The discussion was very informative, and we are writing this letter to confirm what we learned from you about math education in Los Altos. The Los Altos School Board has set a policy that each child will continually progress in math. This is carried out at the elementary school level by having math taught at the same time at all grade levels. In this way, children at the same ability levels can progress, and there is a blurring of the grades.
Some schools have math in the mornings, some after recess, and one in the afternoon.
The district is able to provide additional math classes by having a math teacher rotate through the schools. As a result of this approach, fifteen to twenty five percent of the fifth graders have finished sixth grade math by the end of the fifth grade. These children will continue their accelerated progress in the sixth grade and at junior high. They have the opportunity to participate in the Math Olympiad in the sixth grade. They will continue it through the eighth grade, where it is used for honors Algebra.