boston public schools elementary math plan: district-wide reform in math teaching and learning...
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Boston Public Schools Elementary Math Plan:District-Wide Reform in Math Teaching and Learning
Presented by:Linda Ruiz Davenport, Director of Elementary MathematicsBoston Public Schools, Boston, Massachusetts
These efforts are funded in part by the National Science Foundation.
BPS Facts and Figures 6 Early Learning Centers 67 Elementary Schools (K-5) 11 Elementary and Middle Schools (K-8) 1 Middle and High School (6-12) 30 High Schools 3 Exam Schools
These include 17 pilot schools and 2 charter schools funded by the district and serve 58,000 preK through grade12 students.
BPS Student Demographics 44% Black 33% Hispanic 14% White 9% Asian 73% of BPS students are eligible to receive free
meals in school 27% of the school-age children living in Boston.
do not attend the BPS; 44% of these students are white, 41% black, 11% Hispanic, and 3% Asian.
Boston Elementary Math Plan Adoption of Investigations in Number, Data, and
Space and other related resource material; Development and institutionalization of formative
assessments at each grade level; Teacher participation in curriculum institutes,
Developing Mathematical Ideas seminars, and other offerings;
Development of Math Leadership Teams in every school and the mentoring of teacher leaders;
Administrator participation in Lenses on Learning and other optional offerings; and
School-based math coach support.
MCAS Results: Grade 4 Math
34%
42%
40%
44%
40%
46%
48%
47%
47%
6%
11%
11%
11%
12%
12%
16%
16%
18%
32%
30%
38%
45%
42%
46%
44%
57%
27%
5%
3%
3%
3%
4%
2%
4%
8%
6%
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Warning Needs Improvement Proficient Advanced
PassingWarning
MCAS Results: Grade 4 MathPercent of Students Passing by
Race/Ethnicity
0
20
40
60
80
100
Percent Passing
Black 35 49 46 51 47 55 63 63 60 67
White 61 74 74 79 76 79 84 84 84 88
Asian 77 87 91 87 83 86 91 91 92 93
Hispanic 41 50 50 54 54 60 69 69 65 69
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2004 2005 2006
0
20
40
60
80
100
Percent Meeting
Proficient
Black 4 8 8 7 8 9 15 14 18
White 20 29 32 33 36 37 40 40 49
Asian 31 45 43 44 41 43 47 52 58
Hispanic 5 9 9 9 11 11 19 15 23
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
MCAS: Grade 4 MathPercent Proficient & Advanced
Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA)National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP)
Progress among large urban districts in percentage of studentsscoring proficient or higher, 2003 to 2005
Mathematics: Grade 4
3
4
10
3 3 3
8
5 5
9
3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Increase in Percentage of Students Scoring at Proficient
or Above,2003 to 2005
Large Cities Atlanta Boston Charlotte Chicago Cleveland Houston Los Angeles New York San Diego District ofColumbia
Grade 4 Math Improvement: % Proficient
Adoption of Investigations in Number, Data, and Space and Other Related Material
1. Institutionalization of a 60-minute math period plus an additional 10 minutes for math routines.
2. Creation of a scope and sequence pacing guide for math lessons and math routines for each grade level;
3. Documentation of alignment between our curriculum and the state frameworks;
4. Creation of additional resource materials where needed; and
5. Getting these resource materials out to schools.
Teacher Participation in Professional Development Expectation that each teacher completes a
curriculum institute and at least three DMI seminars;
Curriculum institutes and DMI seminars taught by math coaches and teacher leaders who know the expectations of the Math Plan;
Database posted to our web page identifies which teachers have completed which offerings; and
School-based workshops, grade level team meetings, Looking at Student Work sessions, structured visits to each other’s classrooms.
Development and Institutionalization of Formative Assessments Creation of end-of-unit, mid-year, and end-of-year
assessments for grades 1-5 using a format consistent with state assessments;
Creation of spreadsheets to record and analyze assessment data classroom by classroom;
Collection of mid-year and end-of-year assessment data centrally; and
Blueprints and master worksheets that allow for analysis of student results.
The Development of Math Leadership Teams (MLTs) in Every School Identifying one teacher per grade level in each
school to begins engagement with the Math Plan before grade level colleagues;
Creation of an MLT that includes these teachers and the Principal;
Monthly 1-hour MLT meetings with the math coach that focus on math teaching and learning school-wide; and
Ongoing mentoring of these teacher leaders by the math coach as they take on leadership roles in the school.
Administrator Participation in Professional Development Expectation that all Principals participate in the
first module of Lenses on Learning; Opportunity to participate in additional modules
of Lenses on Learning; Opportunity to participate in 90-minute Principal
Breakfast Meetings every other month; Opportunity to participate in professional
development with teachers; and Ongoing discussions about math teaching and
learning with math coach.
School-Based Math Coach Support• Meeting monthly with the MLT to examine
math teaching and learning and plan next steps;• Facilitating grade level team planning and
debriefing meetings and Looking at Student Work sessions;
• Facilitating visits to each other’s classrooms with structured previsit and postvisit discussions;
• Providing one-on-one coaching support to individual teachers; and
• Meeting regularly with the principal to discuss priorities for math coaching in the school.
The Importance of Generating Examples of Success
Creating Learning Site schools; Creating opportunities for teachers to visit
each other’s classrooms; Posting and sharing exemplars of strong
student work; and Promoting cross-school professional
development so teachers can learn from each other’s successes.
The Importance of Accountability Structures
Monitoring by the principal; Visits from the Elementary Math Office
and the Deputy Superintendents; Use of implementation rubrics for
mathematics teaching and learning during WSIP process; and
Elementary Math Progress Reports.
The Importance of Collaboration with Deputy Superintendents
Sharing examples of success and our expectations for schools;
Visiting schools together and discussing what we see;
Sharing assessment data and professional development data for particular schools;
Discussing school progress and next steps; and
Participating in our professional development for principals.
The Importance of a Relationship with the Teachers Union
Conferring about any policies that might constitute a change of working condition;
Partnering around professional development expectations; and
Active union participation on the part of math coaches who can represent the voice of the Elementary Math Office.
The Importance of High Expectations for Teachers and Students
Believing that all students are capable of being strong mathematical thinkers; and
Believing that all teachers are capable of strong mathematics teaching.
