Lawrence sixth-graders struggling in math will be told to take a new supplemental course on the subject when they enter junior high, district officials say.

But the new policy means students needing the extra math course could lose the option to take more popular elective classes.

Mick Lowe, principal at West Junior High School, said a similar program for junior high students with reading difficulties had been reasonably successful.

âÂÂIf kids canâÂÂt read and do math, they need to before theyâÂÂll get full benefit of other electives,â Lowe said.

About 10 percent of 800 students preparing to enroll in seventh grade could wind up in the additional math course. They also would be expected to enroll in the regular seventh-grade math class.

âÂÂThere are students âÂÂ: working a couple years behind others who need extra help,â said Lynda Allen, the districtâÂÂs director of math and science.

She said the opportunity for additional one-on-one instruction may not be a hit with students because it could limit their ability to take electives, such as band and orchestra.

And some teachers didnâÂÂt like the idea of examining math standardized test scores and recommending which children should be encouraged to take the new math class, Allen said. Teachers didnâÂÂt want to be responsible for limiting studentsâ elective options, she said.

Lowe said scheduling conflicts between the supplemental math course and music classes could be remedied by delaying a required seventh-grade course until the student is in eighth grade.

The four junior high schools typically have 180 to 220 seventh-graders. Approximately one in 10 is expected to be eligible for the supplemental course, Lowe said.

Junior high enrollment is in January. Administrators wonâÂÂt know until then the level of demand for the additional math instruction.