Carnegie Learning, Inc. has announced the development of Carnegie Learning Math Series: Courses 1-3, new research-based, core and supplemental middle school mathematics curriculum for students in grades 6-8 available for fall 2011 implementation. The Carnegie Learning Math Series is intended to foster a deep understanding of skills and concepts critical to helping middle school students make the successful transition to high-level, high school mathematics.
The series is a blended learning approach that includes Carnegie Learning® Math Textbooks and Carnegie Learning® MATHia software fully aligned to the new Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. The curriculum is supported by ongoing Carnegie Learning Professional Development programs to improve teacher quality and implementation fidelity.
“As rigor becomes the standard of math education, it is necessary that we address students where they are in order to take them to where they need to be to meet the rigor of the Common Core State Standards in math,” said Dr. John McCook, a consultant for school systems across the nation on special education and member of the Carnegie Learning Math Series advisory board. “Carnegie Learning’s research and collaboration with experts in the field has resulted in a truly differentiated learning approach that effectively delivers supplementary math skills support, core grade level, and advanced learning.”
In addition to Dr. McCook, the advisory board for the blended middle school math curriculum consisted of academics, researchers, and school administrators.
Carnegie Learning MATHia™ software, powered by Cognitive Tutor® Technology, provides differentiated instruction by building a personalized learning path for each student based upon her unique level of knowledge and cognitive skill. Formative assessment is fully integrated throughout the instruction. In addition, real-world contexts are selected for the student based upon interests in areas such as sports/fitness, art/music, money/business, and the environment/nature. Students build fluency on mathematical reasoning with timed, game-like tasks and generalize their knowledge through high-level problem solving activities.
Leveraging more than two decades of research at CMU about how students think, learn, and apply new knowledge, the Carnegie Learning Math Series pedagogy is validated by hundreds of lab and field studies. The Franklin Institute recently presented the 2011 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science to John R. Anderson, PhD, CMU professor and co-founder of Carnegie Learning, Inc., for his Adaptive Control of Thought (ACT) theory that is the basis for the MATHia™ software. ESI Design collaborated with Carnegie Learning to create a bold and engaging design for both the textbook and software.
“Development of the Carnegie Learning Math Series is well-informed by our Bridge to Algebra curricula launched in 2005,” said Dennis Ciccone, chief executive officer of Carnegie Learning, Inc. “Bridge to Algebra has been implemented in school reform programs around the country, and we’ve continuously gathered and analyzed both quantitative and qualitative data that indicate that our differentiated algebra readiness instruction is filling critical gaps in eighth and ninth grade math instruction. Our new middle school curriculum expands on this approach by gradually building a deeper understanding of mathematical practice and algebraic concepts over three years for stronger proficiency in preparation for the transition to high school.”
