How does the Math team

develop consensus,

commitment,

and teaching efficacy

in a
Mathematics workshop model
in service of

increasing

students efficacy
and capacity
in Mathematical

conceptual understanding
and

problem-solving?

The Mission:

The mission of the Studio School is to advance the academic, social, and
emotional skills that students need for future academic success and

to

encourage the ability to respond

creatively to 21st century challenges

with integrity, discipline, compassion and courage. The goal of teachers

and staff at the Studio School is to achieve this mission by facilitating a
small, diverse learning community devoted to the pursuit of

excellence in authentic intellectual and

artistic work.

The Vision:

The Studio Schools vision is to inspire students to strive for academic

and creative achievement and excellence by means of the Renaissance
model of Studio work in which authentic work and learning are
integrated. A Studio School middle level education, with its

emphasis on inquiry, problem solving

and creativity, will develop in its students the skills and

to think creatively,
communicate effectively and act
with integrity and purpose.
knowledge

The
Stakeholders

The math team

1 principal

2 RSP teachers
The students

6th - 8th graders

The majority of our

students live in poverty

The majority of our

students are designated
RFEPs or LTELs

3 math/literacy
teachers

Key Considerations

Each grade level of the math team selected 10

learning targets at the start of first semester to
initiate standards-based grading practices.
At this time, math team teachers did not share
consensus around utilization of curricular tools
available (College Preparatory Mathematics,

Engage NY, Bill Davidson Sprints, and selfcreated materials)

Key Considerations

Since our school has focused on instructional

development in literacy for the last three years, our
schedule is designed with significantly fewer math
minutes than most neighboring middle schools (210
minutes per week).

Through our focus on teacher growth in literacy

instruction, our students have made great strides:

Reclassification rate is over 40%

One of twenty high-poverty schools in LAUSD making
the most growth in literacy on the SBAC

The Methodology

-Our math team has

started a workshop
study to assess
current levels of
teaching and learning
-We decided to focus
our workshop
study on the
following two Math
teaching practices:

Math Teaching Practices of Focus

Implement tasks that promote

reasoning and problem solving
Support productive struggle in
learning mathematics.

Preliminary Findings

Through the planning and observation

cycles we have completed thus far, teachers
have been observed promoting reasoning
and problem solving, and supporting
students productive struggle in the
learning of mathematics to a degree.

00. Teachers observed utilizing a

hook to engage students in the
problem-solving.
01. Teachers scaffold prerequisite
conceptual understanding in
logical order of Level 1, Level 2,
Level 3, etc. skills necessary for
students to attack the problem.

Indicators

02. Teachers provide wait time to

give students the opportunity to
think about problem/s
independently before moving into
partner or small group work.
03. Teachers prepare students to
use various tools to attack
problem/s; students are given
problems or centers that are
designed at their level of learning.

Indicators

04. Teachers structure turn and talks

with sentence starters.
05. Teachers provide brain breaks
strategically to ensure students are
most receptive to problem solving.
06. Teachers ask questions and
provide scaffolds for students during
their reasoning and problem solving
without pointing out answers.

Indicators

07. Teachers strategically display

student work to whole class to
demonstrate productive/ nonproductive struggle in problem
solving.
08. Teachers facilitate a closure at the
end of the lesson to solidify learning.
09. Tier exit tickets to ensure language
access and assessment of level of
students conceptual understanding.

Indicators

Gap Implications
Our instruction must be more
strategically differentiated to meet the
social, language and learning needs
of our most struggling students.

All of our students require more

capacity building to access the
language of mathematics

How do we make the planning of

strategically differentiated lessons
sustainable?