In Des Moines, Iowa...

Recently, Illustrative Mathematics (IM) published a new case study that focused on the implementation of its high school curriculum in Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) for the 2022-2023 school year, where Derivita had the opportunity to play a meaningful role.

You can read the full report with the button below:

The Illustrative Mathematics report states “Instead of showing students how to solve a problem, teachers must let students try it first and then orchestrate a discussion which leads to a clear conclusion. Students who were accustomed to passively learning were now expected to actively participate in partner conversations and whole-class discussions. They needed to share their thinking even when their ideas were not yet fully formulated. This was a major change, and DMPS educators soon realized it was for the better.”

Derivita’s SpotCheck is an outstanding vehicle for orchestrating discussions within Illustrative Mathematics lessons. By sharing an item with the entire class with screen projection and using a web URL so that the item could be shared to the students’ devices, the in-class practice allows math teachers to use students’ shared responses to sort, select, and discuss problem-solving as a class. Algebra 2 teachers in DMPS successfully piloted this with the Derivita platform. 

The IM report shares, “[M]any educators point to student engagement - the ability of the curriculum to get students who would otherwise not be interested in math actively participating - as a key way to measure success. [The teacher] says he looks to see if ‘kids are willing to do math and are willing to improve’." 

Students who unsuccessfully work out formative assessment tasks through SpotCheck and the Derivita platform are provided with in-depth, personalized instruction. Students regularly share with their teachers how helpful and engaging they find this personalized instruction. 

This leads us to truly believe that when a high-quality curriculum is paired with Derivita for in-class discussion, formative assessments, and additional practice, students' comfort with and achievement in mathematics grow significantly. 

Check out our downloadable and printable one-pager of this success story by clicking the button below:

Ready to start your Derivita journey?

Request a demo in your preferred LMS with a Derivita expert and click the button below: