Last year, The Shlenker School undertook the process of revising and refining its math curriculum.  A partnership was established with faculty and students from a local university to assist with the process.  Dr. Nita Copley, Chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education at the University of Houston worked with teachers and school administrators to facilitate the implementation.

During the process, the school began to center its math curriculum on the National Council Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) academic standards.  More information about these standards and the research behind them can be found on the NCTM website at http://www.nctm.org/standards/default.aspx?id=58.  The school’s math curriculum was not only aligned with these standards but also vertically aligned through the grade levels of the school.  Important considerations for curriculum development included teachers not repeating subjects from year to year, problem solving skills, and higher-order thinking skills.  Five levels of mathematical application were studied and incorporated as well.  These levels included: (1) procedural fluency, (2) conceptual understanding, (3) strategic understanding, (4) reasoning adaptations, and (5) productive dispositions.

 The implementation process also included the adoption of a new textbook series entitled enVision Math published by Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley.  Dr. Copley was one of the text’s authors.  The school elected to purchase the edition based on national standards versus the state edition.  This decision was made in order to place students in a more nationally aligned program.  The text and accompanying program are supported by on-going, scientific, formative, and summative research.

The program is also supported by some fabulous on-line resources.  The school recently obtained student and teacher licenses to access these resources in order to further support implementation of the program and instruction.  Instruction and teaching has been enhanced through these resources as everything that students and teachers need is literally at their fingertips.  Students can access their textbooks on-line along with short interactive demonstrations to explain concepts.  Students also have access to eTools, an interactive manipulative software program that helps students explore concepts and expand problem solving experiences visually and interactively.

The revision of the curriculum along with the enVision program has literally changed the way we look at and teach math.  We have only begun to learn about and unlock the possibilities that these resources hold for mathematics instruction.