From Arithmetic to Algebra: Variables, Word Problems, Fractions and the Rules

Context

Martin Luther King Jr. Middle school is a diverse public urban school in Berkeley, CA. We have about 1100 students from 6^th through 8^th grade. They are from a variety of economic, social, and cultural backgrounds. Some students live in multi-million dollars houses on the hills, while others live in dilapidated apartments on the flatlands, or even in the streets, homeless. A significant number of our students are on free or reduced lunch. Of our total enrollment, 35% are identified as Socioeconomically Disadvantaged. The ethnic breakdown of our student population is 47% White, 13 % Black or African American, 18% Hispanic or Latino, 7% Asian, 2% American Indian or Alaska Native or Filipino or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 13% two or more races. The families of our students speak over thirty languages. During our 8^th grade promotion ceremony, there were 27 languages spoken by the students to welcome their families in their home language. Of the total student population about 10% are English Learners.

All of the classes are extremely heterogeneous. 11% of our students are designated as Students with Disabilities. Our school has a Counseling Enriched Classroom for students designated as emotionally disturbed, where they have access to counseling services five days a week, and are mainstreamed into some classes depending on their needs. In addition we are a full inclusion school, which mean that many students with moderate to severe disabilities are included in general education classrooms on a full-time basis. Furthermore, even among the students without Individualized Educational Plans (IEP), there is a wide range of academic preparedness. Some students are reading at a third-grade level, while others are at a college level. In math classes, some are struggling with multiplication and division facts, while others are ready for Algebra 2 and beyond. This extremely wide range in academic skills poses huge challenges for teachers to differentiate as much as possible so that all students are engaged and continuing to learn.