1. Does your school have an active working group which meets regularly to improve all aspects of the mathematics curriculum - the school plan or grade-by-grade articulation of students performance expectations, quality professional development, textbooks and instructional materials, and state and local assessment results?
2. Are the discussions and results of the working group shared with all instructional staff?
3. Are all teachers knowledgeable about national standards (NCTM) and do they have an in-depth knowledge of state mathematics standards?
4. Has the instructional staff been involved in setting goals and mapping state and district standards into a grade-by-grade articulation of coverage and student performance expectations?
5. Does the instructional staff have a strong working knowledge of state assessments and grade-by-grade expectations of student performance?
6. Do teachers have knowledge of classroom assessments and use them on a consistent basis to monitor and adapt mathematics curriculum and instruction?
7. Do teachers have ongoing opportunities for quality professional development experiences?
8. Do teachers have opportunities for observing, sharing and working together?
9. Has the school collected data and developed a needs assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the mathematics curriculum?
10. Are text books and instructional materials aligned with the state standards and the school curriculum?
11. Do teachers have access to research on mathematics curriculum and instruction and opportunities to identify implications for the school program?
12. Are classrooms well stocked with materials (protractors, rulers, measures, calculators, manipulatives, etc.)?
13. Are classroom computers and relevant software available?
14. Are opportunities available for struggling students to have additional time for learning (before and after school, Saturdays, or summers)?
15. Are teachers making changes that are resulting in improved student learning?
What three things could you do to improve your schools' mathematics program?
