The Common Core Mathematics Standards

Transforming Practice Through Team Leadership

Ted H. Hull, Ruth Harbin Miles, Don S. Balka

• Publisher: Corwin
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781452226224
• eBook ISBN: 9781452284149
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Leadership in Education

Transform math instruction with effective CCSS leadership

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for mathematics describe the "habits of mind" that teachers should develop in their students without which the content standards cannot be successfully implemented. This professional development resource helps principals and math leaders grapple with the changes that must be addressed so that teachers can implement the practices required by the CCSS. Features include:

• A clear explanation of the CCSS for Mathematical Practice
• Techniques to help leadership teams collaboratively implement and maintain the new standards
• A proficiency matrix with examples of instructional strategies for helping students reach competency in each standard
• An example of how a fourth-grade classroom might implement the CCSS

Readers will find reproducible, pullout tools to help with the change process, including an instructional sequence chart. A comprehensive and easy-to-use resource for teachers, district and school leaders, and mathematics curriculum coordinators, The Common Core Mathematics Standards provides the definitive road map for leading the change necessary to align math instruction with best practices.

1 Overcoming Resistance to Change: Four Strategies for Teams

In regard to student success and achievement in mathematics, educational institutions have been provided an excellent opportunity to do things differently through careful implementation of the CCMS. One point is obvious; business as usual will produce the same mediocre mathematics results. Without significant change in how things are done, the results are predictable.

Unfortunately, many districts will race to adopt the recommendations with hopes of fixing the learning problem. In reality, this hasty approach will merely address one or more of the many symptoms of the problem rather than the true problem. Time is indeed critical, yet investing up-front time in order to determine the correct path is a judicious move.

The Common Core Mathematics Standards: Transforming Practice Through Team Leadership is specifically designed to help leaders responsible for mathematics instruction as they work jointly with teachers to adopt and implement the CCSS for mathematics and the Standards for Mathematical Practice. Administrative leaders responsible for mathematics are in positions such as principals, curriculum directors, or assistant superintendents. Mathematics leaders are individuals in positions such as coordinators, supervisors, coaches, or specialists. Leadership teams consist of representatives from these two groups plus mathematics teachers. While the two separate designations for leader types are important for change, both will be referred to in our book as leaders.

Principals and other leaders responsible for mathematics must not assume that implementation of the CCSS in mathematics is the sole responsibility of mathematics leaders and teachers. Coordination and cooperation between job duties are essential for success. Successful change comes from coherent and collaborative efforts among school leaders, mathematics leaders, and mathematics teachers. When identifying this collaborative effort, we refer to the leadership team.

While undertaking the processes for implementing the Common Core Standards and Standards for Mathematical Practice, our book presents four strategies readers need to know and apply when faced with a change such as the CCSS. These strategies, intended to help overcome system inertia, have been received enthusiastically as we have presented them to various educators across the country. The strategies are:

• Strategy 1: Promoting adoption and avoiding rejection
• Strategy 2: Focusing on students brings success
• Strategy 3: Building support for collegial relationships
• Strategy 4: Maintaining support to increase implementation

A brief description of each strategy is provided as a way for readers to quickly grasp the overall picture of change. Then, each strategy is explained in detail as the chapters unfold.

Strategy 1: Promoting Adoption and Avoiding Rejection

Adoption of a change does not occur without some form of pressure, preferably positive in nature. The exerted pressure to change must exceed the pressure to return to the status quo. In school systems, pressure is applied through monitoring. Leaders responsible for mathematics improvement, mathematics leaders, and mathematics teachers must actually check to see that the requested changes are truly occurring in all classrooms. Monitoring pressure is not punitive or negative but supportive and caring. Recall that all individuals have a learning curve when adopting something new. This learning time is a time for empathy, support, and continued training.

Strategy 2: Focusing on Students Brings Success

The reason to change or adopt an instructional strategy is to improve student learning. This uncomplicated thought is often overlooked when considering changes to classroom structures or actions. The actions of teachers, regardless of the quality, research findings, or purpose of the actions, are of no value if students do not respond in a way that improves learning, understanding, and achievement. Leaders, as well as teachers, make mistakes when they concentrate on teachers' actions and ignore student responses.

This last statement in no way indicates or implies that teacher actions are not vitally important, but the focus needs to be shifted. Rather than document that teacher A did “this,” leaders need to document that students responded in a particular way when teacher A did “this.” The question then becomes this: Were student responses positive and beneficial? Perhaps this is subtle, but it really is a major point. If the students sit like lumps of clay when a particular strategy is used, it is pointless for leaders to credit teachers with using that strategy or for teachers to assume they are effectively using it.

Strategy 3: Building Support for Collegial Relationships

Peer support during change initiatives is important. Most people find change to be uncomfortable. We establish comfort zones and routines. Consequently, we need to have important reasons to change our routines. This reason is pressure, and it frequently comes from colleagues who are also engaged in the change process. While people do respond to negative pressure, it is not productive in the long term. Adoption involves a willingness to take something on. There needs to be a benefit. Adopting effective instructional strategies requires deeper commitment than compliance. Adoption from positive pressure arises from rapport, relationships, and trust.

Teachers work in isolation for significant parts of their days. However, isolation is one of the greatest impediments to enacting change. Alone in a classroom faced with 30 students, the teacher must make an enormous leap of faith to try something new if what he or she has done appears to be working. In most cases, working means the students are under reasonable control, the teacher is managing the classroom, and mathematics material is being covered.

If change initiatives driven by the CCSS are to actually improve classroom instruction, isolation must be removed. Teachers need to have opportunities to talk and share with other adults about the strategies and the results of the strategies. Direct, in-classroom support works best for initiating, honing, and adapting new instructional strategies.

Strategy 4: Maintaining Support to Increase Implementation

When working with change initiatives, educators often confuse or misunderstand how adults adopt and adapt to change. Leaders, for instance, frequently think of schools as very large buses. They see the job as getting everyone on the bus, and then it is the job of the bus driver (professional development provider or mathematics leader) to get teachers to the correct destination. In response to this idea, teachers are sent to large group training sessions, provided new information, and then released to return to their individual classrooms ready to make the requested changes. As a general rule, this approach does not appear to have any form of positive success record. The training is done to teachers rather than with teachers.

These processes are often the direct opposite of schools' traditional approaches to managing change initiatives. Leaders, working with teachers, need to know how to methodically build critical masses of support for the changes that will occur with the mathematics content standards and the Standards for Mathematical Practice in place.

Finally, leadership for change must be deeply considered. Change is most effective when managed by a principal and a small group of educators who serve as a cohesive force (Marzano, 2003; Reeves, 2006) while working toward developing a critical mass of adopters. In order to build this critical mass, the sequential progression of our book is identified in the box that follows. While we encourage readers to progress through the book as written, identifying the purpose of the chapters will allow readers to focus on or reread particular areas of interest.

Chapter Purposes

Questions for Discussion

How are leadership roles differentiated in your school?

How do leadership roles overlap?

Do leaders and teachers share a consistent message about student learning?

When considering the four strategies, what are some critical elements of each?

How do leaders or teachers overcome isolation in your district?

2 Transforming Instruction

The CCSS came into existence in 2010 through a joint effort of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Many stakeholders were involved in writing the standards. The NCTM monitored the drafts and provided continuous feedback to the NGA during the writing process. As noted in the preface of the NCTM (2011, p. ix) publication Making It Happen: A Guide to Interpreting and Implementing Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, NCTM supported the goal and intent of the CCSS, which focus on work that the Council had previously done.

According to the development teams, the standards:

• Are aligned with college and work expectations;
• Are clear, understandable, and consistent;
• Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;
• Build on strengths and lessons of current state standards;
• Are informed by other top-performing countries so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and
• Are evidence based (from http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards).

By implementing the CCSS, we have the prospect of ensuring equity and access to high-quality mathematics for every student. By accepting standardized mathematics content that spans state borders, we have established a high level of expectations for our students. This step alone will have a significant impact on education.

Having stated that, the common content aspect of the CCSS is minor when compared to the possibilities that exist for the other significant part of the initiative—the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice identified by the developers and adopted by the joining states. The practices draw upon research that strongly supports active student engagement in the classrooms as well as learning with meaning (National Research Council, 2004). Educational leaders responsible for mathematics education must grasp this opportunity and work to ensure that it becomes reality.

The challenge for school leaders, mathematics leaders, and mathematics teachers alike will be to achieve clarity of understanding about the eight student practices and then to transfer this understanding into classroom actions related to instruction. The practices strongly indicate both how students should learn mathematics and how students should demonstrate their understanding. This dynamic shift from telling students about mathematics to having students experience mathematics cannot, and will not, occur without strong leadership.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Principles and Process Standards

More than a decade before the new CCSS were developed, NCTM (2000) released its Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, providing clarification of six principles and five process standards essential to effective mathematics instruction. NCTM's six principles are equity, curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment, and technology (p. 11). They are not specific to mathematics but are important to improving and sustaining an effective program:

• Equity: High expectations and strong support for all students
• Curriculum: Coherent, focused, and well-articulated curriculum
• Teaching: Understanding, challenging...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• About the Authors
• Introduction
• 1 Overcoming Resistance to Change: Four Strategies for Teams
• 2 Transforming Instruction
• 3 Promoting Adoption and Avoiding Rejection
• 4 Focusing on Students Brings Success
• 5 Attaining the Common Core Practices
• 6 Visiting a Transforming Classroom
• 7 Building Support for Collegial Relationships
• 8 Maintaining Support to Increase Implementation
• 9 Leading the Way for Change
• References
• Appendix: Sample Problems Showing CCSS Content and Practices
• Index