Ivan Cheng and Ken BerryCalifornia State University Northridge

ARCHES California P-16Collaboration and Student Success Conference

June 20, 2007

DREAMS:A Model for Leveraging

Collaboration to Promote Student

Success in Algebra

• Background• What we did

ARCHES collaborative The SITTE model Principles of SITTE Process of SITTE

• What’s next DREAMS project Ongoing work Building the pipeline for career technology

What more is needed?

Agenda

What is the Context?

• In 2000, successful completion of first year algebra became a high school graduation requirement in California.

• Algebra success rate in high schools is low in Los Angeles Unified School District.

• Failure in algebra “triggers dropouts more than any single subject” according to former Superintendent Roy Romer.

Background

What is Algebra?

• What is the algebra that students need?

<discussion and sample>• Each year, approximately 1200 Ph.D.s are awarded in mathematics.

• Each year there are approximately 3.8 million ninth graders.

• This means only 0.03% of the student population go on to study advanced math.

Background

What is Needed?

“To improve their mathematics instruction, teachers must be able to analyze what they and their students are doing and consider how those actions are affecting students’ learning.” NCTM Principles and Standards, p. 18

Background

What is Needed?

“Teachers learn well just as students do — by studying, doing, and reflecting; by col-laborating with other teachers; by looking closely at students and their work; and by sharing what they see.”

Darling-Hammond (1999), p. 12

Background

What is “Six Sigma”?

• A business term for describing the improvement process

• Refers to the number of standard deviations required to achieve “3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO)”

• For 3.8 million ninth graders each year, this means fewer than 13 will fail!!!

Background

Applying Six Sigma Principles

• Process focuses on specific projects.

• Each project focuses on specific outcomes with decisions driven by evidence.

• Each project limited to specific timeframe.

• Supported by “green belts,” “black belts,” and “champions.”

Background

ARCHES Collaborative

• Los Angeles Unified School District

• California State University Northridge

• Los Angeles Mission College• Project GRAD Los Angeles• Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley

What We Did

What We Did

ARCHES Collaborative

• Designed a pilot project based on research from the Inter-session Teaching and Training (ITT) project in 2004

• Implemented Student Improvement Through Teacher Empowerment (SITTE) pilot projects in 2006

The SITTE Model

• Professional development aligned with district instructional guidance systems

• Professional development situated in the context of actual classroom teaching

• Daily collaborative lesson planning during summer school or inter-session

• Reflecting on and refining lessons based on ongoing recognition of student thinking

What We Did

Principles of SITTE

• Consideration of the local school context

• Use of teachers’ knowledge to generate solutions to their students’ learning needs

• A focus on student learning rather than teacher improvement

• A well defined time frame for the work

• The availability of resources rather than mandated strategies or curricula

What We Did

Professional Development as a Lever

Knowledge

StudentLearning &Achievement

What We Did

Principles of SITTE

Process of SITTE

Plan

Act Do

Check

What We Did

Process of SITTE

Explore

EstablishExperiment

Examine

What We Did

Student

Thinking

What happens when teachers are provided the social space in which they can engage in collaborative inquiry while actually teaching?

What We Found

• Teachers demonstrated an awareness of student thinking– Acquaintance with alternative

solutions– Watchfulness of student misconceptions– Attentiveness to student attitudes– Responsiveness to student reasoning– Expectation of trajectories in student

thinking• Teachers applied their knowledge of

student thinking– Guiding principles for lesson design– Greater use of inquiry lessons

What We Found

What We Found

• Teachers demonstrated flexibility and resourcefulness– Departing from the textbook– Designing lessons based on student

learning needs• Teachers exhibited a sense of efficacy

and confidence to find instructional solutions– Attitudes about students– Attitudes about self

• Teachers demonstrated interdependence and teamwork– During SITTE– After SITTE

Comparisons by Subject (Algebra 1A)

What We Found

74.6

61.1

39.6

0102030405060708090

100

A B C D Fail

Spring 2004 Inter-session 2003/2004 ITT Algebra 1A

Comparisons by Calendar Track

What We Found

70.5

48.3

47.6

0102030405060708090

100

A B C D Fail

Summer 2005 Fall 2005 Winter 2006

Comparisons with Same Teachers

What We Found

63.767.8

37.9

0102030405060708090

100

A B C D Fail

Fall 2005 Spring 2006 Summer 2006

What’s Next?

DREAMS Project

• Summer program for at-risk middle school students

• Students are provided pre-algebra instruction, study skills, robotics, field trips, and food

• Teachers are paid to teach and engage in professional development daily using the SITTE model

What’s Next?

DREAMS Project

• Robotics program through Los Angeles Mission College

• Students receive college credit; Mission College generates FTES

• Curriculum provides context for studying mathematics

• Builds rigor, relevance, and relationships

What’s Next?

Ongoing Work

• Math teachers continue working with students from summer class

• Ongoing professional development to infuse robotics into curriculum

• Additional grant funding to scale up work to change culture and help teachers become “collaboration ready”

What’s Next?

Building the Pipeline

• Partner with businesses to provide jobs and internships

• Create a pipeline of opportunities through rigor, relevance, and relationships

• Provide a future for students by cultivating dreams

What’s Next?

What More is Needed?

<discussion>

It’s Done For Teachers, Not To Teachers

Professional development must be focused on what teachers want to help them improve student learning.

It Takes TeamworkProfessional development requires a

collaborative effort for teachers to find what works for them where they’re at.

It’s About TimeInter-session (or summer school) provides the

place and time where teachers can work as a team to find solutions to their own professional needs.

Summary

Thank You

Ivan Cheng icheng@csun.eduwww.csun.edu/~icheng

Ken Berry ken.bery@csun.edu

ARCHES California P-16Collaboration and Student Success Conference

June 20, 2007