CMP-Inquiry Middle School Interview

1.   How does the CMP curriculum align with the national Common Core and NCTM standards?

For many years now, Salem-Keizer has modified the order and level of the CMP books from what the authors originally wrote.  With that being said, it seems like it was not aligned very well to the state standards.

With the upcoming national standards the district and the authors are working hard to find some alignment.  Last summer the authors of CMP held a workshop to introduce supplementary units which will patch up the curriculum to fit the new national standards.  However, I find the units a little disjointed.  The authors have begun a third addition of CMP to match the national standards.

2.   Numerous students are a year or more behind in the basics. How does one address the needs of these students on a daily basis so they can get up to grade level and also experience success in the inquiry to investigation philosophy of the CMP? 

• The best way is to have a support class which helps the kids fill in during another period.  However, that is not always possible.  So the teachers spend a lot of time looking at the material the kids should have learned before and building those skills into warm-ups or 5 minute drills.
• In my class, I am lucky to have 15 computers which can be used to differentiate the classroom.  I have used them to do Math workshop which is basically different stations.  The lower kids are with me in a group and the higher kids are on the computer doing Math whizz or manga high as fun extensions.  In a perfect world I would like to do this once a week but I tend to get behind in my implementation plan if I do that.
• After school tutoring also helps.  Our special education department holds a mandatory special education help session twice a week.  Students get individual support on class work.
• About CMP and the inquiry approach and kids with low ability.  It is hard.  If you follow the grouping strategy of CMP then being very strategic in building the groups is important.  Most of the time, I try to put mixed groups together so kids can learn from each other.

1.   What is the role of homework (and accountability) in the CMP? ____

CMP has three levels of homework for each investigation.  The first are application, the second, connection and the last, extensions.  I believe that homework is practice of what the student has a beginning understand of.   However, the constructivist approach that CMP uses often follows through on the homework assignments making them a huge challenge for the kids.  I know we are trying to increase rigor with the work but we don’t want to deflate the kids.

Because homework is practice, I count it very little in my grade book.  I ask the students to try at home so that they connect to the problem and can find their mistake easier.  Since I stopped grading homework, I have less accountability from the students so this is still a place I struggle.  I have thought of doing all work in the room but there are not enough hours to do the teaching and practice of all of the standards.

2.   CMP Investigations compose of small-groups (pair-share, teamwork, cooperative learning).

§  Describe several classroom management techniques that ensure all students are actively engaged. Eg, how are individual roles established? Accountability (Group, individual)? Ongoing assessment(s) and checking for understanding? 

I like using partners and then I ask who wants to share and pick the partner instead of the volunteer.

In groups of 4 I have assigned roles for the 4 students (recorder, time keeper, supply person, drill Sargent) and they have to do their roles.  One student is responsible for asking group questions so I will not talk to the whole group.

When groups are stuck or off task, I ask one member to huddle with me to get some questions answered and take the answers back to the group.

To establish roles, I have used cards that they pick or have them number off and all 1’s are recorders, all 2’s are time keepers…). 

Accountability is hard.  I ask each student to turn in work rather than group work.  I have done partner tests but I will also do individual tests.  I want to know what each student understands.

I often do formative exit quizzes on skill based questions.  Very simple 5 minute questions and I record these at 2 points or “not yet” in my grade book.  We circle back to make sure the students have a chance to show me that they understand.