Starting during the 2025-25 school year, Discover Math will be offered at each elementary school for students in grades three through five. Discover Math will provide direct instruction for identified advanced learners using robust curriculum resources tied to our district adopted Bridges Mathematics key concepts and strands. The Advanced Learning Program Specialist will work with Discover Math students 45 – 60 minutes each week.
Discover Math Units of focus are being designed to respond to advanced learners’ characteristics of precocity, intensity, and complexity through its three dimensions of advanced content, higher level processes, and interdisciplinary concepts. The Discover Math experiences have been selected to complement and extend the regular classroom curriculum.
Grade 3 units will focus on Algebra, Numbers & Operations with a Fractions component, and Geometry.
Grade 4 units will focus on Data Analysis & Graphing, Decimals/Percentages, and Geometry & Measurement.
Grade 5 units will focus on Fractions, Numbers & Operations, and Decimals/Percentages.
Discover Math Identification and Selection Process
Selection
Families do not need to fill out an application. The selection process for Discover Math is done by the District Selection Committee, which consists of a team of at least two Advanced Learning Program Specialists and the Elementary Teaching & Learning Coordinator. The Advanced Learning Program Specialist compiles the needed data on students in the talent pool. The District Selection Committee then reviews all students in the talent pool and determines which students meet criteria for the Discover Math program. The committee may also determine if there is a need for additional testing.
Notification
In the fall of 2025, Discover Math will start in fifth grade. Families of students who qualify for the Discover Math program will be notified in the fall of fifth grade. Services for Discover Math in grades 3 and 4 will begin in the spring of 2026.
Appeal
A parent may initiate a review of their student at any time by contacting the building ALPS. The parent has the option to provide anecdotal evidence or work samples for consideration.
- ALPS and classroom teachers confer to review assessment data and classroom performance, including Bridges assessment data when available.
- This review may include grade-level team members, the building principal, and/or the Elementary Teaching and Learning Coordinator.
- ALPS and grade-level teachers collaborate to determine how to meet demonstrated student needs. ALPS will communicate with parents and support classroom teachers as needed.
Discover Math groups are flexible. All students are considered for placement at the start of each unit based on assessment data and classroom performance.
Staff members may also request further consideration for a student by submitting a Math Teacher Observation Inventory (M-TOI). The District Selection Committee will review each request and determine appropriate action.
Exit
Student performance in Discover Math is closely monitored. While these programs provide opportunities for challenge and success for most students, they may not match the needs of every student. If a parent, teacher, Advanced Learning Program Specialist or student voices a concern regarding the student’s placement in advanced services, the Exit Guidelines will be used to determine the appropriate next step.
