Episode Details

Frank Schofield, principal of Midvale Middle School in Utah, explains how co-taught math classes work in his school. One class per grade pairs a general education teacher with a special education teacher, and the teams set their own data goals.

In the seventh grade class, the share of students far below grade level on the MCOMP math computation assessment fell from 40% to 8.6%. The eighth grade class went from 50% in the red to 25%. Schofield credits teams using data to set goals, not a program.

What you'll learn

• Let math teams set their own proficiency target, such as 70 to 80 percent on level, so accountability is shared instead of sold.
• Pick one foundational skill, like computation fluency, and aim interventions at it.
• Teach grade level curriculum in co-taught classes and differentiate the support on the missing skills.
• Give grade level math teachers an hour of collaboration time each week, as Schofield does on Friday mornings.
• Model team goal setting when you write your school improvement plan, or teachers will fall back on top-down goals.

Chapters

• 0:00 Communication cards free for listeners
• 3:54 Midvale Middle School and how co-teaching is set up
• 5:59 Math computation scores before and after
• 8:11 Why data use beats any single program
• 10:50 How teams set proficiency goals for math
• 15:04 Team meeting time and math lab support
• 21:02 Why team goal setting builds shared accountability

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Questions this episode answers

Do co-taught math classes work for students with IEPs?
At Schofield's school, a seventh grade co-taught class dropped from 40% of students significantly below grade level to 8.6% on a math computation test. He credits teachers using data to set goals and adjust, not the co-teaching alone.

How do you get teachers to own their math goals?
Schofield says goals set only by administration or a department head take a lot of selling. When a team sets the target and builds the plan together, shared accountability comes built in. He models this by involving teachers in the school improvement plan.

Should students with IEPs get below grade level math?
Not at Schofield's school. Students in the co-taught seventh grade class get seventh grade math. They get differentiated support on skills they lack, such as computation, but the curriculum stays at grade level.

About Frank Schofield

Principal of Midvale Middle School in Midvale, Utah, a school of sixth through eighth graders, and previously an elementary principal for seven years.

Links and resources

• Rate on Apple Podcasts
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• Jethro Jones on Twitter
• Transformative Principal on Twitter
• Communication Cards
• Show notes for this episode
• Paperless Principal book

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