Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Trussville expands math and science coaching with AMSTI partnership
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.
