Math Topic Are Structure.

Topic: Math Topic Area Structure

Problem: Three Math Topic Areas are too many: Elementary K-5; Middle School 6-
8; High School 9-12
The Math Team was concerned that:

having multiple intervention reports across grades would impede

access to relevant information;
Intervention Reports were published in topic areas where the
material was not taught;
high school math reports combined findings across courses,
concealing true individual course results, thus not reflecting true
WWC Solution: Starting 2015 WWC reorganization included:
a. restructuring its math reviews into two areas: Primary Math K -8,
and
Secondary Math grades 9-12.
b. two main changes to intervention reports :
i. the definitions of updated and new math
intervention reports,
ii. how high school courses are treated in intervention
reports and Find What Works.

Timely recommendation; the change to how high school courses are treated in the
intervention reports are significant for my institution. Presently, my school is
dealing with a very similar dilemma; one of our courses has three components; a
student gets an A in the geometry component; a C grade in the Algebra
component, and an F grade in the Arithmetic component. Final grade will reflect a
passing grade of C. When the student goes to another class that requires them
to function at a c level or above arithmetically, the student is inept. The other
teacher asks the question; didnt you pass the prerequisite math course? How are
you not able to perform these simple calculation? Well, if the components were
reported separately the other teacher would observe that the student is illiterate in
Arithmetic. So, the recommendation to report the components separately, may be
the break through my organization could implement.

Another alternative for my organization may be to consider implementing courses

individually, example Algebra I & Algebra II; Geometry I & Geometry II. So, with- in
the Algebra or geometry courses you may have components but each will be a
component of Algebra or geometry and not of another branch of Mathematics.
Unmistakably when you post an average grade for the Algebra or Geometry course
it will more accurately reflect the average grade respectively.