Carnegie Learning has partnered with the West Virginia Department of Education Office of Special Programs since 2011 to provide professional learning to West Virginia teachers.
During this partnership, the first cohort included 119 educators (primarily special education) and was representative of 35 counties from across the state. This cohort received an extensive amount of professional development totaling over 130 hours, including:
- 5-day face-to-face academy (Summer 2011)
- 2 follow-up face-to-face sessions (Fall 2011 and Spring 2012)
- Completion of a series of self-paced online modules using Carnegie Learning software
- 5 day face-to-face academy (Summer 2012)
- 2 follow-up face-to-face sessions (Fall 2012 and Spring 2013)
- Completion of an additional series of self-paced online modules using Carnegie Learning software
An extensive research study following the initial cohort (Mathematics Academies: Cohort 1 Evaluation Study, Stohr, 2013) found that:
- At the conclusion of year 1, over 71% of participants reported an increase in their math content knowledge
- At the conclusion of year 2, nearly 80% of participants reported having stronger knowledge of algebraic functions
- 78% said they were better able to differentiate high and low level cognitive tasks
- 69% indicated stronger knowledge of the Standards for Mathematical Practice
- 66% reported increased confidence when analyzing mathematical tasks
- Pre/post test data show statistically significant mathematics content and pedagogical knowledge gains in the area of proportional reasoning
The study concluded with the recommendation to continue offering these math academies to West Virginia teachers. As a result, we continue to partner with the West Virginia Department of Education, and have worked with approximately 1,000 educators across the state.
