About How the Math Initiative Will Help Teachers

The Idaho Math Initiative with the goal to improve math education in all grades to ensure every Idaho student is prepared for higher levels of math in the middle grades, high school, and post-secondary and work-force settings.

History

In 2007, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna, with funding from the Idaho Legislature, started the development of the Idaho Math Initiative to improve math education across the state. He will go to the Legislature in January 2008 to get approval on the Idaho Math Initiative proposal so schools can start implementing it in the 2008-2009 school year. A group of individuals representing educators, school administrators, parents, school board members and the business community from across Idaho helped develop this initiative to meet the needs of all students.

What will it offer?

The Idaho Math Initiative will offer professional development for teachers, assessment tools for all grades and research-based intervention programs for students. Through the Idaho Math Initiative, we can raise student achievement as well as a student’s love for math by equipping teachers and school administrators with the training and tools they need to help students succeed.

How will Idaho students benefit?

The goal of the Idaho Math Initiative is to raise student achievement. Idaho students will benefit directly from this comprehensive initiative because they will be better prepared to live, work and succeed in the 21st century when they master strong math skills before graduating high school.

How will this affect teachers?

The Idaho Math Initiative gives teachers the opportunity to take part in an innovative and comprehensive change in math education in the state of Idaho. Through research-based professional developmenttraining opportunities, the state will give Idaho teachers the resources they need to build upon their current experience and learn more about the current research in math education.

• By 2015, every elementary and math teacher in Idaho will have the opportunity to complete a three-credit course focused on math content pedagogy that best meets the needs of all students.
• The state will set up a series of regional training workshops for math educators.
• The state and school districts will work together to establish math specialists in every region of the state to help continue professional development for math teachers in future years.

Timeline

The Idaho Math Initiative will roll out in phases, starting in the 2008-2009 school year.

Phase I will include:

• Training for teachers and administrators,
• Funding and guidance for remediation programs in the
middle grades, and
• Hiring math specialists for each region in the state.

Phase II will include the steps of Phase I as well as:

• Providing advanced opportunities for students who excel in math, and
• Training and hiring math coaches in every school district in the state