Overview
The NRCCTE has moved the compelling results of its scientifically based research study of Math-in-CTE into classroom practice with the Math-in-CTE curriculum integration professional development model. Since the model launched as a nationwide initiative in 2006, almost 700 CTE teachers in nearly 30 states or large districts, along with their math teacher partners, have been trained in Math-in-CTE professional development sessions. Over 17,000 CTE students are estimated to have benefited.
In the original Math-in-CTE research study, students in the classrooms of teachers trained in the model performed significantly better on standardized math tests and community college math placement tests than students who received the regular CTE curriculum. Students also improved their math skills without losing the technical skills needed for college and career readiness.
Based upon the NRCCTE’s research-driven philosophy of fully contextualized curriculum integration, Math-in-CTE is not a curriculum but a process through which the math that naturally occurs in the CTE curriculum is enhanced. CTE teachers are never asked to replace what they already teach or to superimpose math that does not belong in their courses.
A full implementation of the Math-in-CTE model involves year-long work with state or district leadership teams; expert NRCCTE facilitators provide teachers with extended, intensive professional development and work directly with site leadership teams to build their capacity to lead and expand the model. During the professional development process, CTE teachers work with math teacher partners in communities of practice to interrogate their curricula and identify the intersection of CTE and math concepts. This work leads to the development of curriculum maps, from which teachers then create math-enhanced CTE lessons using a seven-element pedagogic framework and develop a plan for integrating those lessons naturally into their courses. Between workshops, CTE teachers meet regularly with their math teacher partners as they prepare to teach lessons.
For more information about participating in Math-in-CTE professional development, contact Jennifer Sawyer at (502) 852-6428 or jennifer.sawyer@louisville.edu.
