Math 634 Final Project

Shasta Nguyen
Summer 2018

CCSD Math Curriculum Adoption – Middle School

Letter to Curriculum Committee

A quality curriculum is one that enables students to acquire and develop the knowledge,
skills and values, and the associated capabilities and competencies, to lead meaningful and
productive lives. This also includes maximizing the potential for the effective enhancement of
learning¹. The focus of any good curriculum should be on how the students are learning and
performing; not on what they should know. Educators need to be able to deliver instruction to
our students in a way that it is meaningful and engaging. In turn, it is essential our curriculum
and instruction are designed and developed to reflect the ideals and educational requirements
of the CDE and CCSD.
As a 7th grade SPED math teacher at TRMS, I believe in the importance of educators
having the opportunity to review the current curriculum, as well as being willing to look into
other options as needed. The district is currently using Big Ideas for grades 6-8, yet open to
changing to a new, proposed curriculum, Connected Math Project 3 (CMP3).

The following presents my findings while reviewing both curriculums, along with my
evaluation of which curriculum will best fit the needs for all shareholders (students, teachers,
parents, community, etc.) in CCSD.

Sources Utilized Outside of Print Text:

Edreports.org
Bigideasmath.com
Bigideaslearning.com
Pearsonschool.com
Mathdashboard.com/cmp3

Is there curriculum alignment with state standards?

Colorado’s Academic Standards align with the Common Core State Standards. Both texts are in
alignment with the CAS and CCSS.

Does the curriculum include cognitively demanding tasks that provide a balance of procedural
knowledge and conceptual understanding?
Big Ideas: The Big Ideas program provides a plethora of supporting content enhancing focus
and coherence by engaging students in the major work of the grade. Each chapter and its
corresponding individual lesson supports focus and coherence to the major work of the grade
level. The text has many lessons within the chapters that address standards (which are also
addressed elsewhere). The majority of the lessons flow together coherently, due

¹Phillip Stabback, “What Makes a Quality Curriculum?”, Current and Critical Issues in Curriculum and
Learning, no. 2 (2016): 8
to the concepts being discussed in relationship to one another. For example, each section in
the program begins with a Discovery Activity that encourages conceptual understanding.
Activities of this type provide students with the opportunity to encourage abstract thought by
exploring, questioning, explaining, and persevering as they seek to answer Essential Questions.
Real-life applications are utilized throughout the program, which provides ways for students to
connect classroom lessons to realistic scenarios. The real-world applications also help teachers
turn mathematical learning into an engaging, realistic, and meaningful way to see and explore
the world. Each chapter includes a Mathematical Practice, which is a page dedicated to
mastering one of the Mathematical Practices. In addition, On Your Own problems allow
students to practice and sharpen their skills as they work toward mathematical understanding.

CMP3: CMP3 is an inquiry-based program which was designed around an organization of

content with explicit and embedded connections. These connections are both from grade-to-
grade, and also within the different domains in each grade. The units represent a strong, logical
vertical progression of concepts and skills across all grade levels. At each grade level, students
encounter and apply key concepts from unit to unit in different areas of mathematics (example:
measurement), highlighting how the concepts are related, and the powerful connections
among concepts in different domains. Students work with important math concepts by
engaging in activities requiring them to make sense of a problem, reason about solution
pathways and eventually their solutions, communicate with peers about their thinking, and
often explain and defend how they find their answers. CMP3 does an excellent job of
developing students’ math concepts and fostering these in the Standards for Mathematical
Practices.

Are mathematical topics in the curriculum presented in sufficient depth and aligned with
national, state, and district curriculum standards?
Big Ideas: Big Ideas was developed around the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
(CCSSM) with the Mathematical Practices as the underlying structure in every section
throughout the program. Big Ideas meets the requirements for the Common Core State
Standards for Mathematics.
CMP3: The program draws from a comprehensive study of mathematics teaching and learning,
along with extensive field work. Connected Math identifies best practices that would support
students in their development of deep conceptual understanding and proficiency with problem
solving, while still attending to computational fluency.
 Does the textbook support good mathematics teaching and learning?
Big Ideas: Big Ideas has pacing guides which suggest the days of instruction allowed for teacher
to be flexible in their instruction (depending on the needs of their students). Teachers will still
have time to makes sure every standard for the grade level is addressed, as well as time for
additional or supplemental material as the teacher sees fit.
Standards are revisited after introduction in following activities, lessons, and exercises. Big
Ideas connects the supporting domains in each grade level to the major domains, where
appropriate, in order to help students understand how mathematical concepts are connected
to each other.
The Big Ideas teacher text is unique in its organization. Throughout the book, a page is devoted
to Learning Progressions and Mathematical Practices; written by educator Laurie Boswell,
where she shares insights on connections to previous learning, support for the Mathematical
Practices, and closure opportunities for the student text.
It should be noted, though, that students are not always given extensive work with grade-level
problems, and connections to previous material is not explained.
CMP3: Connected Math is centered around a focused pathway towards important
mathematics including number, proportional reasoning, and algebra and functions. CMP3 is
based on identifying and sequencing key mathematical concepts that helps students build a
strong foundation for student learning. The work students do in other units is framed and
supported by key Mathematical Practices.
While CMP3 does introduce some non-grade-level standards early, it makes good pedagogical
sense to give students early informal introductions to ideas like percent, similarity, and
functions. When some topics in CMP3 are introduced prior to their prescribed grade placement
in the CCSS scope and sequence, the program makes a strong pedagogical justification.

Does the curriculum provide quality materials to support students’ learning?

Big Ideas: The program includes supplemental material that support all levels of students, from
the Skills Review and Basic Skills Handbook for students who are struggling to grasp specific
concepts, to the Enrichment and Extension worksheets for advanced students. The teacher’s
text provides Differentiated Instruction, Response to Intervention, and English Language
Learner support. The program also has additional online materials, such as Differentiating the
Lesson, Lesson Tutorial Videos, and the Dynamic Assessment System (providing immediate
feedback and remediation), to name a few.
CMP3: The program offers digital math tools for solving problems, online interactive student-
centered activities, and individualized practice with MathXL. For teachers, CMP3 includes
strategies, videos, discussions, and dialogues to help them unwrap underlying mathematical
ideas; as well as support to teach inquiry skills and CCSS math. Examples of support includes
print and online Teacher Guides and resources, in-depth teaching notes for each Investigation,
videos that model classroom experiences, along with teacher support for ELLs and struggling
students.
 Is this mathematics textbook a good fit for students and teachers?
Big Ideas: Yes, this text is a good fit for our district. CCSD is a diverse school district, and Big
Ideas offers a plethora of support and supplementary material to ensure that full coverage of
the CAS is sufficiently covered. Big Ideas Learning works with educators during the curriculum
development process. Using mathematical and pedagogical research, the Big Ideas program
focuses on fewer topics at each grade level, providing a narrower and deeper course of study
that leads students to mastery of each benchmark as they move from grade to grade. Big Ideas
Learning provides students and teachers with all the tools needed to succeed in middle school
math and beyond.
CMP3: Yes, this text is a good fit for our district. It facilitates students to move towards
fluency; focusing on initial conceptual understandings and moving toward fluency with both
basic facts and access to and use of the standard algorithm. In addition to its focus and
coherence to CCSS, one of its most recognized strengths are the thinking and reasoning habits
that were the foundation of the Standards for Mathematical Practices.

Does the current curriculum fill the requirements for CCSD?

Big Ideas: Yes, the current curriculum meets the requirements and needs for CCSD.
CMP3: Yes, the curriculum meets the requirements and needs for CCSD.

While I am aware that CMP3 was the curriculum prior to Big Ideas, I feel CMP3 best represents
the mathematical goals and ideals for our district. Big Ideas is an excellent curriculum but does
not put an emphasis on real-world situations that require critical mathematical thinking. This
causes Big Ideas to seem un-relatable to the students, with little buy-in.
Therefore, I would like to propose that once our district’s online license with Big Ideas expires,
CCSD return to the CMP3 curriculum, looking into any updated versions that may be applicable.
Proposal to Re-Implement CMP3
Is sufficient guidance for the teacher provided to implement the curriculum effectively?
CMP3 offers an online PLC site Teachability, which also has webinars. Teachers can also
register with Dash, an online dashboard that will provide educators with access to CMP3
content and program information. MathXL (an online intervention tutorial program for
students that includes additional skills practice, automatically-graded assignments, and
personalized practice and study plans), can be set up by teachers to create student and teacher
accounts.

What support will this textbook need to be implemented well in our district?
Teachers need to be prepared to utilize the online systems in place for CMP3. Dash provides
point-of-use teaching strategies, content information, lesson plans, and digital lesson assets
(such as videos and activities).
Teachers will also need access to a personal laptop computer (which all teachers in CCSD have)
they can utilize to monitor during independent student lessons and access online tools and
materials.
General ed teachers may need explicit direction in how to utilize the differentiation materials.
It is discussed in the teacher text, but would help to be tied to specific problems, giving the
teachers some guidance.

Does the curriculum support the local needs and values of the school and district?
TRMS works very hard in closing the achievement gap in our black and brown students. CMP3
does an excellent job of pushing students to analyze problems, create solutions, and explain
their reasoning. This program promotes cooperative group work, where all students can be
active participants.

How does the change impact the mathematical content in related lessons or unit(s)?
In CMP3, ideas are introduced early and developed for mastery throughout the units. The
sequence of lessons and units is intentional and should be considered by teachers when making
planning and pacing decisions. The scope and sequence documents provide guidance on how
the content can be addressed over the course of a school year.

How does the change impact the mathematical content in future mathematics lessons or
unit(s)?
Students apply prior knowledge to investigate rich problems and, in so doing, learn new math
content in ways that are familiar and coherent.

How will the change enhance students’ opportunities to learn mathematics?

CMP3 is designed based on the understanding that math is coherent and relevant in the real
world and that while math content is divided into domains, these domains are all connected
and students will learn math best if they understand these connections. All of the CMP3
problems are grounded in real-world context, which naturally integrates many mathematical
concepts into a situation.
 How will the change hinder students’ opportunities to learn mathematics?
CMP3 is Common Core-aligned, which means that the material will be a big stretch for some
students during this transitional time. The curriculum should form a basis from which you can
meet your students where they are and continue to build toward grade-level skills using your
professional judgment. As always, when making adjustments, you should prioritize providing
learning experiences for students to engage with grade-level content in ways that connect to
and reinforce prior knowledge, rather than provide direct instruction to address gaps.

How will the change impact different students, including gifted, special needs, and English
language learners?
The curriculum should form a basis from which you can meet your students where they are and
continue to build toward grade-level skills using professional judgment. When making
adjustments, teachers should prioritize by providing learning experiences for students to
engage with grade-level content in ways that connect to and reinforce prior knowledge (rather
than provide direct instruction to address gaps). CMP3 Dash offers teachers the opportunity to
move around the classroom, differentiate instruction, and track progress.
MathXL is also offered for intervention.

How will one determine whether the change is effective?

Because the Connected Math curriculum goes from 6-8 grade, I would propose that for at least
one school year - but preferably two - we track the students’ CMAS (Colorado Measures of
Academic Success) scores for one year. I also know TRMS’s initiative to “bridge the gap” and
identify why our black and brown students test lower than our white and Asian students. This
is pertinent information that should be tracked, as well. As a SPED teacher, I am also including
scores for our students that have a disability.

For example, a students’ CMAS scores in 6th grade using Big Ideas would be recorded, then
tracked until at least the end of 7th grade, where their current CMAS scores are compared. If
noticeable and sufficient growth is shown over 85% of the student population, then I propose
we fully implement the CMP3 program.
Side note: CMAS is Colorado’s common measurement tool of student progress each year.

Below is a breakdown of TRMS’s ethnic/race breakdown:

Ethnicity/Race Percentage of Students at TRMS
White 60
Black 9
Hispanic 17
Asian 6
The following table shows math CMAS testing scores for the 2017-18 school year by grade:
Grade Percentage of Students State Average
Proficient at TRMS
6 34 31
7 46 26
8 35 21
Students w/ Disabilities 20 4

Thank you for taking the time to take into consideration my evaluation of the Big Ideas and
CMP3 programs. While both programs are viable and effective, my personal opinion is that
CMP3 is the better curriculum of the two.