At Mathnasium of Littleton many parents tell us they hope their children’s math difficulties will be solved if their child gets “Mr. or Mrs. X” as a math teacher. Parents often put unrealistic expectations on teachers with reputations as “miracle math teachers.” We do hope your child takes math from a highly effective math teacher. However, if your child is already significantly behind in math you have to be more proactive at solving the problem than just hoping for a miracle math teacher.
Does Teacher Quality Affect Student Learning?
Absolutely! Research shows teacher quality is THE most important factor for increasing student achievement, especially in math. The best teachers of secondary math students usually have degrees in math in addition to their teaching certificates. Great math teachers in elementary schools have superior teaching skills as well as a strong grasp of math.
Let’s say your children hit the jackpot for math teachers. The teacher:
Inspires children to work hard
Gives constructive praise and feedback
Uses effective teaching methods
Explains math concepts in many different ways
Handles classroom management and social issues like a pro
Unfortunately, there are limitations to what even miracle math teachers can accomplish in one year. They still lack the assessment tools needed to find math gaps. Most math classes have a teacher to student ratio of about 1:30, meaning giving the type of individualized help struggling students need doesn’t happen often enough.
How much math can you expect your child to learn with a “miracle math teacher”?
Learning is measured by “growth.” Growth is different from the learning target. Let’s use Mark and Fred as example students. Mark is one year below-grade-level and Fred is at-grade-level in math. Let’s use the learning target as “on-grade level in math” or “meeting expectations” within a year. Mark would have to learn math at twice the speed as Fred to reach the learning target. Let’s say Mark gets the “miracle math teacher, Mrs. X.” Mark has a growth of 1.5 years of learning in just one year. That’s fantastic! That’s 50% more growth than most. Mrs. X deserves the title, Miracle Math Teacher. But Mark is still half a year below grade level in math. It’s better but not good enough.
What happens the next year when Mark doesn’t get a “miracle math teacher”? He probably won’t. There aren’t enough highly qualified math teachers. School districts struggle to attract and keep great math teachers. Many school districts have had to resort to hiring math teachers with emergency credentials, meaning they lack the training normally required to become a math teacher. Most school children will probably get under-qualified math teachers some of the time.
So if Mark gets a teacher with an “emergency credential” he may only make ¾ a year of growth in math the next year. Where does that leave him? Back at square one, one year below grade level in math.
There is a Solution!
We have seen children further behind than our imaginary friend Mark who have come out ahead. With a strategic intervention, like the kind we offer at Mathnasium of Littleton, kids like Mark can meet, and even exceed, learning targets. We have the assessment tools as well as the luxury of time and individualization that even “miracle math teachers” lack. Give us a call today at 303-979-9077 to learn more about our methods.
This article used many scholarly articles as a resource. Our sources included:
· http://www.edweek.org/media/eperc_qualityteaching_12.11.pdf
· http://www.niusileadscape.org/docs/FINAL_PRODUCTS/LearningCarousel/LinkBetweenTQandStudentOutcomes.pdf
· http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/21/health/teacher-shortage-data-trnd/index.html
· https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/08/28/teacher-shortages-affecting-every-state-as-2017-18-school-year-begins/?utm_term=.6b61b665d803
· http://www.nj.gov/education/AchieveNJ/resources/TeacherEvaluationScoringGuide.pdf
