St. Cloud Partnership in Mathematics Grant Presented by: Jona Deavel, Math Coach/7-8 th Grade Math Teacher and Jenny Merriam, Grant Coordinator

History of Grant Granted in January 2007 Partnership with St. Cloud State University Staff development Three main grant activities: –Algebra Refresher –Summer Institutes –Algebra Enrichment Groups

Program Objectives Increase the algebra content knowledge of elementary teachers, special education teachers and paraprofessionals who work with students taking math classes; Decrease the achievement gap of students in the subgroups of special education and free/reduced lunch; Increase the number, variety and quality of teaching strategies of middle level and secondary teachers who work with students taking pre-algebra and/or algebra; Develop technologically enriched instruction in the algebra content area using math specific software and hardware in the classroom; and Expand the types of professional development opportunities offered in our district to be more inclusive of a variety of staff and those typically under- represented

Winter Refresher Algebra content refresher Co-taught by two St. Cloud State University Math Department Professors Offered to paraprofessionals, SPED teachers and classroom teachers Four, three hour sessions in Jan. – Feb. Two groups: slower paced and faster paced Math XL: text materials and on-line learning support

Winter Refresher Content Based on pre-test data Fractions Integers Algebraic expressions Linear equations Factoring polynomials

Summer Institute Content presentation practice and algebra instruction strategies Co-taught by two SCSU Math Department Professors Offered to classroom teachers Offered four hours a day, Monday - Friday, for two weeks in June Content developed by SCSU professors

Summer Institute Content Teaching research based strategies Algebra content review Patterns Manipulatives

AEG Groups Algebra Enrichment Groups –Similar to Professional Learning Communities (Q-Comp) Offered to paraprofessionals, SPED teachers and classroom teachers Self-created groups Topic and materials selection independence

AEG Group Content Topics include: –Research based best practice strategies –Technology –Teaching algebra to SPED students –Differentiation –Common assessment development –Algebraic manipulatives

Evaluation External evaluators: UpFront Consulting Pre-tests and post-tests for content Surveys for satisfaction Focus groups with participants Classroom observations Coaching Personal reflection discussions

Results so far… All of the participants who completed both the pre and post-test for the Algebra Refresher showed substantial improvement The average increase in scores showed a 47% improvement –Increase ranged from 7% to 76% When asked to rate their level of satisfaction with the Summer Institute, responses proved 94% of workshop participants felt “Highly satisfied” and 6% of participants felt “Satisfied”

Results so far… What impact has this project had on your teaching of math and algebra? What most influenced the change? How has the Refresher Workshop impacted your proficiency in pre-algebra, algebra and other higher math skills? How has it impacted your math pedagogy— learning new skills in how to teach algebra and pre-algebra?

Questions or Comments? Thank you!

The instructional practices and assessments discussed or shown in this presentation are not intended as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education.