Educators take advantage of math training

CONCORD, NH — More than 300 educators within 34 school districts throughout the state recently completed hands-on mathematics training, which is designed to build teacher assessment literacy and a stronger background in mathematics learning progressions and formative assessment practices. 

“This interactive training has become an important tool for educators in New Hampshire, and we are thrilled to see that the number of school districts participating in this work has doubled,” said Frank Edelblut. “Math can be a challenging subject for some young students, and this work aims to help teachers further support their elementary students by addressing learning gaps, shifts in curriculum and foundational skills.” 

The Ongoing Assessment Project training was completed by 304 teachers during the summer of 2022, which included a total of 14 training sessions on mathematics instruction, learning, and formative assessment. Training focused on innovative practices and mathematics education research on how students understand mathematical concepts, common errors made and misconceptions that interfere with learning new concepts or solving problems. 

Feedback received from educators who completed the training was overwhelmingly positive, with participants recommending the program to their peers, explaining they will now be able to easier assess their students on progression and use that progression to best meet their students’ needs. 

The New Hampshire Department of Education partnered with the New Hampshire Learning Initiative in Hampton to make the math training accessible to teachers statewide. “It was very dynamic this summer. The OGAP training was in-person and the teachers seemed to appreciate the way they could interact with each other and bounce ideas off each other as they went through the days of learning,” said Mariane Gfroerer, director of advanced studies at NHLI. 

School districts with the most participation included Barrington, Rochester, Conval, Fall Mountain, Timberlane, Hollis-Brookline, Henniker-Weare, Fall Mountain, Derry and Conway. NHLI will continue to support districts with math training next summer. For more information about the program, contact Anne Wallace at Anne.K.Wallace@doe.nh.gov.