Join us to learn how Alabama's Office of Mathematics Improvement is using a data inquiry protocol to shift how instructional leaders, including math coaches, engage in data discussions. It’s a departure from a typical approach of beginning with discrete pieces of data. This approach asks educators to first think deeply about teaching and learning, and then think more critically about what data can help answer deeper questions. Participants will learn how instructional leaders, including building-based math coaches, used the protocol to uncover deep-seated beliefs about math teaching and completely shift how they approach math instruction. During the workshop, participants will engage in small group discussions as they explore the multiple-entry points for utilizing the protocol with different audiences, practice facilitating future-facing conversations about data use in teaching and learning and create a plan to implement the data inquiry protocol in their own settings.
Dr. Johnson currently serves as a Regional Coordinator in the newly established Office of Mathematics Improvement at the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE). As ALSDE's project lead on the R7CC collaborative project Improving K-5 Mathematics Through Evidence-Based Practices, project lead for ALSDE's Early Years Assessments, Membership in OMI's Coaching Workgroup, and as the first AMSTI (Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative) Data Specialist, has given her an understanding of the need to support all educational stakeholders are poised to engage in data-driven decision-making in an increasingly global society. She has a passion for equipping others to carefully consider whether existing data is sufficient for decision-making and to collect and analyze new data if that is what is required.
Jennifer Towles is a veteran educator who honed her expertise in mathematics during her 20-year career in education. She has served as an elementary teacher; a school-level math coach; a Specialist with the Alabama Math Science and Technology Initiative, and has recently moved to the newly created Office of Mathematics Improvement. She also has a Ed.S in Instructional Technology and an Instructional Leadership Certificate. Jennifer's experiences with math coaching and data use at all levels of education give her a unique perspective and fuel her passion to continuously improve education. She is fueled by learning new things, putting them into practice, and sharing them with others in the field.
Sarah Hughes is the lead for the Region 7 Comprehensive Center’s Alabama Improving K-5 Evidence-Based Practices in Math project. She has supported the Alabama State Department of Education’s math team to establish a framework for using data to inform instruction at the school level.