Mathematics
The Middle School mathematics program is designed to provide students with a solid foundation for their Upper School coursework. The program aims to solidify computation skills, build self-confidence in mathematical abilities and teach organizational skills demonstrated in student work. The process of arriving at one’s answer is more important than the answer itself. This philosophy gives the students a greater ability to interpret and solve real-world problems. Teachers use a variety of measures to assess and challenge students based on their current ability and achievement.
Students are recommended to the next level of mathematics, including advanced and honors levels, based on their performance in their current course. They are placed in the most appropriate class to meet both their current needs and potential for mathematical mastery and growth. There can be a dramatic change in students’ maturity, motivation and ability from the beginning of the school year to the finish. Thus, students are assessed on a trimester basis with a formal end-of-the-year diagnostic test. In addition, a review of a student’s performance in math competitions and ERB scores takes place.
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Students who desire an additional challenge and more advanced coursework have the option of pursuing an honors designation in their respective courses. With the honors designation, students have the opportunity to go into depth and further develop their problem-solving skills through enrichment and extension activities. They will also benefit from questioning strategies utilized by the teacher that will encourage them to explore the richness of the problems. Students will be expected to practice and use higher-level thinking strategies. Furthermore, they will refine their mathematical communication skills through discussions and written responses in which they critically evaluate their own thinking and that of other students. As such, students are required to put forth 100% effort when it comes to their academic commitment and demonstrate a desire and willingness to work hard.
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Integrated Math 5 emphasizes the development of sound computation and reasoning skills using whole numbers, fractions and decimals. Students develop competency in all whole-number operations and gain a firm foundation in those with fractions and decimals. Elementary statistics is introduced through data analysis. Development of basic number theory and geometry concepts continues. Problem-solving skills are stressed in this course.
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Integrated Math 6 will build on students' understanding of fractions and decimals and continue to emphasize reasoning with rational numbers and the four basic operations. Exponents and roots will be explored in greater depth, and explicitly connected to geometric figures and real-world contexts. The course continues with a deeper exploration of properties of numbers and introduces negative numbers and absolute value, which are integrated into work with solving linear equations and inequalities. Students will also formalize their understanding of ratio and proportion, solving linear equations, and graphic representations of data. Modeling strategies and multiple representations will be heavily integrated into instruction.
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Integrated Math 7 is designed to further develop students’ confidence in their problem-solving abilities and enable them to see the connections between the different algebraic, geometric and data science topics introduced in the course while preparing them for the rigors of upper-level mathematics. The course continues with a deeper exploration of properties of numbers, solidifies fluency with rational number arithmetic, and introduces work with multi-step linear equations and inequalities. Geometric concepts including unknown angles, the area of a circle and composite area in the plane, as well as volume and surface area of right prisms are integrated into the work with expressions and equations.
In this course, students also begin their study of probability, learning how to interpret probabilities and compute them in simple settings. Data science is also integrated throughout. Students study and compare data distributions and learn how to make informal inferences based on data from random samples—essential skills that are interconnected to other disciplines such as history and life science. The successful completion of the course fulfills the prerequisite requirements for Integrated Math 8.
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Integrated Math 8 helps students develop multiple strategies to solve problems and recognize the connections between algebraic and geometric concepts. Students will engage in problem-solving strategies, questioning, investigations, critical analysis, gathering and constructing evidence, and communicating rigorous arguments to their thinking. Students build upon the concepts and skills developed in the previous year to understand connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations, analyze and solve linear equations and pairs of simultaneous linear equations, work with radicals and integer exponents, and examine and compare linear and exponential growth models. In addition, students analyze two- and three-dimensional space and figures using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, and understand and apply the Pythagorean theorem.
Data science is also integrated throughout. Students learn to analyze data through means of central tendencies, graphs and plots. Math language and vocabulary, problem-solving techniques, computation with algebraic expressions, and the solution of both linear equations are stressed. The use of graphing technology and geometric software is integrated throughout the course work. By the end of the course, the goal is to have students confidently make connections among varied mathematical concepts and apply strategies to solve problems they have never seen before. Students build problem-solving strategies that apply to most academic disciplines. This course is recommended for students who have completed the first half of a traditional Algebra I or Integrated Math 7.
