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FAMILY PORTAL · TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

Welcome, ECFS families

Content: Ported from live ecfs.org (updated Sep 2025)

Department Chair
John Kurtz | jkurtz@ecfs.org

The Middle School Math Department educates our students in mathematical skills, concepts, analytical thinking, and problem-solving. We do this in a progressive framework: instruction centers on student engagement, the program matches the needs of each student, and we prepare our students for further studies in higher level mathematics. We want our students to ultimately bring mathematical insight to problem solving in a manner which helps make them more “competent to change their environment in greater conformity with moral ideas,” as Felix Adler famously said. 

We are committed to developing students who are independently able to:

  • Develop fluency in basic computational skills
  • Develop a dual understanding of mathematical concepts and procedural algorithms
  • Develop logical and critical-thinking skills to solve problems, including those where no obvious path is apparent
  • Communicate clearly and accurately about quantities, relationships, and unknown values through the use of signs, symbols, models, graphs, and mathematical terms
  • Recognize patterns and make connections among mathematical ideas
  • Transition from concrete to abstract thinking in an age-appropriate manner
  • Apply and recognize mathematical knowledge to real world situations beyond the classroom 

Because our School is committed to academic excellence, progressive education, and ethical learning, our instructional methods  include:

  • Direct instruction by teachers
  • Small and large group work
  • Student-centered and student-driven projects, which, when appropriate, connect with student interests and social and ethical issues
  • Individual homework and classroom assignments
  • Student-centered classroom discussion
  • Integration of technology as a teaching and learning tool
  • Puzzles, games, and contests
  • Opportunities for a small number of 7th and 8th Grade students to be placed into a class that covers material in a more conceptual manner. This class is for students who are ready to work at a more abstract level and who are able to be challenged with integrating multiple strands of algebra to non-specified questions and exercises.
  • Problems that have multiple entry points, differentiated instruction, and complex tasks that instruct students how to integrate skills and concepts to novel problems
  • Opportunities to reflect on and learn from mistakes and misunderstandings

Descriptions by Grade Level

The 6th Grade Mathematics program builds a strong foundation in the three-year Middle School sequence. The primary content areas include integers, order of operations, decimals, ratios and proportions, and fractions. The range of activities is broad, as students learn to apply their understanding in a variety of formats. Recent projects have included using the Hikers’ Experiment to study integers, the stock market game to study decimals, and metro cards to learn about ratios. Students develop a sense of numbers and number relationships, including proportionality, place value, factors, and multiples. They develop fluency in basic operations with positive and negative numbers, fractions, and decimals. They understand the meaning of fractions, decimals, and how to discern the appropriate application of each representation.

The 7th Grade course serves as an introduction to algebra. Students develop a foundation in the core concepts, beginning with variables and variable expressions. They apply these core concepts to expand their understanding of ratio, rate, percent, percent of change, and proportion. Students investigate the rules of exponents and apply them to variable expressions. They study the properties of numbers and apply the properties to solving equations and inequalities. Students apply this material to different projects, such as an exploration of different voting methods. Students learn how different methods might result in different election outcomes and consider the various benefits and deficits of each method.

8th Graders develop a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of algebra. The main topic areas for the year include working with multi-step equations, linear equations in two variables, systems of equations, exponents, polynomials, and radicals. Graphing on the coordinate plane is used extensively to develop an understanding of slope and its connection to rates of change in real-world applications. Projects throughout the year may include analyzing graphic representations of real-world data and applications of percent and exponents to mortgages, car loans, and financial interest rates. Interpretation of word problems in a variety of settings is used extensively to help students develop the critical thinking skills of applying mathematical and quantitative reasoning to problem-solving situations.

Ethical Culture Fieldston School offers a world-class progressive education in Pre-K–12th Grade at two historic campuses in Manhattan and the Bronx. The core of our educational program is the study and practice of ethics, which prepares us — and compels us — to take care of our world, ourselves, and each other.
CFS is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to be a welcoming community of professionals that broadly reflects the people of the metropolitan New York City area, our students, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion or religious practices, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship status, national origin, age, ability status, military status, unemployment status or any other category protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. We are committed to hiring practices that ensure all candidates are given fair consideration in alignment with our institutional mission and goals.

Ethical Culture Fieldston School; ECFS; Fieldston; and the distinctive Starburst logo are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as trademarks of Ethical Culture Fieldston School.
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