By Jo Mathis / AAPS Editor
Carpenter and Allen elementary schools hosted a gathering of math education specialists on Friday, bringing together Math Recovery leaders from across southeast Michigan to observe implementation strategies and share best practices.
Math Recovery enhances numeracy education in the classroom for K-8 educators. It is implemented at several elementary schools in the district, with more to come as teachers are trained.
Friday’s event was highly successful, said Shevaughn Watson, the district’s K-5 Curriculum Coordinator for Math and Science.
“Participants from various regions of the state expressed a strong interest in our school district’s implementation of Math Recovery across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 curricula,” she explained. “They particularly appreciated our use of math rotations within the math block and the collaborative efforts of our special education, Title I teachers, and other support staff in effectively supporting students.”
The gathering was part of a statewide initiative supported by the Michigan Department of Education’s 23h grant, Previously Math Recovery was paid for through other funding.
Professional learning in Math Recovery has been ongoing at AAPS, with cohorts of teachers training in the teacher version of the professional learning AVMR 1 and AVMR 2 over the past few years. AVMR 1 emphasizes the development and foundations of mathematics, while AVMR 2 addresses the subsequent developmental stages in mathematics.
During Friday’s meeting, visitors had the opportunity to observe classrooms at both Carpenter and Allen Elementary Schools. These observations showcased how Math Recovery practices are being implemented in both regular classroom settings and intervention lessons. The demonstrations highlighted the practical applications of the strategies that participating educators have been studying and developing.
Cheryl Quinn, a math interventionist at Honey Creek Community School in Ann Arbor, has been taking the Math Recovery Specialist Course and was eager to learn more on Friday.
“It’s wonderful to come and learn here with Ann Arbor teachers because they’ve been using it longer than we have,” Quinn said. “I’m seeing a lot of success. In fact, I have a couple students this year that came from Carpenter Elementary School and it’s been fascinating to see the difference in how their math number sense is compared to our students’ math number sense. Ours are growing and the ones coming from Carpenter can show us where we need to go to.”
When asked about the most beneficial part of the new program, she said it gets down to number sense and the trajectory of learning.
The differences in student abilities were clear to her.
“I think it’s really stunning that they think about numbers differently,” she said of the former Carpenter students. “They’re able to think about numbers more as a number line. They understand how to decompose numbers and add them. A lot of mental math abilities are coming with these children that we’re working toward, but we aren’t there yet.”
Several of AAPS’ elementary math coaches are pursuing extensive professional learning through the Math Recovery organization. Some have already completed their Math Recovery Specialist certification and are now advancing to the Math Recovery Leader course. Theresa Peck, Natalie DePasquale and Shevaughn Watson then facilitate professional learning sessions within the district for other math coaches and support staff, building capacity for math support throughout AAPS.
The 23h grant’s support for Math Recovery initiatives in AAPS includes professional learning for AVMR 1, which strengthens Tier 1 instruction for classroom teachers, as well as specialized intervention work for support staff. This comprehensive approach ensures that mathematical learning support is available at multiple levels throughout the district.
“All AAPS elementary schools have representatives among the teaching and or support staff who are certified in Math Recovery,” says Watson. “Our ultimate objective is to ensure that all teaching and support staff receive professional learning in Math Recovery, allowing us to enhance our students’ understanding of mathematics to increase student achievement.”
