Wilton Schools Propose 'Substantial' Changes to Math Program

WILTON, CT — The Wilton Public Schools Math Curriculum Review Steering Committee is recommending substantial changes to the district’s mathematics program, according to the district website.

The recommendations are "based on extensive research and analysis of the Wilton Public Schools math program, begun during the 2017-2018 school year, and incorporate feedback from a needs assessment survey of more than 2,000 teachers, students and parents."

The MCRSC, under the direction of Trudy Denton, curriculum coordinator, believes improvements in student outcomes in math can be achieved by adopting the following recommendations:

• Revise math curriculum units K-12 to achieve alignment and coherence for each grade level and course. The K-8 Math in Focus program should also be supplemented with additional resources.
• Provide coaching support for teachers to further enhance instructional practices and teacher content knowledge.
• Provide one hour of protected instructional time for math K-5, schedule additional instructional time in grades 6-8, and explore options for additional time at WHS for level 1 math classes.
• Adopt a proposed math course sequence change for grades 6-12 to ensure students have the necessary foundational skills to be successful in high school math. This can be achieved by offering different course acceleration pathways for students who demonstrate mastery of foundational content and problem-solving skills.

The MCRSC began meeting during the 2017-2018 school year to study the strengths of the K-12 mathematics program and how it could be improved. The overall goal was to advance the math learning outcomes for all Wilton students by instituting structural changes to the math program and by incorporating more research-based strategies into instruction.

The committee has stated that it believes none of the recommendations is sufficient in isolation to achieve the desired improvement in student learning, but taken together will result in significant gains among Wilton Public School students. All of the recommended changes have been shared with the Board of Education and administrators and faculty across the district.

Several information sessions for members of the community are planned at dates and times to be determined.

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