engaged as the card stacks of decimal values and fractions, and various pre-cut paper shapes and number lines are distributed, and each new problem is assigned. The adults move rapidly from team to
team calling out encouragement and occa- sional hints and reminders (“Wait! Can that value go there? Good thinking!).
Impact on student results Project DELTA is already having a mea-
surable impact on student results, based on data collected by independent evaluator Key Data Systems during this first year of the project. A higher percentage of DELTA students scored proficient or advanced on their grade level CSTs (grade 3-Algebra 1) than the students in a matched comparison group, and the difference was statistically significant (50 percent vs. 44 percent). Students whose teachers are pursuing
Math Supplemental or Subject Matter Au- thorizations via MCPT coursework had even better outcomes, with 53.5 percent scoring proficient or advanced. Among students taking the General
Math CST, 57.7 percent of DELTA students increased a performance level or more, whereas 41.3 percent of students in the com- parison group did so. Among those taking Algebra I, 26.7 percent of DELTA students increased a performance level or more, while 20.7 percent of the students in the compari- son group did so. The Key Data project evaluator com-
mented that it is unusual to see significant improvement in student outcomes after only one year in new projects such as DELTA. What accounts for the success of this
project? Feedback from teachers suggests that the time invested in lesson study has been a decisive factor. The Project DELTA team collected surveys from teachers follow- ing their first cycle of lesson study. A large majority (69 percent) of participants agreed with the statement, “As a teacher, I made a significant discovery during lesson study that will impact my pedagogy and future in- teractions with math students.” In their written responses, teachers em-
phasized the value of lesson study collabora- tion and reflection: “It allows me to see other teachers’ meth-
January/February 2012 21
ods and how they approach the lesson.” “What I thought students were learning
and what they are actually learning are two different things.”
“It was invaluable to see the lesson taught
and watch the students learn it. I could an- ticipate their needs and tweak the lesson.” “Big difference from the first to the sec-
ond lesson – we learned a lot.” “The debrief was vital!” Brough adds, “The teachers challenge
each other to do better. They know they’ll be meeting in a few weeks, and they’ll all have to report back to their peers [about their in- dividual experiences teaching the collabora- tively planned lesson]. It has created a very reflective practice for the teachers.” The support of school and district leaders
like Walsh-Reuss and Brough has been cru- cial to the success of Project DELTA. Support and open communication between admin- istrators and practitioners of lesson study is particularly important because of the need for time out of the classroom for teachers to research, plan and observe live lessons. But the teachers of Project DELTA see
the investment of time spent in lesson study generating a direct payoff in insights that im- Continued on page 38
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