Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has adopted the Amplify Desmos Math (ADM) curriculum as its core mathematics program.
The information and links on this page are intended to support families as they navigate math education with their children.
Amplify Desmos Math Caregiver Hub
This hub includes valuable caregiver resources to support students at home. Key features include:
- Lesson Summaries and Overviews (Caregiver Support Resource) - review the strategies students are learning in each lesson of our math program as well as a sample student problem for each lesson;
- Sub-Unit Refresher Videos - these short videos model the mathematics in action for students and parents as refreshers of the lessons. Sub-units typically span one instructional week;
- Math Glossary - parents may further their understanding of key math terms to build their confidence to support their child with the math that matters most for each unit.
Math Homework
Students will be assigned math homework by their teacher and this will be communicated to you through the weekly newsletter. The homework comes directly from Amplify Desmos Math and is highly aligned to each day’s lesson. The Google Folder linked below includes all of the homework pages organized by unit and by grade-level / course. You may access the folder to review the homework pages and/or print an extra copy in case you lost the math homework page at home.
Boost Math
Boost Math is an online, adaptive, and personalized math learning platform that students may access at any time to rehearse their math skills and strengthen their knowledge. Teachers adjust the program’s focus to align with the content being instructed in class. After the focus is adjusted, student mCLASS Math assessment results inform the system to put them on an appropriate learning pathway for that specific set of skills: a support and intervention pathway or a practice and extend pathway.
Although students may get some time during the school week to access Boost Math in the classroom, it will be minimal as teachers prioritize hands-on learning. If students are using Boost Math at home, they will need to login through their Clever using their MCPS Google Account. Directions for logging into Boost Math at home are linked below.
Directions to Access Boost Math at Home
Mathematics Differentiation
Amplify Desmos Math includes a variety of tools available for staff to differentiate instruction in all grade-levels PK-5. Differentiation may occur during lesson activities through strategic teacher guidance or prompts based on real-time observation. Differentiation may also occur during small-group instruction to target specific learning needs.
During small-group instruction, students may experience:
- Support Lessons: teachers may meet with students and utilize Amplify Desmos Math mini-lessons, rehearse lesson practice problems, or revisit previous lesson materials to ensure all students acquire necessary skills;
- Strengthening Opportunities: teachers may meet with students to verify and/or further strengthen student understanding of that sub-unit’s concept using hands-on materials and teacher modeling;
- Enrichment and Extension Activities: teachers may meet with students to introduce enrichment lesson activities that directly relate to that unit’s concept while further challenging students beyond what would typically be expected with an emphasis on critical, creative, and analytical thinking.
Teachers use ongoing assessment results and observations to inform their differentiation decisions.
Amplify Desmos Math also provides language development resources to support our Emergent Multilingual Learners (EMLs) as they navigate their math learning in the English language. These resources are available to all staff and are especially used by our English Language Development (ELD) teachers when they join their students’ math class.
Cluster Grouping
During the 2026-2027 school year, Grade 4 will implement the cluster group model of instruction to best meet the needs of all students in mathematics. There are five different cluster level options and each classroom will consist of just three clusters (therefore, not every classroom has every cluster level). Teachers will use the cluster levels to differentiate instruction to include: academic support, enrichment, and acceleration. The cluster model is intended to be flexible so that teachers can adjust the level of instruction in response to student needs. You may contact Bells Mill staff to inquire about your child’s cluster level if you are unsure of it.
Support: students may receive ongoing small-group instruction, supplemental mini-lessons during the math class, or purposeful scaffolds and prompts to further their mathematical knowledge.
Enrichment: students may receive supplemental instruction and lesson extensions during the math class that focus on critical and creative application of the math concepts in new / novel ways that go deeper than what is typically expected.
Acceleration: students may receive supplemental instruction during the math class that focuses on telescoped and connected concepts from future grade-levels. Students in this cluster will also participate in additional assessment opportunities to continually monitor their success with the acceleration concepts.
The cluster grouping model is scheduled to expand during the 2027-2028 school year to include Grade 3, Grade 4, and Grade 5.
The link to the MCPS Math Cluster Grouping website is below.
MCPS Cluster Grouping Website & FAQ
Focused Instructional Time (FIT) & Tiered Instruction
Bells Mill implements Focused Instructional Time (FIT) as an additional time throughout the day to meet varied student needs across content areas, including mathematics. This block of time occurs for 30 minutes each day per grade-level.
During FIT, students may experience:
- Tiered Intervention: when student observation and assessment results indicate the need, students may participate in Tier II or Tier III math interventions to target specific learning needs over the course of several weeks. This typically occurs three to four times per week, depending on the level of intensity identified in the tiered plan. Teachers work closely with our school’s math leader to plan for the tiered intervention and closely monitor progress. Many students requiring this level of support attain the identified skills and no longer require intervention.
- Supplemental Enrichment: staff may also implement supplemental mathematics enrichment experiences for students during FIT. Lessons focus on related math skills but are implemented using instructional resources and approaches geared toward highly-able math learners. The supplemental enrichment experiences are intended to compliment any enrichment experiences occurring during the daily math block.