Keionna White-Davis, 7, celebrates after answering a question correctly in her second-grade class at Barber Elementary School in Highland Park. Teachers in the district took a mandatory training course that is receiving national acclaim.
Linda Bassett, 57, teaches math in her second-grade class at Barber. She participated in program that has trained teachers in teaching the subject matter, going beyond rote memorization.
Tavita Hunter carries 26 cents to the front of the class to show several ways to count change at Barber Elementary School in Highland Park. An innovative math program for teachers has improved students' scores.
Linda Bassett, 57, teaches students Tavita Hunter, 7, left, and Montez Pollard, 8, to count change in their second-grade classroom at Barber. The teacher said her special training has made teaching math fun.
Class a plus for math teachers
Program for instructors adds up to better grades for students, acclaim
BY LORI HIGGINS • FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER • December 31, 2008
Edith Hightower was a bit skeptical when she heard a new math professional development program would require her to be away from her middle school classroom one day a month. She thought it would be hypocritical to expect her kids to be in school every day, but then miss so much time herself.
But that program, now credited with helping improve math achievement in the Highland Park and Hamtramck school districts by helping teachers grasp a more in-depth understanding of the subject, quickly won her over as she saw her own teaching skills improving.
"And my children, my students, began to understand that was something I was doing for all of us," said Hightower, who at the time was a math teacher and is now supervisor of curriculum for the Highland Park district.
The 4-year-old program created by the Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) is getting national attention now that it has trained dozens of teachers in the two districts. The success has allowed the agency to expand it this year to include the Ecorse, Melvindale-Northern Allen Park, River Rouge and Westwood school districts.
Carolyn Siebers, a math consultant at Wayne RESA, said teachers take classes in key math subjects such as number, operations and proportional reasoning; algebra; geometry; data analysis, statistics and probability, and improving instruction in rational numbers and proportionality.
The idea is to give the teachers a deeper understanding of the math they teach. That way, math becomes less about rote memorization of math concepts, and more about understanding the how and why of solving math problems.
That's not something at which teachers typically excel, particularly at the elementary level, Siebers said. But it is crucial as teachers evaluate student work. Three students may come up with the same answer to a math problem, but complete the work in widely different ways. It's up to the teacher to determine if each way would produce a correct answer every time.
That kind of in-depth subject knowledge is becoming more crucial, particularly in Michigan, where graduation requirements that went into effect with the Class of 2011 now mandate students take a greater number of higher level math classes.
The program has made teaching math fun for Linda Bassett, a second-grade teacher at Barber Focus School in Highland Park. And, she said, she has noticed that students are more involved in their learning.
"They realize that it's OK to use different strategies," Bassett said.
Both districts still have scores on the MEAP that are below state averages. But they've been on the rise.
"It's not huge growth, but it's steady growth. With the steady growth, you know things are improving," Siebers said of the test score gains in each district.
It's an intense program, requiring a four-year commitment from teachers. And they have made it mandatory for the teachers in the districts because a voluntary program would not have as much impact.
The teachers first must attend a summer institute for about five days. Then, during the school year, they are required to attend a day-long institute once a month. In addition, once a month, the teachers stay after school for more training.
Courses are taught by faculty at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
The program is a result of a federal grant for professional development, one that eight intermediate school districts and universities in Michigan have received. The Michigan Department of Education administers the money, which amounts to around $7 million this year.
Ruth Anne Hodges, the math consultant at the MDE, said the overall goal of the grants is to increase teacher knowledge, and there is evidence that is improving in the districts that are benefitting from the training. The Wayne RESA program, for instance, has seen teacher test scores rise significantly in four years. Student achievement improvement is the obvious next step.
"It's starting to go that way," Hodges said.
The Wayne RESA presented its results earlier this year at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association -- one of two agencies nationwide that were asked to present. The team also presented at the state's recent school improvement conference.
The original group of 60 teachers who began the program four years ago have completed the program. But they still attend grade-level meetings with their peers and attend summer classes.
"The idea is to keep it going -- don't let it die," Siebers said.
Contact LORI HIGGINS at 248-351-3694 or lhiggins@freepress.com.
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