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Methacton outlines iReady-driven math review, credits coaching and early gains
Summary
At a May district board meeting Methacton curriculum leaders presented a multi-year math review that led to districtwide adoption of IReady (K–8), described new classroom practices and coaching supports, and reported early elementary-level gains tied to PSSA and IReady measures.
Methacton School District curriculum leaders on May 27 presented the district’s multi-year math curriculum review and the roll‑out of IReady at the K–8 level, saying the program has changed classroom practice and produced early signs of improvement.
Doctor Walsh, speaking for the curriculum team, said the district followed a six‑year review cycle that included site visits and a pilot that led the team to recommend IReady at kindergarten through eighth grade and new high‑school textbooks for grades 9–12. "We identified a pilot team, reviewed resources, and the recommendation two years ago was to adopt IReady at K–8," Walsh said. He added that adoption included embedded professional development and alignment to Pennsylvania core standards.
Miss Strauss demonstrated a sample third‑grade "Explore" lesson from IReady, walking the board through the Explore/Develop/Refine lesson types, the "three‑read" strategy, and use of manipulatives to encourage student discourse. "This program really shows students every day how it applies to their lives," she said, describing how the lesson sequence promotes productive struggle, peer discussion and multiple representations of solutions.
The presentation emphasized professional development and coaching. Speakers described repeated PD sessions with IReady representatives, classroom coaching cycles, and building‑thinking‑classroom practices such as random visible grouping and use of vertical nonpermanent surfaces. Instructional coaches and data tools such as LinkIt were cited as central to tracking progress and guiding teacher supports.
Board members asked how teachers who need additional support are identified and what measures the district uses to track progress. Walsh and the curriculum team said identification is multi‑pronged: administrative walkthroughs and observations, teacher self‑identification, coaching feedback and program data from IReady. The presentation noted that the district has seen a "significant upswing" at the elementary level on PSSAs and in IReady pathway metrics but that the district will continue to monitor cohorts as students progress to upper grades.
The district said the IReady adoption was recommended unanimously by its pilot teachers and that follow‑up reporting to the board on measured outcomes and longitudinal data will be provided. Board members requested a future presentation with detailed outcome data for the next cycle of meetings.
