Mathematics
Middle School mathematics classes introduce concepts and topics through a problem solving approach. Students are asked to explain and justify their reasoning in written form and through oral explanation - either individually or in a collaborative effort. The goal is to have students connect the skills and topics to real world challenges while building their problem solving stamina. The mathematical practice standards (make sense of problems and persevere in solving them, reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, model with mathematics, use appropriate tools strategically, attend to precision, look for and make use of structure, and look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning) provide a framework for how Middle School teachers develop activities and incorporate technology such as the Desmos graphing calculator and Seesaw into lessons.
Best-Fit Mathematics Placement We employ a multi-layered process to ensure that each student receives the best-fit mathematical placement each academic year. Each spring, all Middle School students take a readiness assessment for the next course in the mathematics sequence. The Mathematics Department will review the readiness assessment scores and contact families of students who are eligible to pursue an alternate pathway, including Honors courses in Upper School or bypassing the next course in the sequence. Criteria for exploring an advanced pathway (which means bypassing one or more courses in the math sequence) include a 93% or above on the readiness assessment, teacher recommendation, student interest, supplemental assessment data, and family preference.
Students meeting the above criteria for bypassing a course in the math sequence will take the readiness assessment for the course in which they would like to enroll. Criteria for enrollment in Honors Integrated Math 1 include an 80% or above on the readiness assessment and an A in the first and second trimesters of Math 8. Best fit placement criteria and procedures are reviewed annually and are subject to revision.
2025-2026 ULS Curriculum Guide
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