Goldthwait oversees math focus across the district

Posted 9/19/12

All across the city, from kindergarten through high school, improving math scores and increasing student understanding of math concepts has been a top priority for teachers and administrators. This …

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Goldthwait oversees math focus across the district

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All across the city, from kindergarten through high school, improving math scores and increasing student understanding of math concepts has been a top priority for teachers and administrators. This year, the push is even stronger, as the district implements the new Common Core State Standards Initiative. To date, 45 states and three territories have adopted the Common Core Standards, including Rhode Island.

According to the Common Core State Standards Initiative website, www.corestandards.org, the mission of the new standards is one of consistency for student learning and of academic rigor.

How does a district prepare for such an overhaul of curriculum standards in a city so large?

Enter Jeff Goldthwait, math program supervisor for the Cranston Public Schools.

Goldthwait is no stranger to Cranston Public Schools. He attended the schools as a student, graduating from Cranston High School West, and started teaching there 10 years ago. He's taught in the areas of mathematics and computer programming, and in 2008 he became the math department chairperson at Cranston High School East, where he has been for the past three years until moving into the supervisor position.

"Last year I became the program supervisor for math for the district. I've been working closely with the superintendent for the past four years, taking on K through 12 responsibilities rather than overseeing just grades 7 to 12," Goldthwait said.

With the implementation of the new Common Core State Standards Initiative, Goldthwait's responsibilities have evolved further this year.

"Now, the high school department chairs are looking at the day-to-day responsibilities, whereas I'm looking at anything curriculum-related across the district, elementary through high school," he said.

Goldthwait is working closely with the math department chairs in the secondary schools and with the principals at the elementary school level to move the district's math program forward. He is trying to make the curriculum transition seamlessly between levels.

To do that, Goldthwait began last year, participating with other CPS teachers and administrators in the University of Texas DANA Center's math curriculum professional development, developing and writing the district's new math curriculum.

"The curriculum writing took place last year and this year the big push is to push this new curriculum through, getting all of the teachers up to speed," he said. "We are fortunate, living in the northeast, we already had a pretty rigorous set of standards."

When asked what will be noticed as the biggest difference with the new standards and curriculum, Goldthwait cited a shift in the topics and content covered.

"For example, some of the content that used to be taught in the ninth grade will now be taught in the eighth grade,” he said.

Goldthwait believes that the shift is the biggest obstacle, and he's working hard to support the district's staff to help them conquer any bumps in the road.

"For the first month of school, I've visited every single elementary school to meet and greet [the staff]," Goldthwait said. "My next goal is to observe classes, collect data and offer professional development based on what I see as a need, such as what cooperative learning looks like in a math class, for example."

Knowing that faculty and staff would need increased support, a citywide Professional Development Academy was held prior to the start of the school year for teachers at every level.

"They offered sessions to expose the teachers to the DANA documents and structure as well as to our new On Core math materials. We'll be offering more professional development throughout the year," he said.

Although the district's core mathematics programs will remain the same during the early stages of the transition to the Common Core State Standards Initiatives, a supplemental mathematics series has been purchased to complement the current programs.

"On Core is a very cost-effective consumable supplemental series. The Common Core Standards are so new that the book publishers have not caught up yet, aligning their program materials to the new standards. Therefore, we made a decision as a district not to make a big investment on any math program until we see some tested materials out there," Goldthwait said.

He explained that On Core would serve as an additional resource to teachers for use in their classrooms.

"Teachers are resourceful. They have the Internet and their own personal resources to use also, along with On Core and their same math programs. They'll still be using all of those materials but they might be in a different order to be lined up with the DANA Center materials," he said.

As the mathematical content shifts, teachers may find themselves relying more on the On Core program, especially in the upper grades, Goldthwait explained.

"In the K to 5 grades, On Core really just fills in the gaps as a supplement. The lessons don't correlate to each other; they're truly a supplemental material that can be used as needed. However, in grade six through Algebra II, On Core becomes more of a primary resource because the materials are different. It looks more like a textbook and it has a unit and section structure where the lessons build off of each other and the text is more interactive, the lessons more guided," he said.

To help teachers with the implementation of the new materials, curriculum and standards, there is another important resource: District Math Coaches. There are Title I and Title II coaches, who work in the schools whose funding level corresponds.

“Some are split between two schools and some are housed in one school only, depending on the size of the student population in those schools,” he said.

Goldthwait further explains how the district's other two math coaches work together to support those schools in Cranston which are not categorized as Title I schools.

"Title II funding pays for professional development, and for our other two math coaches. Their job is to get into classrooms and work with the teachers on math teaching strategies. I've been working with them closely this year to work on a professional development plan based on what I find in my observations across the district. We're currently setting up a schedule for them now and they're following on the summer professional development," he said.

He explained that a large part of the coaches' job at this point is to field questions from teachers and put their minds at ease. Goldthwait said he's also relying on his communication with the district's principals when it comes to identifying the needs for math coach support.

Although the task of moving the district forward in the area of mathematics is significant, Goldthwait remains confident and optimistic.

"I think we're at a good point and it's a good time for this renewed energy in math. We live in the 21st century and we need to teach our students 21st century skills,” he said. “It's affected the way our students learn. They're inundated with technology. We're seeing groups working through guided exploration and having discussions. They need to have that kind of energy.”

To those adults who hold out hope for a return of the "old math" from their own school years, Goldthwait has words of encouragement for them.

"With the Common Core Standards, the focus is on number sense and understanding mathematical concepts, so you will be seeing a focus on some of the more traditional skills coming back, but there will still be a focus on problem solving. It will be more of a blend between old and new math,” he said.

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