Trussville expands math and science coaching with AMSTI partnership
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Summary
Administrators described an ongoing partnership with the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) to provide teacher training, in-class coaching and curricular materials; the district said most secondary teachers and a majority of elementary teachers have completed foundational training.
Trussville City Schools administrators and AMSTI staff told the board about a continuing partnership to provide math and science professional development, in-school coaching and curricular materials designed to raise instructional capacity and student outcomes.
Katie Leachman, director for AMSTI Region 5, explained AMSTI’s three-part model: professional learning for teachers, in-school specialist coaching and provision of instructional materials. She said AMSTI is state-funded and offered its services at no charge to participating districts. AMSTI staff and district coaches described summer trainings and a coaching academy intended to place math coaches in every elementary school by the end of the 2026-27 school year.
District staff said about 65 to 70 percent of elementary teachers have completed AMSTI’s foundational math and science training; most middle- and high-school teachers have completed the foundational work. The district presented classroom examples and a short video of students working on “numberless” word problems and other AMSTI-derived lessons.
Teachers and coaches at the meeting described AMSTI training as hands-on, with classroom-ready labs and a focus on conceptual understanding and multiple solution strategies. One teacher said the training changed her practice by emphasizing the “why” behind content and providing a system of support for teachers. District staff said AMSTI’s programming is approved for district professional development credit and reduces the need for additional outside days.
Administrators described the initiative as a multi-year commitment and thanked AMSTI staff for collaboration and support; no action was required — the item was presented as an administrative report.
