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Bismarck teachers highlight student-led math strategies as district reports steady gains
Summary
Teachers described classroom shifts toward student-led discussions and “productive struggle” while district staff reported measurable growth on multiple math assessments; the board voted unanimously to find mathematics academic achievement is making reasonable progress.
A team of Bismarck Public Schools teachers told the school board on April 14 that district math instruction has shifted toward student-led thinking strategies, and district administrators reported measurable progress on multiple assessments.
Assistant principal Angie Edinger said the district focus this year has emphasized “thinking strategies” so students both think and “talk with one another about their thinking.” Century High geometry teacher Kate Fox described participating in a three-day Minds-on Math conference in Denver and said teachers returned ready to put students “in the learner spot rather than the teacher spot.” Fox said one classroom practice she uses is to have students lead peer discussions and pose questions that guide peers to reasoning rather than just giving answers.
Jessica Veriano, a specialist at Wachter Middle School, described adapting the strategies for students in core placement classes who are working three to four grade levels below peers. Veriano said she now asks students to show whether an answer “makes sense” and to use models and representations to justify reasoning.
Assistant Superintendent Doctor Johnson presented district results for mathematics, saying Bismarck Public Schools has “made reasonable progress on all six indicators” and that the district outperforms the state average in nearly all categories. Johnson highlighted multiple assessment sources used by the district, including North Dakota state assessments (NDSA), ACT and NWEA MAP, and noted the district target of roughly 50 percent of students meeting desired growth; the most recent MAP figure cited in the presentation was 49.3 percent.
Johnson also explained that some subgroup scores are reported as bands (for example, “50 to 58”) when the subgroup is small to protect student privacy. He said district systems—guiding coalitions, curricular audits and professional development tied to standards—are supporting sustainable progress and alignment to new state standards and assessments.
After the presentations the board considered a motion to find the district’s 2.1 academic achievement — mathematics indicator “making reasonable progress.” Board member Presky moved to adopt the finding; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote with all five members recorded as yes (Lee; Peterson; Presky; Hager; Eastgate).
