Sixteen teachers.  Four administrators.  One team.

This school year, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Jay Greenlinger implemented a district-wide Math Articulation team comprising teachers and administrators from each school within the district.

The team’s goal is to ensure a smooth transition in math curriculum from grade level to grade level. The group has had one official meeting so far, and some of the teachers have have met in smaller groups since then.

“What has happened in OPUSD — as often happens with many other districts — is that each school has developed its math program independently,” Greenlinger wrote in an email.

According to Greenlinger, students will be more successful when their math instruction is uniform from grade to grade. The team meets to establish consistency in how and what math teachers teach.

“The Math Articulation Team has, at its core, the goal of connecting teachers so that they can discuss overall math philosophies and make connections between the grade levels,” Greenlinger wrote.

The team is taking an online course from Jo Boaler of Stanford University called “How to Learn Math.”

“The course aims to change the way we look at math instruction to make sure that we are building a culture of learning where everyone is considered a math person,” Greenlinger wrote.

Barbie Lee, Brookside Elementary kindergarten teacher, said this course changed her outlook on teaching math.

“This has already changed the way I teach math,” Lee said. “I have brought a few of the changes into my classroom and have already seen a change towards the love for math from each of my students.”

Lee said she thinks the assembly of teachers and administrators works very well together.

“I can honestly say that every member understands the importance of math and the need for collaboration across grade levels. I have left both meetings with excitement about the future of the math program in Oak Park Unified School District. I feel that this team is just the beginning of a great journey,” Lee said.

Math teacher Rob Large teaches seventh and eighth grade math at Medea Creek Middle School. Large said the team is working hard to ensure that all needed material is covered in math classes throughout the district to prepare the students for higher level classes.

“The implementation of a district-wide Math Articulation team is a good idea because it will allow the different schools to know what material is covered prior to entering their school and what material should be covered before leaving their school,” Large wrote in an email.

According to Large, there is a variety of teachers within the group.

“We’re interested in simplifying the transitions for students from one year to the next,” Large said. “While we may have different backgrounds, we’re all interested in improving on our current situation.”

Chris Henderson, Oak Park High School math teacher, said the impact of the program on students will occur especially in the lower grades.

“What you’ll see is an impact of students going from fifth grade to sixth grade, and students going from eighth grade to ninth grade,” Henderson said. “I think the missing piece has been communication with the middle school and the elementary school to make sure we’re all on the same page.”

Lisa Bregar, Oak Park High School math teacher, said the team will not make a huge impact on her students because none of her students are transitioning from middle school to high school.
Henderson said he hasn’t had much contact with the elementary schools, and that he gained a lot from the team’s communication.

“I’ve never communicated much with [the elementary school teachers],” Henderson said. “When my son went to Brookside, some of his teachers, because they knew I taught high school, would reach out to me in regards to math concepts and ask ‘How do you teach this at the high level so I can teach at the lower level?’ So I think its going to be nice to have that dialogue.”

Henderson said that he hopes the program will carry on.

“Hopefully for the years to come [the team will] continue some kind of open dialogue to make sure everyone is continuing on the same page,” Henderson said.