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Leadership Academy 2025 Supporting Effective Math Instruction in the Elementary Classroom

tinyurl.com/emiec2025

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Agenda

Standards for Mathematical Practice

The SMPs describe varieties of expertise that mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in their students.

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Math Look-For Tools & Supports

Tools that can be used to support effective math instruction (includes NCTM look-fors and the Corwin Effective Teaching Look-For Tool)

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NYSED Numeracy Briefs

In May, NYSED released 8 numeracy briefs that highlight the evidence based features and best practices of effective mathematics instruction.

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tinyurl.com/emiec2025

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With the person next to you!

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  • Name, District/Building, Role
  • What is a celebration from this past school year?
  • What is something “Math Focused” that is on your mind as we move into the 25-26 school year?

tinyurl.com/emiec2025

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The Broome-Tioga BOCES Region will close the gap to all students achieving proficiency by 5% on the grades 3-8 NYS Mathematics Assessment.

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Focus Area 1: Each and every student will increase their performance on the constructed response questions.

Focus Area 2: Increase collaboration between all districts in the Broome-Tioga BOCES region.

Regional Math Goal

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FULL, PARTIAL, & ZERO CREDIT RESPONSE

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3RD GRADE

4TH GRADE

5TH GRADE

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FULL, PARTIAL, & ZERO CREDIT RESPONSE

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6TH GRADE

7TH GRADE

8TH GRADE

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Overview of the NYSED Numeracy Briefs

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The Numeracy Briefs

Brief 1: The Research Based for Mathematics Teaching and Learning

Brief 2: Debunking Myths about Mathematics Teaching and Learning

Brief 3: High Leverage Mathematical Content

Brief 4: High-Leverage Instructional Practices

Brief 5: Mathematics Assessment of and for Student Learning

Brief 6: The Role and Challenges of Using Representations

Brief 7: Understanding, Using, and Modifying Curriculum Materials

Brief 8: The Role of Leadership

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Which Brief is capturing your attention the most?

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Briefs

Roadmap

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Brief 1: The Research Base for Mathematics Teaching and Learning

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Brief 2: Debunking Myths about Mathematics Teaching and Learning

Myth 1: “Ability” grouping improves success.

Myth 2: Most students struggle in mathematics.

Myth 3: Mathematical competence means being efficient and accurate.

Myth 4: Developing competence requires isolated repetition and drills.

Myth 5: The most effective teaching method is providing step-by-step procedures for solving problems.

Myth 6: “Inquiry” approaches leave students to learn on their own instead of teaching them mathematics.

Myth 7: Success in calculus is the ultimate goal of school mathematics.

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Brief 3: High-Leverage Mathematical Content

High-leverage mathematical content is:

  • Inclusive of concepts, procedures, skills, language, and practices.
  • Fundamental across the early grades and through high school.
  • Foundational to mathematical reasoning and thinking.
  • Crucial for accessing and mastering more advanced knowledge and skills in mathematics.

The idea of high-leverage mathematical content is centered on students, and what they need to learn so that they can use the tools and practices of mathematics and see themselves as capable to do so.

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Brief 4: High-Leverage Instructional Practices

High-leverage instructional practices is:

  • Eliciting and interpreting individual students’ thinking
  • Explaining and modeling content
  • Leading a group discussion
  • Setting up and managing small group work
  • Establishing and maintaining community expectations

These instructional practices help students learn important mathematical content and practices. They are also crucial in promoting equity and inclusion in the classroom, and they enable teachers to support students’ social and emotional development.

When choosing which high-leverage instructional practices to use, consider the following factors (not exhaustive):

  • Content and learning goals
  • Grade level
  • Common patterns of student thinking
  • Language needs of students

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Brief 5: Mathematics Assessment of and for Student Learning

Purposes for Assessment:

  1. Teacher-led formative assessment: Teachers check students' understanding and find confusing parts.
  2. Self-appraisal: Students reflect on their learning to see progress and areas to improve.
  3. Assessment of mathematical identity: Understanding how students see themselves as math learners to boost confidence.
  4. Summative assessment: Evaluating what students learned after a unit and planning next steps.
  5. Standardized assessment: Using common tests to compare student progress and track trends.

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Brief 6: The Role and Challenges of Using Representations

Representations: Central Resources and Practices in Mathematics:

  • Physical: e.g.,manipulative materials such as Unifix cubes, base ten blocks, algebra tiles
  • Visual: e.g., diagrams, drawings, graphs
  • Symbolic: e.g., numbers, expressions, equations
  • Verbal: e.g., explanations and discussions
  • Contextual: e.g., real-world situations and problem-based contexts

Instructional programs from PK-12

should enable all students to:

  • Create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas
  • Select, apply, and translate among mathematical representations to solve problems
  • Use representations to model and interpret physical, social, and mathematical phenomena

~National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

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Brief 7: Understanding, Using, and Modifying Curriculum Materials

Questions to ask when analyzing curriculum materials:

  • How is mathematics represented in the curriculum materials?
  • How are evidence-based practices represented in the curriculum materials?
  • Who is represented in the curriculum materials and how are they shown?
  • How does the curriculum support a welcoming and affirming environment?
  • What support are integrated into materials for multilingual learners and students with disabilities?

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Brief 8: The Role of Leadership

Understand Tensions:

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Leaders must build their own awareness of (1) the purposes that each goal serves; (2) why these goals may feel in competition with each other to teachers; and (3) how their messaging to teachers can either heighten or ease the tension. Such tensions include:

  • Increasing students’ mathematical fluency and automaticity vs. building understanding through problem-based instruction.
  • Utilizing explicit instruction vs centering student thinking and reasoning.
  • Increasing test scores vs developing positive mathematical identities.
  • Ensuring fidelity to the curriculum and pacing guide vs. adjusting pacing and materials to meet the needs of students.

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Leadership Focus

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Take a Look then Chat!

Take a closer look at one of the briefs

  • What’s sticking out to you most?
  • What questions do you have?
  • What are potential next steps?

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Standards for Mathematical Practice

  1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
  2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively
  3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
  4. Model with mathematics
  5. Use appropriate tools strategically
  6. Attend to precision
  7. Look for and make use of structure
  8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

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Standards for Mathematical Practice

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Practices Rubric

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Mathematical and Questioning Supports

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Standards of Mathematical Practice:

With a partner(s), take a deeper look at a practice!

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With your Partner

  • Review through your handout
  • On your paper, use words/phrases, pictures, and/or any visuals to answer the prompts:
    1. When teachers and students engage in your Mathematical Practice, what might you see and hear?
      1. Summarize how this could look in a classroom setting
      2. Characterics to be proficient in this practice

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SMP # and Language

Words, pictures, numbers, etc to describe your thoughts!

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SMP Chart Picture Samples

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Wander & Wonder

Walk around and look at other chart paper

  • What is sticking out to you?
  • What connections are you making with the instruction you see in your building/district?

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With a Partner

Take a minute to read through the 2.8 Effective Teaching Look Fors Tool

  • Where are you seeing your practice in this tool?
  • What does it look/sound like in a classroom?
  • What are questions or comments you have?
  • How does this connect to the SMPs?

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Observing the Lesson Videos

  • What, on the look-fors tool, did you see inside the lesson?
  • What do you want to see more of?
  • Questions and comments

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Sample 1

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Sample 2

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Next Steps: Using the Look-For Tool

With others, discuss:

  • How might you use this look-for tool in your district?
  • What adjustments would you make?

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Additional Resources to Support Elementary Math Instruction

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Performance Level Descriptors

What: Detailed statements that outline the specific knowledge and skills students are expected to demonstrate at each performance level on NYS state assessments.

Why: Support students/teachers with learning progressions, ideas for interventions, question/task development, grading & feedback.

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Sample PLD for NY-3.OA.3

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PLIC Enhanced Next Generation Math Standards Doc

What: Enhanced document of the NYSED Next Generation Math Standards doc with hover overs & links to resources. A one stop NYSED document.

Why: Brings all the documents, supports, and resources that support the NGMS into one location.

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Updates and Reminders

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Let us know how we can help!

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Cody Osterhout

@CodeRedMath

costerho@btboces.org

Paul Volkert

@VolkertMath

pvolkert@btboces.org