OMS is committed to meeting the needs of our math learners and we rely on numerous strategies to do so. Within the classroom structure, assessment is both formative and summative. Our math teachers use pretests, post-tests, student work and student participation to inform instruction. These tools enable teachers to recognize students’ strengths and struggles and use this information to differentiate instruction. While students use the Holt McDougal Common Core text series and the IXL program (a Web-based assessment and learning program) in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, our teachers also supplement and enhance lessons with teacher-created materials.

Students in all classes develop strategies that enable them to tackle new topics independently, to build math fluency, and to work cooperatively on challenging problems. Our math teachers work collaboratively, building a sequential program that scaffolds learning for a variety of learning styles. It is our goal that students see math as not a separate discipline but one woven into our daily lives.