Dear Parents/Guardians,
Next year we will be introducing a new mathematics curriculum called
Eureka Math.
Why a new math program?
After working with Math Expressions for a number of years we found that the program was lacking material to support the conceptual understanding necessary for true mastery of mathematics. Additionally, we felt that Math Expressions was not well-suited to meeting the needs of students of all readiness levels in a meaningful and engaging way. Many teachers were needing to supplement the Math Expressions materials with their own teacher created materials in order to support the conceptual understanding of mathematics as well as to meet the needs of both our students requiring intervention and our students who require enrichment within the curriculum. As a result of this feedback, we are adopting
Eureka Math
, a program that better meets these needs.
What is
Eureka Math
?
The
Eureka Math
curriculum was created by Great Minds, a nonprofit that brought together teachers and experts to craft a program based on the world’s most successful math programs. Eureka was built around the core principle that students need to know more than just what works when solving a problem--they need to understand why it works.
The curriculum goes beyond facts and formulas, teaching students to think about math conceptually. This helps students become not merely literate, but fluent in mathematics.
Why
Eureka Math
?
Eureka Math
has received high ratings from educators and
reviewers
nationwide. Schools and districts are seeing growth and impressive test scores after just one year of implementation. You can read more about
Eureka Math
success stories in schools and districts across the country at
greatminds.org/data.
In addition to aligning with BFCCPS’s philosophy of building a strong conceptual foundation and flexible problem solving skills in student mathematicians of all readiness levels, Eureka provides many resources to support parents in their role as the primary educator of their children. Parent resources include Homework Helpers and Parent Tip Sheets that provide the necessary knowledge for parents to support their children with their mathematics understanding. Parents may also create a free account at
Great Minds
; this is the best way to stay up-to-date with the curriculum throughout the year.
How Will We Prepare to Launch
Eureka Math?
Our K-6 teachers of mathematics have been receiving professional development and support from our Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment as well as our team of Math Specialists/Interventionists over the later part of this year to become familiar with the materials of
Eureka Math
as well as given support to implement one area of study from a unit over the course of the past few months (you may have noticed that homework looked a bit different in some classes recently). Our teachers and specialists/interventionists will also be able to attend PD by Great Minds over the course of the summer to prepare teachers to be able to successfully implement the program next year. Teacher workshop time at the end of the summer will be used for further professional development and preparation time, as well as professional development times after school and during our full and half day professional development days scheduled throughout the 2019-2020 school year.
We look forward to working with students and parents on this new curriculum. Please feel free to contact
Kelsey Kolic
, the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment, with any questions about
Eureka Math
.
Sincerely,
Heather Zolnowski
Executive Director