If your student currently attends a PAUSD School, his or her teacher determines the appropriate math course.  If your student attends a school outside of the district, he or she will take a placement test to determine the appropriate math course.

Each lane provides a 4-year course sequence of college preparatory mathematics. Many of the courses in different lanes use the same books and cover similar content. The difference between the lanes is the pacing, depth of study and level of challenge.

Yes.  Students can move up a lane at the end of the year with teacher recommendation and some additional summer work.  Students can move down a lane with teacher recommendation at the end of first quarter or first semester.   9^th grade students enrolled in an Algebra course are encouraged to take Geometry over the summer if they would like to take calculus in their senior year.

Only students from outside of PAUSD need to take a placement test.  If your student is currently enrolled within the district, he or she does not need to take a placement test.

Unfortunately, there is little consistency between schools and the curriculum covered in each course. For example, an Algebra course at one school may cover different topics than the Algebra course at another school. The placement test allows us to determine the best fit between your student’s prior work and the mathematics program at Gunn.

The material covered in the test is determined by your student’s previous math coursework. For example, if your student has completed Algebra he or she will take a test on Algebra. If your student has completed Geometry he or she will take a test on Geometry. The exam is in multiple-choice format and students typically take one to one and a half hours to complete the exam.

To find information about our Math Placement Testing, please visit the dedicated page on our website. Should your student need to take a placement test outside of the announced dates, please email your request to Kathy Hawes at khawes@pausd.org.

Unfortunatelly, Gunn does not offer an equivalent to an integrated math program. 9th grade students enrolled in an integrated math program should generally take a placement test covering Algebra. 10th grade students should generally take a placement test covering Geometry.

Unfortunately we do not have the resources to check out books over the summer. However, the title and ISBN number of the books used for each class are posted online and most can be purchased online.

Sometimes students choose to move down a lane because they are earning a poor grade, spending too much time on homework or want to reduce stress. Sometimes students choose to move up a lane because they are earning strong A's on all math tests and would like to be more challenged. If you fit into either of these two categories and would like to change lanes, the first step is to talk with your mathematics teacher who will help you decide if changing a lane is appropriate. In some instances you will need to complete extra work over the summer or take a test showing that you have mastered the pre-requisites. Students should be advised that it is not always possible to change lanes once the school year has started, especially if a course is already full.

Skipping a class is never advised. Each course in our program builds on the skills of the previous work and there is simply not enough time in a short summer program to duplicate the rigorous program offered during the regular school year. The only exception to this is freshmen students who complete Algebra 1A with an A test average and want to clomplete AB Calculus in their senior year. These stydents can take Geometry over the summer at an accredited math program with the recommendation of their 9th grade math teacher.

There is no Stanford Math Program or application to take math classes at Stanford. Historically, only a handful of truly exceptional high school students have been invited to audit Stanford math classes. These students did not receive college credit or a Stanford transcript. Students who wish to continue their mathematics studies after BC Calculus are encouraged to sign up for classes at Foothill or some other community college.