JUST THE TWO OF US: Teach for America (TFA) recently announced a new partnership with online math curriculum provider Conceptua Math to create a Common Core math curriculum for incoming TFA teachers.
The partnership will manifest in two movements. For the 2013-2014 school year, 90 TFA teachers (representing grades 3 through 8) and staff members will pilot Conceptua’s all-digital Common Core math curriculum. Following, new TFA recruits attending the 2014 Chicago summer institute (where incoming corps members receive teacher training for approximately 5 weeks) will receive access to Conceptua math curriculum if they are teaching grade 3-5 math classes in their permanent school placement. They will also receive access to the curriculum for the entirety of their two-year teaching commitment with TFA.
Scott Painter, TFA’s Managing Director of Math and Science Design, describes the switch to Common Core as “a fundamental shift in what's being taught;” he believes that Conceptua is not just a good resource for developing content knowledge, but also helps teachers develop pedagogical knowledge.
So what’s in it for Conceptua Math? Over 300 Teach for America corps members will use their curriculum product this coming summer. And if the pilot proves successful, Conceptua Math could be looking at a much longer and more lucrative partnership with TFA.
