Charting the Course for Mathematics Leadership Continuum of Professional Work in a Large Urban District DeAnn Huinker Kevin McLeod University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) Fort Worth, Texas February 9-11, 2012

Session Goals  Examine the roadmap used to guide a district toward formative assessment practices, the Continuum of Professional Work for Mathematics.  Consider change as an incremental and developmental process for individuals, schools, and districts.

Agenda  School-University Partnership  The Continuum of Professional Work  School Self-Assessment Guide  Movement of Schools along the Continuum  Student Mathematics Achievement

Milwaukee Mathematics Partnership (MMP) Fall 2003  Awarded a Comprehensive Mathematics and Science Partnership grant through the National Science Foundation.  Core Partners

Milwaukee Public Schools 175 schools 81,000 students 5000 teachers Largest school district in Wisconsin 83% Low income, 86% minority 20% Special Education, 10% ELL

Prior to the MMP (Before 2003)  Inconsistency across and within schools  De-centralization  schools operated independently of central office  principal as primary leader for school mathematics  Lack of sustained professional development  Pedagogy more an “emotional state of mind” than based on sound instructional practices.

Early Years of the MMP 2003–2005

District Vision of Mathematics

Grade Level Learning Targets  9-11 statements for focused study of math at a grade level.  Progression of math learning expectations across grades.  Aligned to state math standards.  9-11 statements for focused study of math at a grade level.  Progression of math learning expectations across grades.  Aligned to state math standards. Grade 4 Use strategies fluently to make estimates, solve, and pose real- world problems (e.g., single and multi-step) for all operations, to compare and rename numbers, and to find factors and multiples. Grade 2 Represent concepts of multiplication (e.g., grouping, skip counting, repeated addition) and division (i.e., sharing, measuring, repeated subtraction) in everyday situations. Grade 3 Represent and use concepts of multiplication (e.g., grouping, arrays, skip counting, repeated addition) and division (i.e., sharing, measuring, repeated subtraction) to solve problems with and without context.

Model Classroom Assessments (CABS) CABS Classroom Assessments Based on Standards Performance-based assessments. Selected or adapted by teams of teachers and IHE math faculty. Aligned to district targets and state standards and assessment descriptors. Aligned to district pacing guides for adopted math programs.

Grade 3 CABS D’Andre, James and Shen each had 15 marbles. They put together their money to buy a $3.00 bag of 21 marbles. How many marbles do the boys have all together now? If the boys divide the marbles equally, how many will each boy have? Show your thinking with numbers, pictures, or words.

Leadership Model New school leadership position, the Math Teacher Leader (MTL) Established district leadership team, new position, Math Teaching Specialists (MTS) School Learning Team District Mathematics Leadership IHE Faculty Mathematics & Math Education Other Key Teachers Principal Literacy Coach Math Teacher Leader

Math Learning Targets Math Framework Math Teacher Leaders Turn & talk... questions? predictions of impact? Turn & talk... questions? predictions of impact? Model Classroom Assessments

Continuum Years of the MMP 2005 – present

Continuum Years  5-stage model of formative assessment practices  Defined school professional work  School self-assessment guide and report  Monitoring conferences at each school site  Ongoing professional development for MTLs  Ongoing development of tools for each stage

Continuum of Professional Work for Mathematics Stage 1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 5 Learning Targets Align State Standards & Math Program Common Classroom Assessments Student Work on Common Assessments Descriptive Feedback on Assessments

Continuum Stage 1 Learning Targets Stage 2 Align State Standards & Math Program Stage 3 Common Classroom Assessments Stage 4 Student Work on Common Assessments Stage 5 Descriptive Feedback on Assessments Understand importance of identifying and articulating big ideas in mathematics to bring consistency to a school’s math program. Develop meaning for the math embedded in the targets and alignment to state standards and descriptors and to the school’s math program. Provide a measure of consistency of student learning based on standards, descriptors, and targets. Examine student work to monitor achievement and progress toward the targets and descriptors to inform instruction. Use student work to inform instructional decisions, and to provide students with appropriate descriptive feedback.

Stage 1 Learning Targets Stage 2 Align State Standards & Math Program Stage 3 Common Classroom Assessments Stage 4 Student Work on Common Assessments Stage 5 Descriptive Feedback on Assessments Understand importance of identifying and articulating big ideas in mathematics to bring consistency to a school’s math program. Develop meaning for the math embedded in the targets and alignment to state standards and descriptors and to the school’s math program. Provide a measure of consistency of student learning based on standards, descriptors, and targets. Examine student work to monitor achievement and progress toward the targets and descriptors to inform instruction. Use student work to inform instructional decisions, and to provide students with appropriate descriptive feedback. School Professional Work Teachers develop an awareness of district learning targets for each mathematics strand. Teachers discuss what each learning target means and can articulate the math learning goals students are to reach. Teachers examine the development of mathematical ideas across grade levels. Teachers examine alignment of state descriptors to district learning targets. Teachers identify the depth of knowledge in the state assessment descriptors. Teachers study how the mathematical ideas in the descriptors are developed in the school’s math program. For each lesson, teachers inform students of the math learning goals in terms that students understand. Teachers select and study common classroom assessments (CABS) that will be used for a grade level or course. Teachers identify math expectations of students on the assessments. Teachers identify potential student misconceptions revealed through the assessments. Learning Team members and teachers examine student state test and district benchmark assessment data to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses for focusing teaching and learning. Teachers collaborate in grade-level meetings to discuss student work and implications for instruction. Teachers meet in cross grade-level meetings to discuss common expectations of student learning and implications for school-wide practice. Learning Team monitors and discusses student learning on CABS results from across the school, shares observations with staff, and uses data for school improvement plan. Teachers collaborate to write descriptive feedback to students on benchmark assessments and on common CABS. Students use descriptive feedback to revise their work and improve learning. Teachers use descriptive feedback to adjust and differentiate instruction. Learning Team monitors the successes and challenges of writing descriptive feedback and identifies professional learning needs of teachers.

Read or skim the Continuum. 3 Interesting H Important ? Question or Pondering Turn and compare.

Stage 1 Learning Targets

Stage 1: Learning Targets Understand importance of identifying and articulating big ideas in mathematics to bring consistency to a school’s math program. Grade 6 Apply, explain, and evaluate strategies to estimate, compare, and compute fractions, decimals, and percents using a variety of methods (e.g., mental computation, technology, manipulatives) with and without context.

Stage 1: Learning Targets School Professional Work Teachers develop an awareness of district learning targets for each mathematics strand. Teachers discuss what each target means and can articulate math learning goals students are to reach. Teachers examine the development of mathematical ideas across grade levels.

Stage 2 Align State Standards and Math Program

Stage 2: Alignment District Math Learning Targets State Standards & Assessment Descriptors School Math Program Develop meaning for the math embedded in the targets and alignment to state standards and descriptors and to the school’s math program.

Stage 2: Alignment School Professional Work Teachers examine alignment of state standards to targets. Teachers identify the depth of knowledge in the state assessment descriptors. Teachers study how the mathematical ideas in the descriptors are developed in the school’s math program. For each lesson, teachers inform students of the math learning goals in terms that students understand.

Stage 1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 5 Learning Targets Align State Standards & Math Program Common Classroom Assessments Student Work on Common Assessments Descriptive Feedback on Assessments Teacher StudentFocused

Stage 3 Common Classroom Assessments

Stage 3: Common Assessments Provide a measure of consistency of student learning based on standards, descriptors, and targets. CABS Classroom Assessments Based on Standards Grade 6 Name a fraction that is between 1/2 and 2/3 in size. Justify how you know your fraction is between 1/2 and 2/3.

Stage 3: Common Assessments School Professional Work Teachers select and study common assessments to use at a grade level or course. Teachers identify math expectations of students on assessments. Teachers identify potential student misconceptions. Learning team and teachers examine student state test and district benchmark assessment data to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses for focusing teaching and learning.

Description of Assessment: School: Grade Level: CABS Assessment Overview After working through the assessment, reflect on what you expect students to do. Identify appropriate Key Mathematics Features students may develop and use as a response to this assessment : Connections to the Comprehensive Mathematics Framework Identify misconceptions you anticipate students will demonstrate: o Understanding o Reasoning o Computing o Engagement o Problem-solving o Understanding o Reasoning o Computing o Engagement o Problem-solving Identify misconceptions identified after analyzing student work: o Understanding o Reasoning o Computing o Engagement o Problem-solving

What do you expect and hope students will do? Identify the - Key math features - Potential misconceptions What do you expect and hope students will do? Identify the - Key math features - Potential misconceptions

Stage 4 Student Work on Common Assessments

Examine student work to monitor achievement and progress toward the targets and descriptors and to inform instruction. Stage 4: Student Work

School Professional Work Teachers collaborate in grade-level meetings to discuss student work and implications for instruction. Teachers meet in cross grade-level meetings to discuss common expectations of student learning and implications for school-wide practice. Learning Team monitors and discusses student learning on CABS results from across the school, shares observations with staff, and uses data for the school improvement plan.

Stage 5 Descriptive Feedback on Common Assessments

Stage 5: Descriptive Feedback Use student work to inform instructional decisions, and to provide students with appropriate descriptive feedback.

What feedback would you provide to this student?

Motivational & Evaluative Feedback Examples Correct Good idea to draw diagrams Good thinking. You renamed the fractions to twelfths.

Descriptive Feedback Examples Explain your decision of dividing the rectangles into equal sections of 6ths and then 12ths How are you deciding the number of sections to create in the rectangles? How do your pictures show that 7/12 is less than 2/3? It looks bigger in picture.

Stage 5: Descriptive Feedback School Professional Work Teachers collaborate to write descriptive feedback to students on benchmark assessments and on common CABS. Students use feedback to revise their work and improve learning. Teachers use feedback to adjust and differentiate instruction. Learning team monitors successes and challenges of writing descriptive feedback and identifies professional learning needs of teachers.

School Self-Assessment

Stage 1. Learning Targets Understand importance of identifying and articulating big ideas in mathematics to bring consistency to a school’s math program. 1 Weak Teachers have not yet or barely started to study or use learning targets. 2 Emerging Teachers are beginning to unpack and consider value and use of targets. 3 Moving Forward Teachers can articulate learning goals for their students. 4 Strong Teachers can articulate learning goals for students and growth across grades. Estimate the percent of teachers of mathematics (regular and special education) that are at each position. Stage Descriptors Summary Statements and Planning Ideas Teachers develop awareness of district learning targets for each mathematics strand. Teachers discuss what each learning target means and can articulate the math learning goals students are to reach. Teachers examine the development of mathematical ideas across grade levels. School Self-Assessment Guide

Stage What percent of staff is at each stage? Plan for School Professional Work Plan to Document Evidence of Classroom Practice WeakEmergingMovingStrong Stage 1. Learning Targets Stage 2. Align State Standards and Math Program Stage 3. Common Classroom Assessments Stage 4. Student Work on Common Assessments Stage 5. Descriptive Feedback on Assessments School Self-Assessment Report

School Self-Assessment: Stage 3 Common Assessments WeakEmergingMovingStrong Plan for School Professional Work 100% During common planning time, teachers identify a common CABS, and then discuss their expectations to be aligned within grade levels, and identify some potential misconceptions. WeakEmergingMovingStrong Plan for School Professional Work 6%12%35%47% Teachers and MTL choose CABS during grade level meetings for the month.

School Self-Assessment: Stage 4 Student Work WeakEmergingMovingStrong Plan for School Professional Work 90%10% Grade-level analysis of student work with MTL. Teachers use CABS summary sheets. MTL focuses discussion on how instructional plans should be altered. MTL also does one-on-one conferencing with teachers on student work.

School Self-Assessment: Stage 5 Descriptive Feedback WeakEmergingMovingStrong Plan for School Professional Work 6% 64%24% Teachers write descriptive feedback on a bi-weekly basis on CABS. After feedback is written teachers give the problem a second time to see student improvement. WeakEmergingMovingStrong Plan for School Professional Work 0%30%55%15% Descriptive feedback PD sessions were led by MTL using MMP Action Plan funds. MTL modeled in classrooms on the use of descriptive feedback with students to revise their work.

School Progress along the Continuum

Year %47%9%0% n Stage 1 Learning Targets Stage 2 Align Standards & Math Program Stage 3 Common Assessments Stage 4 Student Work Assessments Stage 5 Descriptive Feedback Year %29%32%18%3% Year %27%42%18%3% Year %28%47%12%2% Year %29%41%13%0% Year %25%45%16%5% K-8 Schools at Each Stage Year %14%43%25%12% Year %7%26%35%30%

n Stage 1 Learning Targets Stage 2 Align Standards & Math Program Stage 3 Common Assessments Stage 4 Student Work Assessments Stage 5 Descriptive Feedback Year %30%15%0% Year % 15% 4% Year %46%27%15%8% Year %29%52%10%5% Year % 42%18% High Schools at Each Stage

Student Mathematics Proficiency (State test)

Continuum Stage 1 Learning Targets Stage 2 Align State Standards & Math Program Stage 3 Common Classroom Assessments Stage 4 Student Work on Common Assessments Stage 5 Descriptive Feedback on Assessments Understand importance of identifying and articulating big ideas in mathematics to bring consistency to a school’s math program. Develop meaning for the math embedded in the targets and alignment to state standards and descriptors and to the school’s math program. Provide a measure of consistency of student learning based on standards, descriptors, and targets. Examine student work to monitor achievement and progress toward the targets and descriptors to inform instruction. Use student work to inform instructional decisions, and to provide students with appropriate descriptive feedback.

Reflections  The use of a Continuum as a roadmap to guide reform.  Change as incremental for individuals, schools, and districts.  Revisions with the Common Core.

MMP website  DeAnn Huinker  Kevin McLeod  This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Grant No