[CharterSchools] Iberia and Vermilion Post Impressive Math Gains, Cite Eureka-Based Collaboration

[charterschools at LACharter.org]

Iberia and Vermilion PostImpressive Math Gains, Cite Eureka-BasedCollaboration







			
Iberia Parish and Vermilion Parish were among the Louisiana school districts showing the most studentachievement gains in math since 2014, based on recently released Partnership for Assessment ofReadiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test scores. Officials in these neighboring districts, bothof which use Eureka Math, say that collaboration with colleagues inside and outside the districts was amajor factor in their success.


			
Iberia, which educates more than 13,000 students (70% low-income) in 25 schools, tied for 9th statewidein gains for grade 4 and tied for 6th in grade 5, based on changes in the percentage of students scoringmastery and above on the state test between 2014 and 2015. Iberia outpaced the state in all but grade 8,where it still improved by 19 percentage points in the past year.


			
Vermilion, which educates 9,400 students in 21 schools, was among the top 10 most improved districtsin the state in grades 3, 4, 5, and 7. And it outgained the state averages in all but grade 6. 




						
			
				
					
Both districts collaborated with each other and with neighboring Lafayette, particularly as they were allstarting to implement Eureka Math district-wide during the 2013–14 school year. The Vermilion-Lafayettepartnership was especially robust, as the districts co-developed tools such as parent newsletters, flipcharts, assessments, and classroom coaches. 


“It started because my best friend was the 5th grade math leader in Lafayette,” said Torrie Guzzetta, district math facilitator for Vermilion Parish.


Multiple districts from across the country have turned to Lafayette for advice and resources such as popular parent guides. Lafayette also posted very strong gains on this spring’s PARCC test, exceeding the state average in all six grades and making significant gains in its statewide ranking. Ingrade 4 math, for example, the district jumped from tied for 34thstatewide to 20th in the percentage of students scoring masteryand above on the statewide test, and from tied for 37th to tiedfor 16th in grade 5. (Louisiana switched from the LouisianaEducational Assessment Program to the PARCC assessment inthe 2014–15 school year.)


In Iberia, officials are especially excited that teachers are so eager to initiate collaboration on their ownaround Eureka Math, with or without formal district support. 


“We have so much more buy-in this year,”said Carey Laviolette, assistant superintendent of instruction. “We’ve come full circle. They used to gettogether to solve logistical problems and put out fires. Now they get together to focus on what the mathmeans.” Laviolette also said the two days of training from Great Minds this summer were very beneficialin helping teachers understand how to pace their lessons: “They saw how they don’t have to stick to thecurriculum word for word.”
					


Vermilion Parish has provided teachers with multiple opportunities to work together: summer training,two or three professional development days a year, and grade-level meetings before each module.Teachers review the modules and exit tickets, work through problem sets, and discuss challenges so thatthey “understand the math behind each lesson,” said Jeannie Cormier, supervisor of K–8 instruction forVermilion Parish. All teachers benefited from this extensive module prep last year; this year, Vermilion isfocused on helping the five to seven new teachers in each grade, often turning to veteran educators ascurriculum guides.


					
“We are all more successful due to this unprecedented collaboration among the three districts,”said Penny Gennuso, math and science specialist for Lafayette Parish. “Moving from the first yearof implementation to the third we have all remained focused on how to best assist teachers withimplementation to increase student achievement.”

		
		



					
				
			
		

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