Mathematics

Salmon Bay Alternative School Math Program

Salmon Bay School follows the district required math program for middle school students.  Because of our smaller size, and because of our philosophy and practice with regards to grouping students and providing for building strong relationships, the instruction may be organized differently than at a large traditional comprehensive schools.

We have only one teacher at each grade level, 6th, 7th and 8th.

We believe student grouping should be fluid and change with the activity, subject area or project.  We also believe students should be grouped in blocks that have continuity, move together, and as much as possible be balanced with regards to interested, abilities and learning styles.

Our “accelerated” math is not a pull out, but is offered through a differentiated Challenge Program within each class and grade level.

We use CMP2 district curriculum in  6th  and 7th grades, and in the 8th grade we use a blend of the district Discovery Algebra 1 and CMP2.  Although the class is labeled “Math 8”, students will have either Math 8 or Algebra 1 on their transcripts depending on requirements met in class.

We offer many supports for students who may need extra time or help:  homework help center on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday in the library, instructional support from our IEP teachers, and tutoring recommendation when requested.

We offer a rigorous program daily in math, with challenge components available to any student who requests it.  In addition, we offer exploratory class options:  selected math topics, and math Olympiad.

We check regularly with high school math departments to see how well our students are prepared and performing.  They consistently report that our students are some of the best prepared, and are confident about speaking in class and in pursing the inquiry mode of learning.  Many of our students begin high school math at the Geometry level having successfully met Algebra 1 requirements while others continue in Algebra 1 in 9th grade to further solidify their foundation before moving on to Geometry, and are also able to move to the math levels required for admission to competitive colleges.

In all classes we try to strike a balance between the need for students to grasp underlying concepts, the inquire mode of pursuing mathematical understanding, and the foundation of algorithms and computations.