Montessori Middle School in Chevy Chase

Cross-subject integration informs deeper academic studies in our Middle School and a challenging course of study in every subject is matched to the pace and ability of each student.

Math & Language

Mathematics features multiple levels, including a transitional course, pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry. Literature selections correspond to the themes covered in the social and science studies during each two-month learning cycle. Writing assignments deepen students' creative engagement with the subject matter, and vocabulary work expands related language skills. Each student takes French, Spanish or Italian language lessons four times a week.

Science

The three year Science curriculum covers biology, which concentrates on cells, animals, and humans, and how we are related to other living things; physics, which concentrates on forces, motion, energy conversions, and human interactions with non-renewable and renewable sources of energy; and chemistry, which concentrates on the composition of matter and the interactions between matter and energy.

Social Studies & Geography

The three year Social Studies and Geography curriculum covers Africa, Asia, and Latin America from ancient times through the Middle Ages, with a focus on the impacts of isolation and invasion on culture and economics; U.S. history from the American Revolution through the Civil War, with a focus on revolutions and the causes of war; and European history from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance, with a focus on the Abrahamic religious traditions' contributions, conflicts, and commonalities.

Students embark on trips that are related to the curriculum each year. Past destinations include the desert Southwest of the U.S., Philadelphia, Puerto Rico, and London.

The middle school curriculum ties abstract concepts together with the information learned across subjects so that students develop systematic and strategic, big-picture thinking skills.

Each year, the Ambassadors program moves through four, themed cycles on concepts such as Connections, Identity, Development, and Interdependence. Students explore each concept through literature, science, and social studies. By graduation, they have studied 12 themes at the highest level of the school’s cross-subject approach.

Students plan and organize each two-month learning cycle in consultation with their teachers. This process helps them establish the focused attention, time management, and other organizational skills essential to success in higher education.

Working collaboratively on group projects, they learn to lead and be accountable to the team, share responsibility, and gather input to achieve a common goal. Presentations must meet guidelines for effectiveness, accuracy, and creativity and they are evaluated by peers and graded by teachers. The communication skills built through this process are a notable characteristic of OFS graduates.

Internally motivated and encouraged to learn as much and as quickly as they desire, our eighth graders graduate at a very high level of math, science, English, and foreign language achievement. They also possess an understanding of the meaningful use of knowledge.

Middle School students at OFS score in the 90th percentile on the Stanford 10 Achievement Test in both math and reading, well above the U.S. national average. The strong student-teacher relationship and our Montessori focus on the student’s being the driver of the educational process are the foundations of this success.

Sixth to eighth graders are grouped according to ability level in math and literature, regardless of grade. Teachers perform regular assessments of each student based upon class presentations, weekly assignments, and quizzes and tests. Four progress reports and three parent-teacher conferences per year review each child’s academic progress and social-emotional development.

Self-evaluation is emphasized at the Middle School Ambassador level. Students complete self-assessments after each learning cycle and undergo peer evaluations for group presentations. They also curate a portfolio of their best work every year. 

Overall, the assessment process for sixth to eighth graders reinforces central tenets of the school: to value learning; to honor each person's talents; and to contribute one's best to human society. Our goal is for every student to be challenged to her or his ability level and embrace the continual growth and learning that we call self-transcendence.