San Diego Unified School District Partners With Carnegie Learning to Improve Adequate Yearly Progress in 11 Schools
Carnegie Learning, Inc., the leading publisher of research-based math curricula, reported today that San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) has purchased Carnegie Learning’s Cognitive Tutor® Bridge to Algebra program as part of the District’s plan to improve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) performance in 11 middle and high schools. The $177,000 algebra readiness curriculum purchase is part of a Program Improvement plan supported by SDUSD’s Education Technology and Mathematics Departments.
AYP is an accountability system mandated by the Federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 which requires every state to ensure that all schools and districts make Adequate Yearly Progress.
“Like a lot of districts, San Diego has schools that are underperforming and require our greatest commitment,” said Kim Hall, Mathematics Curriculum Director, San Diego Unified School District. “We studied several solutions and believe that the flexibility of implementation and the potential for differentiated instruction that Carnegie Learning provides is our best approach to helping these struggling students and our schools to achieve success in math.”
Carnegie Learning’s full curriculum implementation includes textbooks, ongoing Professional Development, classroom instruction, and an intelligent software program that provides differentiated learning by adapting the learning path to each student’s understanding of mathematical concepts. While some San Diego schools purchased Carnegie Learning’s full textbook and software program, others selected software alone or a supplemental approach tailored to the school’s unique needs.
“Our research shows that one size doesn’t fit all when implementing curricula, particularly math curricula,” said Dr. Steve Ritter, Chief Scientist at Carnegie Learning, Inc. “In a standard class, teachers tend to talk to the best students because they’re the ones who raise their hands, and the struggling students get further and further behind. Supplementing classroom learning with software that customizes the instruction to each student’s needs is particularly effective with students who are struggling with math concepts.”
A 2003 independent comparative study of Carnegie Learning’s program in one Washington State school district showed that Cognitive Tutor algebra students improved their test scores overall between 10 and 15 points, about three points more than students in conventional classes. And special education students using the Carnegie Learning software showed gains of almost 35 points, compared with fewer than 20 points for such students in regular classes.
The 11 San Diego schools include Kroc, Farb, Marston, Pacific Beach, Taft, Correia, Mann Expedition, Wilson, and Clark Middle Schools, as well as Roosevelt and Bell Junior High Schools.
About Carnegie Learning, Inc. (www.carnegielearning.com)
Carnegie Learning, Inc. is a leading publisher of core, full-year mathematics solutions as well as supplemental intervention applications for middle school, high school, and postsecondary students. The company’s Cognitive Tutor® programs are helping more than 475,000 students in over 1300 school districts across the United States succeed in math by integrating interactive software sessions, text, and student-centered classroom lessons into a unique learning platform for algebra readiness, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, high-stakes test preparation, and Integrated Math programs. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Learning was founded by cognitive science researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in conjunction with veteran mathematics teachers.