Results from an Efficacy Study
Conducted in Chicago Public Schools
MATH FOR ALL HELPS TEACHERS
- Deepen their understanding of how to assess students’ strengths and needs
- Identify possible barriers to students’ access and engagement with mathematics lessons
- Implement a variety of instructional strategies and teaching practices that draw upon students’ strengths to better meet their needs
IMPACT ON STUDENTS
Average Math RIT Growth Scores for 4th and 5th Graders at MFA
& BAU Schools School Year 2015–2016
Students whose teachers participated in the Math for All (MFA) PD performed higher on the NWEA MAP assessment than did students in the business-as-usual (BAU) group.
The difference in growth translates to about two additional months of instruction. This pattern of growth was observed among students with and without disabilities.
IMPACT ON TEACHERS
Math for All teachers reported
- More frequent use of lesson planning and reflection on teaching practices
- More frequent use of differentiated instruction strategies
- Greater preparedness to teach diverse students, including those with disabilities
- Greater comfort in teaching diverse students
Math for All teachers were rated by trained classroom observers as higher in:
- Emotional Support
- Instructional Support
- Classroom Organization
- Student Engagement
MATH FOR ALL EVALUATION
- 32 Chicago elementary schools participated in the study. Half of the schools were randomly assigned to receive Math for All PD, and the other formed a “business as usual” control group
- Participants were general and special education teachers for grades 4 and 5
- The PD was provided during the 2015–16 school year, with additional planning support during 2016–17. The control group teachers received the PD during 2017–18
“We are very excited to be able to build on our successes with Math for All during the past four years. This EIR grant allows us to build capacity among our general education and diverse learner teacher leaders, which will help us to broaden and deepen the implementation of Math for All across a large number of schools in our district.”
Jessica Mahon, Director of STEM, Chicago Public Schools
“During the first year of Math for All in our rural counties, our teachers have received exceptional professional development and support that has allowed them to provide equitable instruction to ALL students by identifying students strengths and building on those strengths to provide access to math standards.”
Krista Peterson, Assistant Director of Professional Learning, Regional Office on Education #47, Sterling, IL