8th Grade Report Overview

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 do not meet the expectations for alignment to the CCSSM. An exceptional aspect of the materials is the integrated nature of the lessons. No topic is taught in isolation. Major work is incorporated in to supporting topics and many connections are made between domains and clusters. The materials go to great lengths to develop a conceptual understanding of math topics. However, the materials frequently cover off grade-level topics. In doing this, only approximately 50 percent of the time is spent on the major work of the grade. Several assessment items are beyond the Grade 8 CCSSM and those impact the structure of the materials. The materials fail to follow the grade-by-grade progression, content from prior or future grades is not clearly identified, the materials do not relate grade level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge, and the lesson objectives are not shaped by the CCSSM cluster headings. Since the materials do not meet expectations for focus and coherence in Gateway 1, they were not reviewed for evidence of rigor and the MPs in Gateway 2.