Math/Science

In grades K-5, students’ experience hands-on science learning using Smithsonian Science For The Classroom. Each year, students will engage in modules focusing on four science disciplines including: Earth & Space Science, Engineering Design, Life Science and Physical Science.

Our science education philosophy, principles, and goals come from A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas published by the National Research Council, which informed the Next Generation Science Standards.

Philosophy

Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life, and they also hold the key to meeting many of humanity’s most pressing current and future challenges. Facing these challenges require social, political, and economic solutions that must be informed by deep knowledge of the underlying science and engineering. Teaching what all students should know in preparation for their roles as citizens in this technology-rich and scientifically complex world is essential for responsible personal and civic decision making.

Principles

1. Children are born investigators who enter school with their own ideas about the world and how it works, which educators can use as a foundation to build understanding.

2. Instruction should focus on core ideas and practices to allow for deep exploration of important topics and time for students to develop meaningful understanding.

3. Students need sustained opportunities to work with and develop understanding over a long period of time.

4. Science is not just a body of knowledge that reflects current understanding of the world; it is also a set of practices to establish, extend, and refine that knowledge.

5. Classroom learning experiences in science need to connect with students’ interests and experiences.

6. Equity in science education requires that all students are provided with equitable opportunities to learn science and become engaged in science and engineering practices.

Goals

By the end of 12th grade, students should have gained sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to:

• Engage in public discussions on science-related issues

• Be critical consumers of scientific and technological information related to their everyday lives

• See themselves as capable of using science and engineering to successfully navigate a complex world

• Enter careers of their choice, including (but not limited to) careers in science, engineering, and technology

Students are assessed across units using science notebook entries and end of unit written and performance assessments. These are used to respond and adjust to student growth across the year. The Washington State Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) is administered in grade 5.

Preschool focuses on developing early numeracy skills such as counting, recognizing shapes and addition and subtraction through hands-on experiences using Building Blocks curriculum. To support responsive teaching, students are assessed using the TS Gold assessment throughout the year.

In grades K-5, students’ individual needs are met using the Math Learning Center’s Bridges in Mathematics, Number Corner, Bridges Intervention and/or supplementary district or building designed materials.

In the Renton School District, math classroom communities are intentionally designed to support students in developing the skills, habits, and attitudes identified in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Students develop deep understanding of math concepts and proficiency with key skills within a launch-explore-summarize structure. 

• Students engage in rigorous, standards-based tasks which draw upon everyday mathematics situations, and are designed to have multiple entry points and solution paths.

• Students regularly engage in meaningful discussions about mathematical concepts with their peers.

• Students learn by sharing thinking, seeking to understand different ways of thinking, challenging one another’s thinking, and integrating others’ ideas into their own.

• Students make sense of their new learning by connecting the mathematical concepts with their prior experiences, knowledge, and learning.

• Students monitor their own understanding by engaging in discourse, questioning, rubrics, and other success criteria. 

Students are assessed across units using Bridges in Mathematics assessments and I-Ready Math, which is given three times a year. Both are used to respond and adjust to student growth across the year.

In grades 6-8 and in Algebra 1, students’ individual needs are met using Desmos Math. Students work collaboratively to problem-solve, question, communicate, and justify their thinking.

In grades 10-12, students’ individual needs are met using a variety of district adopted curriculum along with district and/or building supplementary material. No matter the course, students work collaboratively in developing their mathematical practices, problem-solving skills and conceptual understanding.

In the Renton School District, math classroom communities are intentionally designed to support students in developing the skills, habits, and attitudes identified in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Students develop deep understanding of math concepts and proficiency with key skills within a launch-explore-summarize structure. 

• Students engage in rigorous, standards-based tasks which draw upon everyday mathematics situations, and are designed to have multiple entry points and solution paths.

• Students regularly engage in meaningful discussions about mathematical concepts with their peers.

• Students learn by sharing thinking, seeking to understand different ways of thinking, challenging one another’s thinking, and integrating others’ ideas into their own.

• Students make sense of their new learning by connecting the mathematical concepts with their prior experiences, knowledge, and learning.

• Students monitor their own understanding by engaging in discourse, questioning, rubrics, and other success criteria. 

In Grades 6-8, students are assessed across units using Desmos Unit Assessments, i-Ready Math, which is given three times a year and the Math IAB, which is administered once a year. All three are used to respond and adjust to student growth across the year. 

In Grades 9-12, students are assessed across units using both district and building based common assessments. Along with unit assessments students in Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II take a Math IAB once a year during trimester 2. Students in grade 10 also take the Smarter Balanced Assessment during the spring.