Superintendent Dan Nerad [64K PDF]:
MMSD has begun a three-year implementation plan to achieve an equitable and balanced mathematics program at tbe elementary level. The plan was developed and refined through collaboration with teachers, Instructional Resource Teachers and principals over the course of the past several years. The plan includes the materials described below (details via this 64K PDF),
With the attached order, MMSD has provided each classroom teacher in the District with a Learning Mathematics in the Primary/Intermediate Grades instructional guide and the set of teacher resources from the Investigations program. The third component of the teacher materials is Teaching Student Centered Mathematics by John Van de Walle, which is in place in most classrooms but will continue to be ordered using ELM or Title I funds, as necessary. Additional professional resources have been or are being purchased at the building level to create a library available for all staff to access as needed. Those resources include Primary Mathematics textbooks and teacher guides, Thinking Mathematically and Children’s Mathematics by Thomas Carpenter, Teaching Number series from Wright, among other recommended titles.
MMSD has provided all Title I schools with the Primary Mathematics (Singapore) workbooks and Extra Practice workbooks for the 2009-2010 school year. All manipulatives have been ordered for Title I schools over tbe past two years and are in place. Non-Title I schools have been and will continue to use ELM funds to purchase tbe student components for the implementation of a balanced mathematics classroom.
Related:
It would be great if you can get a copy of the document titled “Elementary Core Resource Recommendation” to post here. It is not on the district website that I can find. It was issued from Teaching and Learning some time in the spring directing elementary schools to transition to the new recommended math curriculum by fall of 2010. The curriculum is primarily based on “Investigations” but has components from several other series as well, thus the Singapore math workbooks. From what I understand, the schools who currently use Everyday Math were not particularly happy with the new direction. It’s not clear to me who actually had input into the decision or what it was based upon. I don’t remember any references to achievement data to support the recommendation, but perhaps I missed something.
There are a number of math curriculum purchases in this document as well:
http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/pdf/2009/08/mmsdlearningmaterials82009.pdf
Via a kind reader’s email.