Information for
New Tenth and Eleventh Graders
2015 - 2016
Each year, Madeira accepts a small group of able, multi-talented girls in its tenth and eleventh grade
classes. This year is no exception! Incoming tenth and eleventh graders and their families often have
special questions or concerns regarding course registration. The information below offers answers to
questions typically asked by older students transferring to Madeira. For more specific questions, call or
e-mail Ms. Mahoney ([email protected] or 703.556.8249). Girls who transfer to Madeira in
eleventh grade are strongly encouraged to contact Ms. Mahoney early in the course selection process.
You want to make sure you are choosing courses that will help you meet Madeira graduation
requirements. New eleventh grade girls should see the graduation requirement specifically for them.
Here are some frequently asked questions.
I took Spanish III last year at my old school. Do I sign up now for Spanish IV?
All new tenth and eleventh graders must take a placement test in Latin, Spanish, or French (unless you
are enrolling in a first-year course in any of these languages.) The results of your test will help the
language teachers here place you in the appropriate language class. In order to meet your graduation
requirements, incoming tenth graders must complete the third level of one of the languages offered
at Madeira. If you place beyond the third level, you still must take at least one year of Madeira
language. New eleventh graders must take two years here of Latin, French, or Spanish if they do not
place beyond Level I.
But Madeira placed me in Spanish III again! I've already taken this course! What will colleges
say?
Colleges are well aware that curricula between schools do not match exactly. They will understand
that you are not "retaking" a course, but that you are taking a course in a new school with a different
curriculum. Don't worry! It's more important that you be placed in a course that offers an appropriate
challenge (and in which you have the opportunity to do well) than it is for you to be misplaced.
This isn't the math course I would have been enrolled in if I had stayed at my old school!
Whether you are starting tenth or eleventh grade, do not worry if you were on a different math
sequence in your old school. After you take your math placement test, the Madeira math department
and Ms. Mahoney will be able to place you in the appropriate course. Again, colleges will see your
transcript and understand that you went to two different schools during your high school years.
I took band in ninth grade. Will this count as my arts credit?
Yes, Madeira counts any performing or visual arts credit that you completed in ninth or tenth grade at
your former school. If you received one arts credit in ninth or tenth grade, you have met your Madeira
requirement for graduation (although you should consider taking our arts courses-they are terrific!).
I took U.S. History in eighth grade (or ninth grade). Will I really have to take it again at Madeira?
Yes! The eighth or ninth grade course you took will not have provided you with the same depth as the
U.S. History course students take here in the eleventh grade.
I think I have already read all the books Madeira students read in English II. Can I sign up for a
more advanced course?
All tenth graders take English II and all eleventh graders take English III. (And almost all 10th graders
take Modern World History). Even if you have read some (or all!) of these texts, you will always
benefit from continued work with them, as they are sophisticated and nuanced pieces of literature.
Also, be assured that the writing component of the course will offer you new challenges.
I am coming from a school that taught sciences interdependently, rather than one year at a time.
I've studied some Biology with some Chemistry and some Physics in ninth grade, but I do not
have a full year of any one of those courses. What science course should I take?
Contact Ms. Mahoney with information about your ninth grade or tenth grade science curriculum.
She will confer with the science department and lead you to the right course. We may also give you a
science placement test in some cases.
How do I meet the graduation requirements for ninth grade Co-Curriculum?
You don't have to. New tenth graders only have to meet the requirements for Co-Curriculum in
tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades. New eleventh graders only have to meet the requirements for CoCurriculum in eleventh and twelfth grades.
Is there summer work for me to do to prepare for my courses?
Summer work is posted on Haiku on the "Summer Work 2015-16" page after June 1.
Can a new sophomore or junior take AP courses at Madeira?
AP courses are college-level courses and are not typically the right choice for students new to a
school. If your math or language placement tests indicate you have enough mastery of the discipline
for an AP-level course or if, in a rare case, your transcript suggests you may be eligible for a history
AP-level course, Ms. Mahoney will discuss with you the entire application process and whether or how
such a course would fit in with the rest of your schedule.