ACES: Algebraic Concepts for Elementary Students
Description
The ACES vision is to create and sustain professional learning communities of teachers and administrators in order to improve mathematics instruction. Participants work collaboratively in lesson study, seminars and summer institutes to learn how to provide high quality instruction. By this we mean instruction that is mathematically accurate, engaging, focused on student learning, and balanced with regard to procedural fluency, conceptual understanding and problem solving. The ultimate goal is to achieve significant gains in learning and approaches to doing mathematics among elementary and middle school students; gains that will be sustained in high school and beyond.
In ACES, teachers have developed a view of mathematics as exciting and interesting, and have grown significantly in their mathematical knowledge for teaching, mathematics leadership skills, and ability to inspire students to love mathematics and feel excited by its challenges. Many of the ACES teachers have assumed formal and informal leadership roles in the district, and are working to disseminate their gains through district initiatives.