Courses and Content

Seattle’s middle school students transition from a focus on number systems in elementary school towards algebraic thinking, laying the foundation for high school course work.

Math 6 through Math 8 are aligned to the Washington State Standards (Common Core State Standards) that were adopted in 2012.  These courses are designed to address standards, or parts of standards, in a progression that builds conceptual understanding and connections between content.

In Math 6, students will build the concepts of ratio and rate and use them to solve problems. They will extend the number system to rational numbers and will write, use, and interpret numeric and algebraic expressions and equations Finally, they will develop statistical thinking.

In Math 7, students will focus on proportional relationships and develop understanding of operations with rational numbers. They will work with linear expressions and equations and with scale drawings and geometric constructions, and solve problems involving area, surface area, and volume. Finally, Math 7 students will draw inferences about populations based on samples.

Math 7/8 Compacted is a combination of the content in both Math 7 and Math 8. Students will cover two years of standards in one school year.

In Math 8, students will model real world situations, including bivariate data, using linear equations and systems of linear equations. They will progress in their ability to solve equations using properties of equality and develop an understanding of functions. Finally, Math 8 students will analyze two- and three-dimensional figures using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, along with applying the Pythagorean Theorem.

Review the course Year at a Glance documents for more details about content, standards, and topic sequence.

• Math 6 Year at a Glance
• Math 7 Year at a Glance
• Math 7/8 Compacted Year at a Glance
• Math 8 Year at a Glance

Middle School Mathematics Instructional Materials

In 2018, Seattle Public Schools adopted enVision Math as its core curricular material for middle school mathematics.  

• Students are provided with a consumable textbook for use in class and/or at home  
• Students can access enVision materials on the digital platform, SavvasRealize, through the SPS student portal (Clever).
• Families can access enVision Family Resources for each topic and lesson

Families can support learning at home using the enVision Family Resources for each topic and lesson

• Math 6 Family Resources
• Math 7 Family Resources
• Math 7/8 Compacted Family Resources
• Math 8 Family Resources 

Courses and Enrollment

Students are enrolled in the next course in sequence from 5th to 6th grade and throughout middle school. For details about math progressions see Examples of Math Progressions and Math Enrollment/Course Progression FAQ on the district middle school math webpage. 

The Introduction to Middle School Registration Information provides more detail about math course offerings and pathways.

State and District Assessment Requirements

Students in grades 6 through 8 are required by the state to take the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) in math. Students will take the math SBA corresponding to their grade level; so students in the 6th grade will be assessed on Math 6 standards, students in 7th grade will be assessed on Math 7 standards, and students in 8th grade will be assessed on Math 8 standards. For more information visit State of Washington Assessments Overview.

Seattle Public Schools requires two types of formative assessments during middle school. The first are curriculum embedded assessments (CEA) which are end of unit assessments provided in the enVision curriculum. The CEAs are administered three times a year, are tied to the course standards, and teachers can use CEA data to make adjustments to their instruction. The second formative assessment is Measures of Academic Progress (MAP). This assessment is administered twice a year. The MAP measures a student’s individual growth from fall to spring and from year to year. MAP data can be used for goal setting and identify math concepts that are strengths and area that may need additional support.