A  comprehensive  interven/on    that    ensures  success  in  extended-­‐/me  Algebra  I  

Intensified  Algebra  I  

Project  Partners  and  Support  

Project  Partners  –  Charles  A.  Dana  Center,  University  of  Texas  at  Aus@n  –  University  of  Illinois  at  Chicago,  Learning  Sciences  Research  Ins@tute  –  Agile  Mind  

Project  Funding  –  Na@onal  Science  Founda@on  –  Searle  Fund  of  the  Chicago  Community  Trust    

–  Bill  and  Melinda  Gates  Founda@on  

–  Carnegie  Corpora@on  

The  Challenge:  Struggling  Students,  Ramped-­‐up  Requirements  

•  Many  more  students  now  taking  Algebra  I  are  one  or  more  grade  levels  behind  in  mathema@cs.    

•  Many  struggling  students  are    hindered  by  a  lack  of  engagement  and  a  lack  of  commitment  to  learning.  

•  Three  years  of  mathema@cs  beyond  Algebra  I  are  now  required  for  high-­‐school  gradua@on.  

•  Algebra  I  remains  the  most  failed  course  in  most  districts.    

•  Curricula  and  teacher  prepara@on  have  not  kept  pace  with  changing  needs.  New  approaches  are  needed  to  ensure  underprepared  students  can  get  back  on  track  to  succeed  in  high  school.  

A  Key  Issue  for  Struggling  Learners  

“Some  students  in  school  today  don’t  see  a  connec@on  between  their  efforts  and  school  success,  don’t  know  what  it  is  they  need  to  prac@ce,  can’t  imagine  themselves  ever  being  ‘academic,’  and  have  never  seen  ‘academics  played.’      .  .  .      

A  first  step  in  helping  students  become  full  par@cipants    in  the  classroom  is  to  ensure  that  all  students  value  and  understand  the  importance  of  learning  and  learning  rituals.”  

Lenz,  B.K.,  Deshler,  D.  (2004).  Teaching  Content  to  All:  Evidence-­‐Based  Prac@ces  in  Middle  and  Secondary  Schools.  Boston:  Pearson  Educa@on,  Inc.  

The  SoluDon:  An  Architecture  for  IntensificaDon  

Underprepared  students  need  more  @me.    

Students  need  to  complete  a  rigorous,  high-­‐school  level  Algebra  I  course,  while  addressing  founda@onal  conceptual  and  skill  weaknesses.  

But  more  /me  alone  is  not  enough…  

     

But  it  is  not  solely  a  mathema/cs  scope  and  sequencing  issue…    

.  

     

Struggling  students  need  Dme,  a  challenging  curriculum,    and  cohesive,  targeted  supports  and  intervenDons.  

Goals  for  Intensified  Algebra  I  Program  

•  U@lize  an  asset-­‐based  approach  that  builds  on  student  strengths  

•  Make  learning  and  thinking  explicit  through  structure  and  rou@nes  

•  Engage  students  in  making  meaning  from  learning  experiences  

•  Ensure  students  experience  success  with  effecDve  effort  and  persistence  

In  one  academic  year,  catch  students  up  to  their  peers  and  equip  them  to  be  successful  in  

Algebra  I  and  their  future  math  courses  

Integrated,  Cohesive,  Program  Design  

Algebra  core  

Supports  for  teachers  

Efficient  review/repair  

Literacy  &    language  supports  

Shaping  a\tudes  toward  learning  

Assessment  strategies  

Special  educa@on  strategies  

Research  Base      

Intensified  Algebra  I  draws  upon:  

• established  principles  of  mathema@cs  instruc@on  and  learning  

• known  challenges  in  learning  algebra    • Literacy  strategies  that  facilitate  mathema@cs  understanding,  and  

• new  approaches  to  knowing  what  students  know.    

Building  on  the  research  of  Uri  Treisman,  Joshua  Aronson,  Carol  Dweck,  Catherine  Good,  Don  Deshler,  and  others,  Intensified  Algebra  I  melds  best  prac@ces  in  algebra  instruc@on  with  advances  in  developmental  and  social  psychology  to  support  learners  with  special  needs,  to  shape  students’  engagement,  confidence,  and  commitment  to  challenging  academics.  

Response  to  IntervenDon  Supports  

•  A^en@on  to  special  educa@on  learning  needs  

•  Data  on  assessment  to  inform  instruc@on  

•  Review/repair  strategies  

•  Mo@va@onal  strategies  based  on  psychological  and  other  learning  sciences  research  

•  Re-­‐engagement  of  learners  through  visual  and  mul@ple  representa@ons  of  mathema@cal  ideas  

Intensified  Algebra  I  supports  instruc@onal  interven@ons  for    struggling  students  with:  

SupporDng  Learners  with  Special  Needs  

•  Models  of  efficient  problem  solving    

•  Opportuni@es  for  student  and  teacher  ar@cula@on  of  thought  processes  

•  Instruc@on  based  on  rou@nes  and  underlying  structures  to  help  access  and    organize  cri@cal    mathema@cs    content  

Assessment  Data  to  Inform  InstrucDon  

•  Rich,  comprehensive  embedded  assessment  

•  Daily  homework  and  Staying  Sharps  

•  Online  assessment  data  provided  to  teachers  and  students  in  real-­‐@me  reports  

•  Unit  assessments    twice  a  month  

Efficient  Review/Repair  Strategies  

•  Strategically-­‐placed  opportuni@es  to  review  prerequisite  skills  

•  Daily  in-­‐class  ac@vi@es  devoted  to  accessing  prior  knowledge  and  repairing  misconcep@ons  

•  Systema@c    exposure,  challenge,  and  discussion  of    common  mistakes    and  misconcep@ons    

The  Importance  of  Developing  Academic  Skills  and  IdenDDes  

Many  students  have  difficulty  in  school  not  because  they  are  incapable  of  performing  successfully,  but  because  they  are  incapable  of  believing  that  they  can  perform  successfully.    

–Pajares  and  Schunk,  2002  

Efforts  to  enhance  students  academic  iden@@es  in  the  absence  of  efforts  to  increase  content  knowledge  are  doomed  to  failure.  

–  Uri  Treisman  

But…

Building  Students’  Academic  IdenDDes  

•  Academic  iden33es  as    learners  who  recognize,    value,  and  seek  out    high-­‐quality  educa@on  

•  Skills  to  help  create  and    contribute  to  a  learning    community.  

Intensified Algebra I addresses student motivations to pursue academic goals in tandem with the development of important academic skills. Intensified  Algebra  I  helps  students  develop  

Changing  Beliefs  and  AStudes  

•  Effec3ve  effort    Improving  and  ge\ng    be^er  at  something    requires  the  right  kind    of  effort.  

•  A:ribu3on    Success    is  not  due  solely  to  luck.  

•  Malleable  intelligence    Intelligence  is  something    that  can  be  influenced    and  shaped  through  ac@ons  and  beliefs.  

Ideas  incorporated  from  social  psychology:  

Re-­‐engagement  Through  Visual  and  MulDple  RepresentaDons  

•  Rich,  animated,  visualiza@ons    of  key  concepts  

•  Mul@ple  representa@ons  of  mathema@cal  ideas  

•  Mo@va@ng  contexts    and  interac@ve    ac@vi@es  re-­‐engage  learners  in    mathema@cs  

Course  Design  

•  Course  content  is  organized  into  eight  instruc@onal  units,  taught  over  a  full  academic  year,  and  covering  a  comprehensive  Algebra  I  curriculum.    

•  Each  daily  lesson  is  designed  for  a  70-­‐90-­‐minute  double-­‐block  period.  A  typical  lesson  has  the  following  components:  

Opener  &  daily  preview  (5-­‐10  min)  Core  learning  ac/vity  (25-­‐35  min)  Process  homework  (10  min)  Consolida/on  ac/vity  (20-­‐25  min)  Wrap-­‐up  and  introduce  homework  (5  min)  

Professional  Services  

Included  in  the  cost  of  the  program:    •  A  2.5  day  regional  professional  development  ins@tute  to  

prepare  teachers  for  successful  academic-­‐year  enactment  •  Webinars  to  preview  upcoming  units  delivered  throughout  the  

school  year  •  Support  for  tes@ng  and  maintaining  technical  infrastructure    •  Ongoing  technical  support  via    email  and  toll-­‐free  phone  

support  

Resources  for  teachers  

•  Each  par@cipa@ng  teacher  receives:  – Access  to  Intensified  Algebra  I  online  services    –  Individual  private  access  to  the  online  services  for  each  par@cipa@ng  student    

– Student  ac@vity  books  (two  volume  set)  for  each  student    – An  online,  printable  guide  for  implementa@on    

– Mid-­‐unit  and  unit  exams  

Fee  for  Intensified  Algebra  I  

For  new  partners  -­‐    

•  $3,410  per  teacher  and  30  students       Fees  are  adjusted  for  increases  or  reduc@ons  in  the  number  of  

students  per  teacher.  

For  teachers  currently  par@cipa@ng  in  2010-­‐2011  project  and  related  research  and  who  par@cipate  in  2011-­‐2012  research      

•   The  exis@ng  research-­‐subsidized  price  is  retained.  

Steps  to  parDcipate    

•  Intensified  Algebra  I  implemented  as  the  extended-­‐@me  Algebra  I  course    

•  Commitment  to  con@nuing  professional  development  •  Comple@on  of  a  brief  applica@on    

Contact  InformaDon  

For  more  informaDon  on  how  to  bring  Intensified  Algebra  I  services  to  your  school  or  district:  

Call  toll  free:  (866)  284-­‐4655    select  “2”  Email  us  at  info@agilemind.com        

   

Let’s  take  a  look…  

•  Student  Centered  /  Teacher  Facilitated  instruc@onal  supports  •  Student  Ac@vity  Books  support  in-­‐class  ac@vi@es  &  homework  •  Visualiza@on  of  key  concepts  •  Comprehensive  advice  for  instruc@on