Our mathematics team uses an adaptive in-classroom coaching model to support K-12 teachers and school leaders. We support districts, schools, and individuals in identifying, fulfilling, and sustaining high-quality learning in mathematics. When working with us, partners will receive comprehensive support in
- Planning for instruction that unveils conceptual and procedural ways of knowing
- Instructional practices that shift responsibility for mathematical thinking from teachers to students
- Data analysis to inform decisions about work in classrooms and professional learning communities
Services Provided:
Our experienced team incorporates principles of adult learning theory to coach educational leaders to implement evidence-based practices in mathematics. When schools and districts partner with us, they receive comprehensive support catered to their specific goals. We can support educators in many ways including:
- Professional learning and coaching support about evidence-based practices in mathematics
- Implementing instructional strategies that promote student discussion
- Using assessment strategies to identify student understanding and guide instruction
- Supporting the use of educational technologies in mathematics
- Support for principals observing and providing feedback about mathematics instruction
- Design and implementation support for response to intervention (RtI) initiatives
- Supporting schools to address issues of equity and access directly
Support for district and school-based personnel to review currently available HQIM for mathematics and make determinations on the best option for their buildings. In-depth training on the content trajectory and structure of chosen materials to support educators in using them to best meet the needs of their students. Multi-year partnerships are encouraged when adopting new materials to support the decision-making process, developing structures to support administrators and teachers to integrate the materials into their buildings and providing coaching for educators on ways to enact chosen materials in powerful ways for their students.
HQIM we Currently Support from Adoption to Implementation
- Amplify 6-8
- Amplify AGA
- Illustrative Math K-5
- Illustrative Math 6-8
- Illustrative Math AGA
- enVision AGA
- Eureka K-12
- Reveal
If you are working with an HQIM that is not on this list, please reach out to talk about how we can best support your needs.
Curriculum-specific professional learning opportunities are offered to educators across districts in various formats, including face-to-face institutes and asynchronous options. Both formats allow teachers to collaborate with our Instructional Specialists and other professionals using their district’s curriculum. These options allow for active learning for educators while providing flexibility in the timing of professional learning.
Our current in-person and asynchronous course offerings include:
- Summer Institutes for Illustrative Mathematics K-5, 6-8, AGA
- Asynchronous Canvas Course for Illustrative Mathematics K-5, 6-8, AGA
- Summer Institute for Eureka Math K-5
Curriculum-specific professional learning with follow up coaching
Content-specific and sustained professional learning is supported in the form of face-to-face and/or virtual professional development with one-on-one follow-up between our Instructional Specialists and teachers within each partnering school. These ongoing relationships allow for more contextualized learning and collaboration to best support educators in meeting the needs of their students.
Curriculum-specific Learning Labs
Intensive partnerships (2-3 days each week) in which teachers and our instructional coaches engage in weekly collaborative planning, co-teaching and reflection on student data. This format helps teachers to understand the design and intent of their set of curricular materials in an active way while situating all of their professional learning in the relevant context of working with their own students. This format, when paired with PLC’s, can support departments to better understand the incremental learning that takes place within their curriculum.
Curriculum-specific Lesson Study
In-depth lesson planning with course-specific groups of teachers to collaborate on ways in which lessons within your chosen curriculum can best be enacted to support student learning. Our Instructional Specialists partner with teams of teachers to engage in in-depth planning around common lessons, visit classrooms and facilitate evidence-based reflections to support educators in being attentive to and meeting the needs of diverse learners.
Curriculum-specific Mathematics Laboratory Classrooms
Intensive Summer School partnerships in which teachers and our instructional coaches engage in daily collaborative planning, co-teaching and reflection on student data using a school summer school site and students. This format helps teachers to understand the design and intent of their set of curricular materials in an active way while situating all of their professional learning in the relevant context of working with their own students.
Mathematics Learning Walks using DTGSS, UD SSC IC, and NSCM Continuum for Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices
Learning walks involve groups of teachers observing a peers’ instruction in a non-evaluative manner through the lens of a previously agreed upon goal or practice (i.e. providing opportunities for all students to engage in discourse). Data collection is performed during these walks to support reflection meetings in which educators can discuss which ideas they might change from their own teaching, ideas they thought worked well and ideas from a peer’s room that they would like to incorporate into their own classroom.
Coaching the Coach
SSC Instructional Specialists can work side by side with school-based coaches to develop knowledge, skills, and mindset around strong mathematics instruction to support teachers implementing goal-focused, student- responsive lessons. This work is job-embedded and targets building the capacity of school-based coaches to use effective coaching strategies to support teachers to plan, implement and debrief high quality instruction. One way we do this is to work closely with school-based coaches to build their capacity to plan for and facilitate deep, specific lesson planning discussions with teachers, collect observational data, and plan for and facilitate debriefing discussions and collaborative goal-setting.
Real-Time Coaching
Our Instructional Specialists work with teachers to plan lessons, and are also present to collect evidence and provide educators with in-the-moment feedback. Real-time coaching feedback supports teachers in making immediate adjustments to instruction that will best support students’ mathematical learning. This live, non-disruptive type of support often comes in the form of sidebar conversations (or teacher time out) between the Instructional Specialist and teacher while students grapple with a math task or discuss their mathematical thinking with a partner.