Middle School Curriculum Posts

Mathematics is a key component of the Middle School student learning experience; it permeates our students' daily lives and is evident in how they make numerical sense of the world around them.  The goal of the middle school mathematics program is to provide all students with a rich and challenging learning experience that is based on best teaching practices and a commitment to excellence through a high-quality, learner-centered curriculum.

The Middle School mathematics program seeks to inspire students to become curious, confident, and creative problem solvers, who can effectively communicate their thinking and readily adapt to a wide variety of mathematical contexts. This important skill set and mathematical mindset are developed in the classroom through differentiated instructional practices including a well-balanced use of technology and exposure to real-world problem-solving applications. Our teaching seeks to inspire students and cultivate joy and appreciation for the course content.

Teaching and learning in all middle school mathematics courses follow a comprehensive set of standards and benchmarks aligned to common assessments measuring learner progress and mastery of course content. Our curriculum reinforces and expands upon learning that has taken place at the Lower School level. New and more complex concepts relating to spatial reasoning, data analysis and probability, linear relationships, and formal topics in algebra are introduced in preparation for advanced coursework beyond the TAS Middle School.

The Middle School Mathematics program can be viewed as a bridge that provides students with a smooth transition to Upper School coursework. During the middle years, students strengthen their learning and confidence through the continued development of a strong conceptual foundation as topics taught in the classroom become increasingly abstract and require more complex problem-solving strategies. Different math courses at each grade level allow for a broad range of placement options. It is our goal to ensure that each student reaches his or her full learning potential in an engaging middle school mathematics course that is developmentally appropriate based on individual needs and previous learning experiences.