Overview

At Portfolio, math is presented through inquiry-based activities that connect to real-world scenarios and applications. We want students to feel empowered to use the tool of mathematics to answer questions in their daily lives. The primary resources Portfolio uses for our math curriculum is Bridges In Mathematics, a comprehensive elementary school mathematics curriculum. It was developed by the educational nonprofit The Math Learning Center (MLC) in Oregon with funding from the National Science Foundation. It is aligned to the national mathematics common core standards. To learn more about Bridges In Mathematics: https://www.mathlearningcenter.org/about/organization

What Distinguishes Bridges In Mathematics?

  • Emphasizes mathematical practices of communication, reasoning, and making sense of  problems

  • Recognizes that students have mathematical ideas and provides scaffolding to support developing these ideas

  • Connects mathematical concepts to real-world problems

  • Supports teachers in adapting materials to meet the needs of the learners

  • Provides multiple forms of formative and summative assessment 

In addition to Bridges, we also use an interactive and adaptive online mathematics program, IXL, to both diagnosis students’ individual skill profiles and to occasionally allow students to work independently at their own pace on the specific skills they need to develop. To learn more about IXL https://www.ixl.com/

Portfolio Math Groups

Using a variety of diagnostic tools including IXL, written problem sets, and teacher feedback we group students based on the skills that they need to work on next. All math groups meet at the same time, permitting students to move easily among groups when needed. 

Middle School

Students in 5th grade begin a rigorous middle-school curriculum using Illustrative Mathematics and a number of supplemental resources to apply and extend the common core standards. 

Assessment 

Students are frequently assessed on their skills and provided feedback. Formative and summative assessments are intentionally varied providing learners different means to demonstrate their knowledge. Assessment activities may include verbal explanations, problem sets, poster projects and hands-on activities in addition to more traditional assessments such as quizzes and tests.