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St. Cloud Partnership in Mathematics Grant

Presented by: Jona Deavel, Math Coach/7-8th Grade Math Teacher and

Jenny Merriam, Grant Coordinator

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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

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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

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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

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Winter Refresher Content

• Based on pre-test data • Fractions• Integers• Algebraic expressions• Linear equations• Factoring polynomials

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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

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Summer Institute Content

• Teaching research based strategies

• Algebra content review• Patterns• Manipulatives

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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

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AEG Group Content

• Topics include:– Research based best practice

strategies– Technology – Teaching algebra to SPED students– Differentiation– Common assessment development– Algebraic manipulatives

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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

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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”

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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?

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Questions or Comments?

Thank you!

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The instructional practices and

assessments discussed or shown in this

presentation are not intended as an

endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education.