Mathematics Curriculum Committee
Background
The background for the need to address a district-wide math curriculum, instructional, and assessment structure lies in a state and national context as much as the local district math curriculum climate. The United States and the state of Washington have experienced more and more explicit levels of accountability for student achievement outcomes. Districts everywhere have been challenged to have clearer and more focused curriculum. As districts struggle to develop and implement internal curricular targets that match external accountability structures, there are pressures which come to bear on the system. Limited time, fiscal resources, technology, information-sharing structures, availability of quality assessments, shared assessment understanding and expertise and clear curricular targets all combine to impose significant pressure on systems already under stress.
This has led to great gains, particularly in the area of reading. It has become increasingly clear that mathematics is the next area in which must begin having a focused and coherent systemic approach. In response to this need, the Mathematics Curriculum Committee was commissioned to begin the work of a district-wide committee charged with the curriculum selection of coherent district-wide math curriculum materials.
Committee Charge
The Mathematic Curriculum Committee understands it is working within a time that budget and fiscal considerations cast an increasing pall on the purchase of new materials. The committee is sensitive to these constraints and the current rather fluid nature of the K-12 math curriculum. The committee is charged with identifying and aligned curriculum and professional development support for the use of these materials.
The following responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Review the math curriculum currently in place.
- Review and recommend curriculum adjustments where grade levels conflict or are silent.
- Review best practice research with regard to math instruction.
- Review math materials and research alignment of these materials.
- Recommend new materials where necessary to meet the alignment needs of our students and teachers in the area of mathematics.
- Make recommendations for appropriate professional development that would support the effective implementation of these curriculum materials.
- Define our district beliefs about math instruction.
- Complete the district-wide instructional calendar for mathematics.
- Establish expectations for systemic remediation programs in mathematics.
- Recognize time is of the essence, needing both a mid-year and end of year report next year.
- Determining most effective ways to garner teacher buy-in for new strategies and training.
- Examine how we block instructional time for math instruction.
- What are strategies to manage all the manipulative and materials with more investigative math instruction?
- How do we use the time after the WASL test in the spring, can we use it better?