Stafford Public Schools

Public school students in the state of Connecticut follow the Common Core State Standards when learning Mathematics. These standards define the important concepts and skills students need to learn in order to graduate from high school and be prepared to successfully enter college or begin working.

In Stafford Springs, students in Pre K to Grade 5 experience these concepts using a core program called Bridges in Mathematics. This program was created by the Mathematics Learning Center, which is a nonprofit organization developed out of funding from the National Science Foundation. Grades 6 to 8 students continue to strengthen their math skills using Illustrative Mathematics (IM). IM is also a nonprofit group, and they provide materials as an Open Ed Resource, so they are available to schools at no cost. Experts in the field of mathematics played a key role in the development of the program. 

The goal is for our students to understand mathematical concepts deeply, become efficient with key skills, and to become effective problem solvers. Material is presented to students through powerful activities meant to foster language skills, visual models to improve connections, and hands on math experiences.

Both of our programs are comprehensive and align with the Standards, and both of them received the highest ratings on edreports, a website that evaluates programs on how closely they align with the Common Core Standards.

Parents often ask how they can help support the mathematics taught at school, especially considering the fact that it may look different from the math they learned in school. The following link can help parents with learning what is being taught, when, and how they can help at home.