In our Middle School, students are engaged in the mathematics aligned with the 2017 MA Curriculum Frameworks for Mathematics. Students study content outlined in the document for grades 6, 7, 8, and Algebra 1. Please see the text of the standards (below) for specifics.
As part of our math program at Curtis Middle School, in addition to our core math courses, we offer a variety of methods for support and extension.
Math Lab (Title I Math)
Math Lab takes place 3 days per cycle during a Unified Arts block and provides students with additional opportunities to solidify their mathematical understanding. With this course, we hope to expand the mathematical experiences at Curtis, in order to increase confidence and understanding in the math classroom. Students are invited to participate in Math Lab based on multiple assessments and teacher recommendation. The course will be graded with P/F.
Mathematical Challenge and Support
In this new elective, 7th grade students will engage in challenging mathematics within a community of peers. This class will use an inquiry approach, which will integrate students' knowledge and skills and will apply these to solve real-life problems. Students will make sense of problems, make connections between mathematical concepts, justify their reasoning, and seek to understand the reasoning of their perrs. Students should expect to be stretched mathematically by the curriculum. The course will be graded with P/F.
Pathway Acceleration
Students have an opportunity to skip seventh-grade mathematics if they have already mastered the content in the Grade 7 and Grade 8 MA Curriculum Frameworks. This accelerated pathway allows students to take Algebra 1 Extensive in 7th grade (with eighth-grade classmates) and Number Theory in eighth-grade. If students continue on this trajectory and choose to attend LSRHS, students will begin high school in a Geometry course.
This option is based on multiple data points along with teacher recommendations. The acceleration assessment is offered in late May/early June of each school year. More information can be found HERE.
Many of our Middle School classrooms are supported by the Desmos Curriculum. Desmos is a dynamic, interactive math program that allows students to engage in sense-making and mathematical discourse.
Please click here to learn more about this product for grades 6-8 mathematics.
Please click here to learn more about the structure of a typical Desmos lesson.