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The main objective of this program is to incorporate Common Core State Standards into our classrooms. The practices advocated by the Standards are integrated as a core foundation through the CPM curriculum. Algebra Connections delivers rigorous algebraic content using a problem-based approach. A major focus of the course is to develop multiple strategies to solve problems and recognize multiple ways of understanding concepts.
Student success will be measured multiple ways: teacher-made assessments, progress on District Standards Assessment, and CST's. An older version of the CPM Algebra course was used in one Algebra 1A class in 2011-2012 and this class outperformed all other Algebra 1A classes on the CST's by over 15%.
The CPM connections program will be used as a supplement to the current Board-adopted algebra textbook. This course is structured around problems and investigations that build the conceptual understanding of algebraic topics and an awareness of connections between different ideas. Students are encouraged to investigate, communicate their thinking, and generalize.
Our 8th grade math PLC has used the CPM program in the past and all agree that this approach aligns with the CCSS and would be a valuable asset to our math program. The CCS Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) are: (1) Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them, (2) Reason abstractly and quantitatively, (3) Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, (4) Model with mathematics, (5) Use appropriate tools strategically, (6) Attend to precision, (7) Look for and make use of structure, (8) Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. All CPM Connections texts are fully aligned with the SMP.