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District presenters outline five-part K–8 math growth plan to boost consistency and fluency
Summary
Presenters Kevin Welt and Evelyn Shabertie told the Monroe School District board the district will pursue five strategies — aligning K–8 curriculum and assessments, consistent representations (tape diagrams), pacing, fluency work, and better use of specialists — to address weak areas on state claims and rising fluency gaps.
Kevin Welt and Evelyn Shabertie presented a K–8 mathematics growth plan to the Monroe School District Board that centers on five strategies intended to make math instruction more consistent from kindergarten through eighth grade.
The presenters said the plan focuses on (1) aligning curriculum and assessments across K–8, (2) using common representations such as tape diagrams so students carry strategies year-to-year, (3) intentional pacing and cross‑curricular connections, (4) building fluency through Tier 1 and Tier 2 practices, and (5) more effectively using intervention and specialist staff. "This is year two of the K–8 consistent program of Illustrative Math," Welt said, adding the district also brought Ames Web to the middle school as an intervention and progress‑monitoring tool.
Why it matters: board members were told the district has identified weaknesses on state assessment claims, especially in communicating mathematical reasoning and in data analysis. Welt highlighted fluency as a particular concern, saying last year’s fifth‑grade cohort had about 20% below the district’s mental‑computation benchmark in spring and that group now measures about 24% below the benchmark this fall.
Details and classroom practice: Welt and Shabertie explained that tape diagrams and other visual models are introduced in early grades and reused through eighth grade to support conceptual understanding. The presenters described specific classroom and district tools: Illustrative Mathematics (IM) as the core curriculum, Ames Web for progress monitoring, and Bridges as an intervention curriculum aligned to IM. They also described a K–5 math and science specialist who runs MTSS intervention services and oversees part‑time math interventionists in elementary buildings.
On interventions and staffing, presenters said specialists both push into classrooms and pull small groups during pauses or other schedule windows to build fluency and foundational skills. "We're really keeping track of… we're providing that intervention for students who are low in mental computation fluency," Shabertie said, describing progress monitoring with Ames Web.
Board response and next steps: trustees asked about spreading best practices (lab sites, peer classroom visits and coaching cycles) and about fluency drills; presenters said those items are being discussed at upcoming professional development. The presentation concluded with board appreciation and no immediate vote; presenters were asked to return with follow‑up data and implementation notes.
