Math4Texas
The Math Initiative was instituted through the collaborative efforts of the Education Service Center (ESC) Region 11 board and superintendents to help parents and teachers understand the content and conceptual changes of the revised Math Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS) and their impact on students’ everyday learning and thinking.
The Math Initiative has three key components to assist parents, students, and teachers not only in ESC Region 11 but in all regions across the state of Texas to be successful in understanding the depth of knowledge that the revised Math TEKS encompass and to be confident in their everyday teaching with these new shifts of thinking.
The first component is the parent website known as Math4Texas.org. This website showcases the Math TEKS by grade level with tips, examples, digital tools, and videos to help parents understand the math concepts and skills that their children are learning. As grade level content development continues, similar resources for teachers will be added.
The second component of the Math Initiative is the STAARting with the TEKS: Math Academies for the Digital Age. These academies are divided into Grades K-1, 2-3, 4-5, and 6-8, incorporating face-to-face sessions as well as the digital learning component of Canvas, the digital learning management system provided by ESC Region 11 districts. Through this innovative, blended learning opportunity, teachers not only deconstruct the revised Math TEKS and have a deeper understanding of the content, but use a variety of technology and web tools to enhance their Math instruction.
The last component of the Math Initiative is instructional coaching Instructional coaching provides valuable face-to-face opportunities for teachers to learn evidence-based practices along with support to help them apply and implement these student-centered instructional strategies into their Math classrooms.