Ready Math Learning Walks:
As we are in our first few months of implementing Ready Math, I have noticed two observations. Usability of the curriculum is significantly better for our teachers as compared to our prior resource, and students are genuinely enjoying math. I see energy and excitement in many classrooms.
To ensure our implementation is successful, we invited the Ready Math trainer, Megan Free, to come help us assess our implementation efforts and plan our next steps to ensure teachers are confident users of the resource.
Last week, Megan spent the day with Denise, Malinda and me at North Fork Elementary. The purpose of the visit was to engage in “learning walks,” in which Megan joined us in getting into the classrooms to see Ready Math in action with our teachers.
Following the day of learning walks, Megan shared with us “notice and wonderings” for each classroom, to help inform further conversations while we are supporting our teachers. Her feedback to us regarding teacher implementation at NFES was very positive. Several of our teachers looked like veteran users of the curriculum. On Monday, November 25, she will return to provide follow up training to NFES staff based on her observations.
These learning walks are one of the most valuable tools we can use to improve the quality of instruction with a new curriculum. It was a wonderful day getting to see our amazing teachers and students’ love for math.
At the end of our time, we reviewed our pacing guides with her. When using a new resource, it can be difficult to gauge if we are on track to deliver the content. She did notice some adjustments that need to be made. She offered to review each grade level pacing guide and make tweaks to them to ensure we stay on track.
Megan’s expertise and support continue to be a major benefit of working with this curriculum provider. In general, I am very pleased with our adoption of Ready Math and how it supports our efforts to increase student achievement in math.
LETRS Admin Follow Up:
Carrie Doom from Voyager Sopris joined us yesterday for a LETRS administrative follow up, to go over more in-depth items following our training with K-4 staff.
During this time, we reviewed some of the content from the previous staff training, as well as going over expectations for resources we are using, and how we are using them. For example, we use only iReady and Acadience to determine those students who need specific interventions. This helps insure that our interventions are being determined across the elementary schools in the same way.
We also went over the next steps for teachers, building level, and district level. We are so thankful to have the LETRS program for our staff and students and know that this will make a drastic change with our students and their reading abilities.