New mathematics standards will be implemented in grade 6, grade 7, and Algebra 2 for the 2014-2015 academic year, which will complete the full transition for the Westerville City School District. To help parents better understand the resulting instructional shifts that will be occurring in classrooms, Westerville Schools will host informational sessions on Monday, August 18 and Tuesday, August 19. Participants can attend either one. They will both take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Westerville North High School Media Center, which is located at 950 County Line Road.
To assist with the final phase of this transition, 40 mathematics teachers and intervention specialists attended a four-day workshop in June. Secondary administrators joined them on the first day of the workshop. The new mathematics standards are comprised of two types – Content Standards and Practice Standards. The Content Standards specify which specific mathematical concepts are taught at each grade level/course and the Practice Standards specify the habits of mind that need to be developed within each of our students. Research shows that quality mathematics instruction needs to move away from the rote memorization of procedures and toward mathematics that is rooted in problem solving. The new curriculum will have students actively involved in problem solving on a daily basis to help them “make sense” of the mathematics.