Students interested in English I - Honors (9th grade), English II - Honors (10th grade), English III - Honors, AP Language & Composition, or AP Literature & Composition (11th grade) must take a placement test.

The assessment is designed to take between 45 and 60 minutes and consists of multiple-choice critical reading questions on a selected passage and a short written response to an essay prompt. In addition to considering a student’s performance on this assessment, we also consider other elements in a student’s application file: past courses taken and grades received, writing samples, standardized testing, and teacher recommendations. 

Those placed in standard level English their first year at Thayer may earn Honors/AP placement the following year if they demonstrate significant improvement in their reading, writing, and analytical skills and a consistent commitment to the subject.

Students interested in World History I - Honors (9th grade), World History II - Honors (10th grade), History of American Democracy - Honors (11th grade), or AP U.S. History (11th grade) must take a placement test.

The assessment is designed to take about 45 minutes and consists of multiple-choice and short-answer responses based on a reading that students complete in advance. In addition to considering a student’s performance on this assessment, we also consider other elements in a student’s application file: past courses taken and grades received, writing samples, standardized testing, and teacher recommendations. 

Please note that History of American Democracy Honors and AP U.S. History are both college-level courses.

Those placed in standard level History their first year at Thayer may earn Honors/AP placement the following year if they demonstrate significant improvement in their reading, writing, and analytical skills and a consistent commitment to the subject. AP offerings for seniors are open to all interested students.

Students who wish to take the placement test should print out and read the appropriate text below. Students may annotate and highlight the text and use their annotations during the test. Bring your text with you!

Readings for Honors/AP History placement test: 

• Incoming 9th graders interested in World History I - Honors
• Incoming 10th graders interested in World History II - Honors
• Incoming 11th graders interested in History of American Democracy - Honors or AP U.S. History

Incoming 9th grade students are placed into either Algebra I or Algebra II unless there is an exceptional situation. Incoming 10th and 11th grade students are placed based on previous courses taken and Thayer’s math course sequence. The math placement for incoming students is primarily determined by three pieces of information: grades and recommendations from the previous school; performance on a Thayer math assessment test (if necessary); and score on the Quantitative portion of the SSAT.

1. Grades and recommendations from the previous school: Incoming 9th graders: for placement into Algebra II in the ninth grade year, students will have completed a full-year course in Algebra I in the 8th grade. Their grades in this course and their math recommendation should both speak to a solid understanding of Algebra I. Students who have not completed a full year of Algebra I in the 8th grade are automatically placed into Algebra I for 9th grade at Thayer.

2. Performance on the Thayer Algebra I Assessment Test: A 45-minute test will be given to students on campus.

   1. The Algebra I Assessment Test gives a better understanding of a student’s proficiency in Algebra I. Questions on this test reflect the curriculum that the Math Department teaches in its Algebra I course.

   2. Please be advised: Completion of an Algebra I course at a school other than Thayer does not guarantee a student has been exposed to, or is proficient in, all the topics we require in Algebra I. The Algebra I Assessment Test helps us to identify which students have an appropriate background in Algebra I and are good candidates to enroll in Algebra II.

3. Score on the Quantitative portion of the SSAT: A student’s score on the Quantitative portion of the SSAT, in conjunction with the information above, helps determine the most appropriate placement for a student. For placement into an honors level class, students usually must have an SSAT Quantitative score in the 85-90% range or above.

Thayer Academy Algebra I Assessment Test

A 45-minute test will be given to students on campus. This test gives a better understanding of a student’s proficiency in Algebra I. Questions on this test reflect the curriculum that the Math Department teaches in its Algebra I course. 

Topics Included: 

• Number sense, positive and negative numbers
• Simplifying variable expressions
• Solving linear equations
• Solving and graphing linear inequalities (simple & combined)
• Graphing
  • Intercepts
  • Slope
  • Slope-intercept form
  • Point-slope form
  • Horizontal and vertical lines
  • Parallel and perpendicular lines
• Systems of linear equations and inequalities
  • Graphing
  • Substitution
  • Linear combination
• Exponents (no negative or fractional exponents)
• Operations with polynomials
  • Adding and subtracting polynomials
  • Expanding with multiplication
• Factoring
  • Greatest common factors
  • Difference of squares
  • Factoring trinomials
• Rational expressions
  • Simplifying a single fraction
  • Adding and subtracting
  • Multiplying and dividing
• Solving polynomial and rational equations
  • Quadratic equations
  • Fractional equations
  • Rational equations

While there is no science placement test, science course enrollment is dependent in part on math placement test results.

See details for each grade below. 

GRADE 9
All ninth grade students take Integrated Science I or Integrated Science I - Quantitative. Students are placed in one of these courses based on their math placement for grade 9.

GRADE 10
All tenth grade students take Integrated Science II or Integrated Science II - Honors. Students are placed in one of these courses based on their math placement for grade 9 and performance in science in grade 9.

GRADE 11
Students in grade 11, in concert with the science department chair and Dean of Students, choose a science course based on their previous courses in science and their performance in those classes. Both college preparatory level courses and Advanced Placement level courses are available to 11th graders.

Upper School students are required to take one world language. If a student would like to repeat the first year of a language, no assessment test will be required.

If a student would like to continue the language they have been learning at their previous school or if they would like to switch to a language they have previous experience in, an online assessment test will be required. 

Please complete the World Language Course Election form and the assessment test (if applicable) by Friday, May 9, 2025.

Students who are entering grade 10 and wish to take two languages should contact Upper School Dean of Students, Kristan Gately (kgately@thayer.org).