Purpose
The Committee for Mathematics Achievement (CMA) was created legislatively under KRS 158.842 for the purposes of developing a multifaceted strategic plan to improve student achievement in mathematics at all levels of schooling, prekindergarten through postsecondary and adult.
At a minimum the plan shall address:
- Challenging curriculum that is aligned prekindergarten through postsecondary, including consensus among high school teachers and postsecondary education faculty about expectations, curriculum, and assessment;
- Attitudes and beliefs of teachers about mathematics;
- Teachers' knowledge of mathematics;
- Diagnostic assessment, intervention services, and instructional strategies;
- Shortages of teachers of mathematics, including incentives to attract strong candidates to mathematics teaching;
- Statewide institutes that prepare cadres of mathematics leaders in local school districts, which may include highly skilled retired mathematics teachers, to serve as coaches and mentors in districts and schools;
- Cohesive continuing education options for experienced mathematics classroom teachers;
- Closing the student achievement gap among various student subpopulations;
- Curriculum expectations and assessments of students among the various school levels, prekindergarten, primary, elementary, middle, and high school;
- Content standards for adult education centers providing mathematics curricula;
- Introductory postsecondary education mathematics courses that are appropriate to the wide array of academic programs and majors;
- Research to analyze further the issues of transition from high school or GED programs to postsecondary education mathematics; and
- The early mathematics testing program under KRS 158.803.
Other factors may be included in the strategic plan as deemed appropriate by the committee to improve mathematics achievement of Kentucky students.
The committee shall have ongoing responsibility for providing advice and guidance to policymakers in the development of statewide policies and in the identification and allocation of resources to improve mathematics achievement. In carrying out this responsibility, the committee shall periodically review the strategic plan and make modifications as deemed appropriate and report those to the Interim Joint Committee on Education.
The committee shall collaborate with the Center for Mathematics to ensure that there is ongoing identification of research-based intervention programs for K-12 students who have fallen behind in mathematics, rigorous mathematics curricula that prepare students for the next level of schooling, research-based professional development models that prepare teachers in mathematics and pedagogy, and strategies for closing the gap between high school or a High School Equivalency Diploma program and postsecondary mathematics preparation.
Membership
HB 162, Section 5(2), amends the composition of the Committee for Mathematics Achievement provided under
KRS 158.842 to be “composed of twenty-three (23) members as follows: The commissioner of education or his or her designee; The president of the Council on Postsecondary Education or his or her designee; The president of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities or his or her designee; The secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet or his or her designee; Four (4) representatives with a specialty in mathematics or mathematics education who have expertise and experience in professional development, especially with coaching and mentoring of teachers, from any of the public postsecondary education institutions defined in
KRS 164.001. The representatives shall be selected by mutual agreement of the president of the Council on Postsecondary Education and the commissioner of education; One (1) adult education mathematics instructor selected by the secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet; Two (2) elementary, two (2) middle, and two (2) high school mathematics teachers, appointed by the commissioner of education; Three (3) school administrators or building-level mathematics instructional coaches, with one (1) each representing elementary, middle, and high school, appointed by the commissioner of education; Two (2) district administrators or district-level mathematics instructional coaches appointed by the commissioner of education; The executive director of the Center for Mathematics created under
KRS 164.525 or his or her designee; The executive director of AdvanceKentucky or his or her designee; and The executive director of the Partnership Institute for Math and Science Education Reform or his or her designee.”