Burlington Area School District

The Burlington Area School District received $55,052 to focus on improving math instruction and increase student learning at the elementary level. As part of a continuous improvement model, the district analyzed data from local math benchmarks and state examinations, conducted interviews with parents, teachers, administrators, and School Board members, and reviewed current instructional materials to ascertain strengths and weaknesses of their existing program in 2005 and 2006. In their proposal to Project CAPE, they asked for financial support to use a coaching model to 1) maximize educators' skills in mathematics through research based training and support in content knowledge; 2) increase student proficiency and excellence in math performance by building a foundation of understanding connected to the delight of exploration and discovery in mathematics; and 3) to expand administrators' knowledge of effective mathematics instructional strategies, assessments and interpretation of assessment data. CAPE funding will support training and professional development that is job embedded and ongoing, for seven K-8 math lead teachers and a district coach, during the 2007-08 school year.