answer it then the program might give you more circle related questions to figure out what you do know and that could be frustrating as you haven’t studied circles yet.
• All tools needed for each assessment (e.g. calculator, ruler, protractor, etc.) are provided as virtual tools within the assessment. Upon first logging in, ALEKS will guide the student through a brief tutorial to show him how to use the tools and enter answers. The tools are available to the student on most but not all questions - this is intentional. No outside tools are allowed.

All students requesting Algebra 1 will be placed into Algebra 1 for their freshman year. The exam score is still important because we use it for diagnostic purposes.

Students requesting Geometry Honors in their freshman year are required to take the ALEKS Algebra 1 exam.

*A score of at least 282 on the ALEKS Algebra 1 assessment indicates proficiency in Algebra 1. However, we have found that incoming freshmen who barely meet this requirement sometimes struggle when they take Algebra 2 in their sophomore year. If your son barely qualifies for Geometry Honors, then we will advance him with the strong recommendation that he study additional algebra during the summer prior to his enrollment in Algebra 2, to make sure he is ready. Please also note that it is not essential to start in geometry freshman year in order to reach calculus by senior year. A student can start in Algebra 1 and reach Calculus by senior year through a junior-year acceleration option available at Bellarmine.

Students requesting Algebra 2 their freshman year are required to take both the ALEKS Algebra 1 exam and the ALEKS Geometry Honors exam. The advancement policy for these exams is shown in the table below. All testing must be completed by the close of the testing window in April. Students will have up to three attempts at each exam. Please notify us via email at deptmath@bcp.org when you have finished your three attempts at Algebra 1 (or when you have achieved your desired score) so we can move you to the Geometry Honors exam.

*If a student scores less than 282 on Algebra 1 and greater than 300 on Geometry Honors, we will place him in Algebra 1. If he takes and successfully completes Algebra 1 in his freshman year, then he will be allowed to advance to Algebra 2 in his sophomore year.

**Freshmen who qualify for Algebra 2 are placed in honors sections under the assumption that they want to prepare for future honors and AP math courses.

Students requesting Precalculus Honors in their freshman year are required to take both the ALEKS Geometry Honors exam and the ALEKS Algebra 2 exam. The advancement policy for these exams is shown in the table below. All testing must be complete by the close of the testing window in April. Students will have up to three attempts at each exam. Please notify us via email at deptmath@bcp.org when you have finished your three attempts at Geometry Honors (or when you have achieved your desired score) so we can move you to the Algebra 2 exam. 

*If a student scores less than 300 on Geometry Honors and greater than 386 on Algebra 2, we will place him in Geomerty Honors. After successfully completing Geometry Honors student will be allowed to advance to Precalculus in their sophomore year.

**Freshmen who qualify for Algebra 2 or Precalculus are placed in honors sections under the assumption that they want to prepare for future honors and AP math courses.