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What Happened: Algebra Curriculum Review

Jessica Ciolkosz
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs
Portfolio Entry for Wisconsin Teacher Standard 7 & 8
EDUW 699 Independent Study
James Sauter Ph.D., Instructor
December 2018
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Selected Wisconsin Teacher Standard Descriptors

Wisconsin Teacher Standard (WTS) Standard #7: Teachers are able to plan

different kinds of lessons.

The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon knowledge of subject

matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.

Knowledge- The teacher knows when and how to adjust plans based on student

responses and other contingencies.

Dispositions-The teacher believes that plans must always be open to adjustment and

revision based on student needs and changing circumstances.

Performances- The teacher creates lessons and activities that operate at multiple levels

to meet the developmental and individual needs of diverse learners and help each progress.

Wisconsin Teacher Standard (WTS) Standard #8: Teachers know how to test for

student progress.
The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate

and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the learner.
Knowledge-The teacher understands the characteristics, uses, advantages, and limitations

of different types of assessments (e.g. criterion-referenced and norm-referenced instruments,

traditional standardized and performance-based tests, observation systems, and assessments of

student work) for evaluating how students learn, what they know and are able to do, and what

kinds of experiences will support their further growth and development.

Dispositions-The teacher is committed to using assessment to identify student strengths

and promote student growth rather than to deny students access to learning opportunities.
Performances.
The teacher appropriately uses a variety of formal and informal assessment techniques

(e.g. observation, portfolios of student work, teacher-made tests, performance tasks, projects,

student self-assessments, peer assessment, and standardized tests) to enhance her or his

knowledge of learners, evaluate students’ progress and performances, and modify teaching and

learning strategies.
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The teacher monitors his or her own teaching strategies and behavior in relation to

student success, modifying plans and instructional approaches accordingly.

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Pre-assessments
Self-assessment of Instruction Related to WTS and Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)
Wisconsin Teacher Standard (WTS) 7 indicates that “the teacher believes that plans must

always be open to adjustment and revision…,” which must be an everyday and individual class

period option. Just because something worked the first time it was taught does not mean it will

be received the same way in another class period. Being receptive to the students’ actions,

attitudes, and behaviors to understand if the information was presented in learning way is key to

WTS 7.
Using WTS 8, “…appropriately uses a variety of formal and informal assessment

techniques…” to help understand if the students have learned the concept at hand. There are

many quick formal assessments that are fun for both teacher and student. A couple of my

favorites are Fist to Five and writing on the desks with EXPO markers. Each way gives me a

good idea of the students’ understanding of the concept.

“The teacher monitors his or her own teaching strategies and behavior in relation to

success…” (WTS 8) everything is apt to change, write in pencil. Never is any day the same and

never is there any day that something ‘unexpectedly’ happens. This is the reason that pencils

were invented; erase, make the change, and adjust to what is happening. As teachers, making

this adjustment in the curriculum is not only important, but being able to make the adjustment is

also a life skill that is being taught to the students. Sometimes we need to adjust the direction to

make it to the final goal.

Assessment of Student Performance Related to Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)
The algebra class that I am focusing on is mostly sophomores and a couple seniors. This

class had algebra last year and we are now working at the second year of algebra. Most of the

students are used to using the online curriculum. I am new to the online book and will be asking

them for a little guidance as far as seeing the student side of the computer. Many of the students

are not fans of the online version because the computer requires an answer that is exact to what is
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predetermined in the computer. Close is not good enough, which then causes frustration and not

wanting to use the program.

Assessment of Learning Environment While Learning Targeted Objective(s)
The classroom has a relaxed feel. After attendance is taken, the floor is open to any

questions about the assignment, then the assignment is corrected and sometimes collected. The

students are then given notes or asked to explore the concept on the computer. After a few

minutes I will ask, “Fist to Five, what are you feeling about the concept?” While they are

working, I check for understanding by walking around the room before returning to my desk. I

will then work on other items while keeping an eye on the students that are not confident in their

abilities to make sure they are staying on task.

Assessment Conclusion and Essential Question to Guide Research
The self-assessment, assessment of student performance, and learning environment

assessment show that by working together the students and teacher can accomplish many

successful lessons. I will need “to identify student strengths and promote student growth” to

help them gain confidence in their ability to understand the concept. I will need to “monitor my

teaching strategies and behavior” as it relates to student learning and “modify plans and

instructional approaches accordingly.” By being aware of the students’ past experience with the

online book and assignments, and the lack of my knowledge of the best practices using the

online information, my research question will stem from WTS 7: How did the algebra class

adjust to the new textbooks and given curriculum?

Research Summary
Understanding the curriculum being used to teach the class is key to success. Using the

resources provided by the school that are aligned with the curriculum are as important as

incorporating extra resources, when needed, to help the students retain the concept presented.
In looking at the article “The Typical 10th Grade Math Curriculum,” by D. Russell, it

states that;
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In most schools in the United States, students may choose between several learning tracks

to complete the prerequisite four math credits needed for graduation wherein students are

expected to complete each of these subjects in the order they are presented, reaching at

least Algebra I before completing 10th grade: Pre-Algebra (for remedial students), Algebra

I, Algebra II, Geometry, Pre-Caluclus, and Calculus.

Not all high schools function the same way with the same requirements, but most of the schools

offer the same common classes for the students to take. No matter what ability the student has for

math, by the time the student is in the 10th grade, they should be able to solve complex number

systems, graphing on coordinate planes, calculating variables and quadratic functions, problem

solve, and analyze sets of data and algorithms (D. Russell).

Referencing the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt textbook that will be used this year in

Algebra II, the sequencing of the units has alignment with the Common Core standards (Artifact

A and D). The book also has an online version with extra resources, video clips, worksheets,

online worksheets and practice problems, along with online assessments. There are “How To”

videos and tutorials to help understand the working of the web tools and accessories. Knowing

and understanding fluently the navigation through the resources will be very helpful in

implementing the curriculum for both teacher and student.

The online version of the textbook has valuable resources when it comes to remediation

with students. When the lesson is assigned online, the students are able to work at their own

pace. If they do well, the computer will let them continue on to the next lesson. If the student

shows a little difficulty, the computer gives them more opportunity to try to understand the

concept by allowing more of the same type of problem. Another way the online system helps is

that the student can choose to either work straight through the problem or get step-by-step help

with the problem

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The students that are in the class have taken different pathways, have had different

teachers and understanding of the concepts which will make the year a little tricky. By using the

quick informal assessments to check for understanding should definitely help, as the teacher, get

the instant feedback on the knowledge of the content and prior content. Being unfamiliar with

the text and online information will make the adjustment difficult, but there should certainly be a

way to teach the students the content necessary to move onto the next class with confidence.
Research Implications
How will the algebra class adjust to the new textbooks and given curriculum? Using the

given textbooks and curriculum to help guide the students on their learning adventure will be a

challenge that will be difficult. The time it will take and the extra work to prepare to be ready for

unknown questions could prove to be quite daunting, but I gladly accept the challenge. The

plan will be to take time to understand to concepts that need to be covered and focusing mostly

on the main standards. The rest can be added as time permits. It is difficult to say, but with the

ACT as the state assessment and test that gives the school’s report card, that the need to teach to

the test can be very real. There should be time to add the extras, but certain focus will be on the

main concepts that the students will engage with in the future.
Another plan will be to find added resources in the case that more examples are needed to

really make the concept comfortable to the students. There are a few websites that are very

useful and teacher friendly for the extra resources, these will be of great use this year.
To help the students understand the concepts, I have used worksheets from the book as

well as worksheets from Kuta Software, an online worksheet/answer key website. I have also

found interactive activities for the students to explore the new concept on the DESMOS website.

When logging in as the teacher, there are many helpful activities the students can use to

understand the concepts. The students had to write equations to “collect stars” in one of the

activities and had to use math vocabulary to guess the graph their partner picked. The classroom
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was very busy with questions and answers using math vocabulary. It was wonderful to hear the

students working together to figure out the answers.

I try to keep learning interesting by differentiating between worksheets and technology in

the classroom, along with using direct instruction and notetaking. The students respond well to

these approaches and seem comfortable to ask questions from their peers and myself when they

do not understand.

Research-based Action Plan

Action Plan Summary Outline
1. Design lessons with the goal in mind. Making sure to have the goal will help the

students and the teacher have the focus needed for the day.
2. Deliver instruction with lecture and active notetaking along with some technology and

other hands on opportunities.

Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

The Wisconsin DPI resource on Common Core State Standards for Mathematics Guiding

Principles for Teaching and Learning: Research, Probing Questions, Resource, and References

number six: Responsive environments engage learners.

Meaningful learning happens in environments where creativity, awareness, inquiry, and

critical thinking are part of instruction. Responsive learning environments adapt to the

individual needs of each student and encourage learning by promoting collaboration

rather than isolation of learners. Learning environments, whether classrooms, schools, or

other systems, should be structured to promote engaged teaching and learning.

Task(s) and Essential Proficiency Criteria for Targeted Learning Objective(s)

1. Task: The students will be able to communicate to the teacher in quick formative

assessments (Artifact E) if the concept and goal were met on the given day by using the

Fist to Five assessment.

2. Criteria that Prove Proficiency in Meeting Targeted Learning Objective(s)

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a. Eighty percent of the students will have a four or five on the Fist to Five
assessment at the end of the class period.
b. During class discussion, the particular vocabulary will be used in the
correct way.
Method(s) to Assess Progress of Proficiency for Targeted Learning Objective(s)

The main assessment will be the Fist to Five formative assessment. After the daily

assessment, the appropriate Module pre-test and post-tests along with Unit tests will be

given at the appropriate times.

Post-assessments
Instructional Insights Related to WTS and Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)
A summative pre-assessment was given to the students. The students needed to recall and

use any information they could muster to solve the math problems they had never seen. This

approach was given for a couple reasons. I wanted to know what concepts they remembered

from last year. These students had a difficult year with three different teachers in one quarter.

Each teacher was very different with their teaching styles and their relationships with the

students. There were 23 students that took the exam, two students were missing on the pre-test

day, so I did not include their results. The results from the pre-assessment (Artifact F) showed

32 percent.
After the pre-test, I used many different approaches to present the concepts. The online

computer textbook and resources, DESMOS student activities, free printable Kuta Software

worksheets, and lecture and notetaking. The students responded best to the lecture and

notetaking and the online DESMOS activities. They did not care for the online textbook, as past

experience left the students feeling frustrated and lacking confidence. Knowing that the students

really struggled using the online book and resources helped focus my lessons to use the other

resources.
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While planning the lessons, I would look through the book to understand to next concept

being presented. There were many concepts expected to be covered in one section. From my

prior teaching, I knew that covering these concepts all at one time was not a good idea. I wanted

success for all my students and pushing through material was not the way to have success.
Comparison of Student Performance Related to Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

Overall, the majority of the students grew in their knowledge of the concepts being

taught. They used wonderfully correct vocabulary and applied themselves on their daily math

work and classroom tasks. On many given days when given the Fist-to-Five formative

assessment, the students responded with majorities of fours and fives. The homework scores

were 80 % and above.

Comparison of Learning Environment While Learning Targeted Objective(s)
The classroom was filled with correct use of math vocabulary and questions of each

other. They were also comfortable to ask questions of myself and were able to teach concepts to

each other. I did notice the online textbook resources (worksheets) intimidated the students

which caused their focus to drop and attention span to falter. When the students were working

on the homework, they enjoyed writing on the desks with the EXPO markers and the ‘work’

would not be included on the assignment. I discovered there would need to be more base rules

set in place if that would happen again. It was wonderful to see the students collaborating on

their homework for better understanding.

Reflection of Entire Learning Process
How will the algebra class adjust to the next textbooks and given curriculum? Having a

classroom that is responsive to different ways of learning and understanding is essential to

engage learners of all types. The students in my classroom were able to adjust to the different

strategies used for instruction-direct instruction, guided inquiry using DESMOS and the online

textbook, along with the handout assignments and assessment. They students responded best
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when the class was all ready to go and ‘played’ while they were learning. The activities that

required hands-on and out-of-the-box thinking seemed to work the best.

The data that showed on the post-assessment showed an overall growth of 18 percent

(Artifact F). The post-test had and average score of 46 percent (Artifact F). It was nice to see

the improvement, however I really expected more growth. I will certainly be re-looking at the

concepts that need to be covered in a different way.

What Worked and Why
1. The students learned information about quadratic equations that they could use to solve

problems on the assignments and test. They were also able to understand what they were finding

and why it was important.

2. The students enjoyed the variety of ways the information was taught. The use of

technology and the different websites opened many doors for their learning. They certainly

maintained their ideas of the online computer textbook/assignments, but also understood why

approaching the concept in different ways was important.

What Did Not Work and Why
1. The ways of solving the quadratics and the answers that were sought were presented

and asked for differently between homework and test. There were too many concepts to be

covered in each section and far more on the unit exam. This made the learning difficult.
2. Not every student enjoyed each use of technology. Many students remembered the

use of the computer (the math textbook online) and the past on line assignments as an awful

experience and could not open their minds to truly get the concepts learned.
My Next Steps
1. Reassure the students that learning is a process and that there are many different ways

to understand the concepts.

2. Present the concepts and material in ways that the students can relate the information

to different types of problems and the way the problems are presented.
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References
https://www.kutasoftware.com/freeia2.html
https://teacher.desmos.com/
CSMC Center for Study of Mathematics Center (n.d.)
Retrieved from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED535222.pdf
Engage New York Standards Algebra II Overview (n.d.) Retrieved from:

https://www.engageny.org/resource/grades-9-12-mathematics-curriculum-map-and-

course-overviews
Kanold, T., Burger, E., Dixon, J., Larson, M. & Leinwand, S. (2018). HGH Algebra 2. Orlando,

FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Russel, D. (April 25, 2018). The typical 10th grade math curriculum.
Retrieved from: https://www.thoughtco.com/10th-grade-math-course-of-study-2312585
Sterling, M. (n.d.). Algebra 2 for dummies. Retrieved from:

http://www.softouch.on.ca/kb/data/Algebra%20II%20for%20Dummies.pdf
Wisconsin Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Section 6, pages 197-218
Retrieved from: https://dpi.wi.gov/math
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Artifact A
The Algebra Curriculum (two Unit breakdown) as seen from HMH Algebra 2. Using
some worksheets from Kuta Software and some activities from the DESMOS website, along
with the textbook resources, a complete understanding of the concepts can be attained.

Unit 1 Functions
Module 1 Analyzing Functions
1.1 Domain, Range, and End Behavior F-IF.B.5
1.2 Characteristics of Fucntion Graphs F-IF.B.4
1.3 Transformations of Function Graph F-BF.B.3
1.4 Inverses of Functions F-BF.B.4

Module 2 Absolute Value Functions, Equations, and Inequalitites

2.1 Graphing Absolute Value Functions F-IF.C.7b
2.2 Solving Absolute Value Equations A-CED.A.1
2.3 Solving Absolute Value Inequalities A-CED.A.1

Unit 2 Quadratic Functions, Equations, and Relations

Module 3 Quadratic Equations
3.1 Solving Quardratic Equations by Taking Square Roots N-CN.A.1
3.2 Complex Numbers N-CN.A.2
3.3 Finding Complex Solutions of Quadratic Equations N-CN.C.7

Module 4 Quadratic Relations and Systems of Equations

4.1 Circles A-CED.A.3
4.2 Parabolas A-CED.A.2
4.3 Solving Linear-Quadratic Systems A-REI.C.7
4.4 Solving Linear Systems in Three Variables A-REI.C.6
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Artifact B
Sample printable worksheet from the online textbook resources.

Artifact C
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Sample worksheet that could be used as supplemental resources.

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Artifact D
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Some of the Common Core State Standards codes for Algebra 2.

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Artifact E

This poster is hung in my room to help the students remember what the each number represents.
The students do not mind this formative assessment because I am the only one who sees the
information they are sharing. This is a great “non-judging” assessment to use with each class.
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Artifact F

Review Algebra Curriculum Results Data

Students Pre-Test % Post-Test % Percent Change
SE 55 47 -8%
DY 44 42 -2%
MD 40 32 -8%
MS 40 58 18%
EO 40 42 2%
GT 36 42 6%
HE 36 74 38%
MaS 36 26 -10%
AH 36 42 6%
IH 33 32 -1%
RM 30 74 44%
BJ 30 26 -4%
AV 30 47 17%
CH 30 63 33%
MM 27 37 10%
JP 27 47 20%
JS 24 47 23%
JG 24 37 13%
MeS 24 47 23%
DN 21 37 16%
KS 15 58 43%
Average score 32.28571429 45.57142857 18%
Average score 32 % 46 % 18%