Making Progress with the Vertical Math Team

Darlington’s Vertical Math Team was established at the beginning of last year to take a closer look at our PK-12 math curriculum to ensure fluidity, rigor and sensible transition between divisions. The team’s members included representatives from all three divisions. 

During the first meeting, we established our goals and objectives. The first need we identified was to build a common vocabulary that could be introduced in Lower School. This vocabulary could be expanded and modified as necessary as the student progresses through the various grades. We decided that the Lower School teacher’s role would be to provide a solid foundation and understanding of the vocabulary and subsequent teachers would provide opportunities to use the vocabulary in various applications and to build on concepts. 

Once a common vocabulary was identified, we addressed levels of mastery that should take place at each grade level. In doing so, we identified a need for common resources. The decision was made to change the Lower School math curriculum to allow teachers to incorporate the Holt textbook series. This will provide each student with familiarity and continuity in the material. The idea is that students will become familiar with the text and supplemental materials and, in doing so, they will further develop their common vocabulary and foundation. As students progress, they will be allowed to master the material taught instead of spending unnecessary time becoming familiar with new texts and supplemental material. Consistency will allow students to integrate new material into a learned framework of information, thus accelerating the learning process.

The Vertical Math Team has also utilized backwards design to identify the knowledge that a Darlington student should have mastered by the time he or she graduates. We then developed a progression of instruction that begins with lower grades to assure that each level of mastery builds on the one before it. This work has been both exciting and meaningful. From this point forward, all students enrolled at Darlington will have a solid foundation that is enhanced by common methods and vocabulary to assure automaticity in math concepts and principles.