Clarkstown Parents' Guide to Math Placement at Felix Festa (and What They Can Do About It)

The math course your child takes at Felix Festa Middle School shapes their path all the way through high school. Up through 5th grade, every student follows the same general math curriculum. In 6th grade, Clarkstown Central School District divides students into different math tracks.

Our tutors at Mathnasium of New City put together this guide to walk you through how that placement works and what to do if you have questions about it.

How Math Tracks Work in Clarkstown Central School District

Clarkstown Central School District splits students into two math tracks in 6th grade at Felix Festa Middle School. 

Before that, your child stays in one standard classroom that follows New York State's Next Generation Learning Standards, and the teacher adjusts the pace to match where your child is. 

That changes when they reach Felix Festa. 

Every CCSD elementary school feeds into this one campus in West Nyack, and starting in 6th grade, your child moves onto either the standard sequence or the accelerated path toward Algebra 1 Honors. The track they receive here shapes their math sequence through all three middle school grades.

Felix Festa's course flowcharts for grades 6 through 9 lay out both tracks:

Every student at Felix Festa starts 6th grade in the same Math 6 course, regardless of which track they end up on. The cumulative average your child earns in Math 6 decides whether they move into 7R or 7A the following year, which makes 6th grade the first turning point in this whole sequence.

Math 7A is a prerequisite for Algebra 1H. If your child isn't currently enrolled in Math 7A, FFMS cannot recommend or place them into Algebra 1H the following year, regardless of their grades elsewhere.

By 9th grade, your child is in high school, either at Clarkstown High School North or Clarkstown High School South. The track they complete at Felix Festa carries directly into that first year:

• The accelerated track ends with Algebra H in 8th grade, making your child eligible for Regents or Honors Geometry and skipping Algebra 1 as a high school course.

• The standard track carries into 9th grade as Algebra R (or Algebra R with lab), your child's first high school-level math course.

How Felix Festa Decides Math Placement

Felix Festa Middle School moves your child between tracks based on a cumulative average, checked at three specific points rather than a single test or grading period:

Your child needs to maintain the qualifying average across every quarter of the year, including on the Math 7A final exam.

Teachers also watch for specific classroom habits that factor into an accelerated or honors recommendation:

• Consistent preparation for class

• To understand a math concept that goes beyond memorization

• Persistence with problems that take more than one attempt

• Performance that holds up well above grade-level standards

• Comfort working both independently and with a group

• The ability to explain math reasoning clearly, out loud or in writing

FFMS weighs the cumulative average and these classroom habits together when making a recommendation.

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What to Do If You Have Questions About Your Child's Math Placement

Early communication with Felix Festa allows you to question or confirm a math placement decision before too much of the term passes.

Our tutors at Mathnasium of New City recommend these four steps to gather what you need and get an independent read on where your child stands.

Step 1: Gather Examples of Your Child's Math Performance

Bring a specific example to the conversation, whether that's a report card, a recent quiz, or a topic your child struggles with. The teacher or counselor can act on something concrete right away.

CCSD posts grades and progress updates through the Parent Portal, so pull those up before your conversation. 

Step 2: Get the Math Teacher's Take on Where Your Child Stands

Your child's math teacher has the clearest read on how they're actually performing day to day, separate from a single grade or test. 

Ask specifically how your child's classroom work compares to the FFMS thresholds for their current track, and ask what the teacher is seeing in terms of reasoning and consistency.

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Step 3: Ask the Counselor to Walk You Through the Numbers

FFMS's school counseling office specifically lists placement and scheduling questions as a reason to reach out, so this is exactly the kind of question your counselor expects. 

Ask the counselor to walk you through your child's current cumulative average, how it compares to the threshold for the track you're asking about, and what the timeline looks like for the next review.

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Step 4: Consider Structured Support to Help Keep Placement on Track

While school staff can share current progress at any point, FFMS placement relies on consistent performance across test scores, quarterly grades, and unit evaluations over time.

If your child is aiming for an accelerated track, or working to hold their place in one, targeted practice outside the classroom helps them build the mastery and confidence behind consistent high scores. 

At Mathnasium of New City, we pinpoint individual skill gaps and deliver customized instruction so they can meet and maintain Clarkstown's placement standards.

🙋 Need Extra Help? Get Algebra Support From Our New City Tutors

Mathnasium tutors help students build the specific skills and habits behind FFMS's own placement criteria, and more.

Mathnasium of New City Supports Your Child Through Every Step of the FFMS Math Sequence

Mathnasium of New City is a math-only learning center serving PreK-12 students in New City, Bardonia, Congers, and West Nyack. 

We've helped Clarkstown students build the math skills and habits behind FFMS's own criteria, whether that means strengthening a foundational concept or building the consistency it takes to hold an accelerated average.

We do this through personalized learning, powered by the Mathnasium Method™, our proprietary teaching approach built around each student's needs and learning style. 

Our approach includes:

• Assessment and Personalized Learning Plans: Each student begins their Mathnasium journey with a diagnostic assessment that identifies their current skill level, learning goals, and learning style. From there, we build a personalized learning plan that follows your child, not their track or teacher.

• Teaching for Understanding: Our specially trained tutors use verbal, visual, mental, tactile, and written techniques, so a new concept connects to something your child already knows instead of feeling like a fresh start.

• Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking: We give students time to work through problems on their own before stepping in, and when we do, we explain both the how and the why behind each answer.

• An Engaging and Fun Learning Environment: Sessions include games, earned rewards, and consistent recognition of progress, so your child stays motivated whether they're working toward Math 7A or building on Algebra 1H.

Families who come to Mathnasium see measurable change in how their children approach math:

• 94% of parents report an improvement in their child's math skills and understanding

• 93% of parents report their child's improved attitude toward math after attending Mathnasium

• 90% of students saw an improvement in their school grades

If your child is working toward a specific track at Felix Festa, or you just want a clearer picture of where they stand, our team is ready to help.

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