Math Placement

Junior High and High School Math Placement

Santa Barbara Unified School District offers a rigorous math program that progressively develops the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in both their college and career aspirations. We strive to provide students with relevant coursework that helps them meet their post-secondary plans. For students planning to attend most four-year universities, students must pass Math l, Math ll and Math lll in high school with a grade of ‘C’ or better.

All secondary mathematics pathways offered by Santa Barbara Unified are designed to provide maximum opportunities for students to access advanced mathematics courses during high school. Advanced mathematics courses are defined by the University of California as courses beyond Math III. Santa Barbara Unified currently offers Pre-Calculus, Statistics, Statistics & Data Science, and Calculus as advanced level courses. Some of these courses are college level courses as indicated by the designation of AP or SBCC dual enrollment.

Students who plan to take Calculus while in high school will need to choose a compaction course block in either junior high or high school or request to double up a math course during their sophomore or junior year. View the 2025-26 Math Pathways

SECONDARY MATH COURSE DESCRIPTIONS AND PLACEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

SECONDARY MATH COURSE DESCRIPTIONS AND PLACEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

JUNIOR HIGH
7th Grade

Math 7: This course is designed for 7th grade students to learn the CA Common Core Mathematics standards.

Math 7/8 Compaction: This course is the first course in a two-course sequence designed for students that want to accelerate their math learning to take Math I as an 8th grade student. The course covers all of Math 7 and ~75% of the Math 8 standards. Enrolling in this course is a two year commitment. In 8th grade students enroll in Math 8/I Compaction.

Students that meet the criteria below can enroll in Math 7/8 Compaction.

Have multiple years of CAASPP Math results indicate Standards Exceeded
Demonstrate strong mastery of the 6th grade standards as evidenced by report card marks ( “standard exceeded” or “standard met” when exceeded isn’t an option)
Additional assessment measures (e.g.STAR Math or IXL Math) that indicate the student is demonstrating above grade level math skills.

8th Grade

Math 8: This course is designed for 8th grade students to learn the CA Common Core Mathematics standards.
Math 8/I Compaction: This course is the second course in a two-course sequence designed for students that want to accelerate their math learning to take Math I as an 8th grade student. The course covers ~25% of the Math 8 standards and all of the high school Math I courses. Only students that have successfully completed Math 7/8 Compaction are eligible to take this course.

HIGH SCHOOL

9th Grade

For students that were enrolled in Math 8 in 8th Grade, there are two course options, Math I and Math I Extended Time.

Math I: This course is designed for 9th grade students to learn the CA Common Core Mathematics standards designated for Math I. Students may earn SB Unified honors credit by successfully demonstrating high levels of proficiency of the course work as measured by selected assessments.

Math I Extend Time: This course teaches the same standards as Math I, but has additional class time that allows students time to learn both grade level content as well as necessary essential prerequisite skills. Students may earn SB Unified honors credit by successfully demonstrating high levels of proficiency of the course work as measured by selected assessments.

Students that meet the criteria are considered for enrollment in Math I Extended Time.

Multiple years of CAASPP results that indicate Standards Not Met or Nearly Met Standards
IXL Diagnostic score indicating below grade level performance
Attendance
Grades from previous math course
Teacher recommendation

For students who successfully complete Math 8/I Compaction, there are two course options, Math II and Math II/III Compaction.

Math II Enrichment: This is the next course in the college preparatory sequence based on the CA Common Core Mathematics standards designated for Math II. Students earn SB Unified honors credit by enrolling in the course.

Math II/III Compaction: This course is the first course in a two-course sequence designed for students that want to accelerate their math learning. The course covers all of Math II course work and more than 50% of the Math III course work . Enrolling in this course is a two-year commitment. The second course in this sequence is Math III/Pre-Calculus.

Students that meet the criteria below can enroll in Math II/III Compaction.

CAASPP Math results indicate Standards Exceeded in both 7th and 8th grade.
Demonstrate strong mastery of the Math I standards as evidenced by report card marks of an A or B.
Additional assessment measures (e.g.STAR Math or IXL Math) that indicate the student is demonstrating above grade level math skills.

10th Grade and Beyond

All students are required to take three years of mathematics in high school and are encouraged to take four years of math, including the completion of the A-G requirement of completing Math I, Math II and Math III. For more information about the pathway options beyond Math III, please review the 2025-26 Mathematics Pathways and the SB Unified Course Catalogue.

BP 6152.1 Placement in Mathematics Courses

AR 6152.1 Placement in Mathematics Courses

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