UNIVERSAL ACCESS

The CPM Educational Program originated as an Eisenhower-funded curriculum project to write and support classroom materials that would provide access to mathematics for a broad range of students. The result is a challenging curriculum that provides the opportunity for all students to meet or exceed expected state and local standards. The program is especially effective in teaching students of varied abilities and backgrounds because it incorporates strategies, lesson components, and content that is accessible to most learners. Especially key, is the use of student study teams, informed by research, to provide support for students who may need assistance with reading, alternate explanations, and guided learning.

The program’s instructional materials provide contextual and concrete problems to introduce students to concepts. Problems are grounded in situations that are familiar and understandable. Lessons and problems are constructed to offer visual representations of many ideas. Manipulatives and models support learning when appropriate. The curriculum also supports learning by helping students to use higher-order thinking skills and to develop problem-solving strategies. (Problem-Based Learning)

Because mastery is best achieved over time, practice of basic skills and major concepts is spaced throughout the curriculum. Students have several opportunities to learn an idea or skill before mastery is expected. Closure activities at the end of each day’s lesson and at the end of the chapter provide students with opportunities to summarize their learning and to deepen their mathematical understanding. (Mixed, Spaced Practice)

Study teams, as well as being an effective vehicle to support struggling students, encourage mathematical discourse. In addition to asking questions while working through lessons, teammates are able to articulate their developing understanding of ideas, listen to how other students see them, and shape their understanding and mastery with the help of their team’s support. Teachers are able to give individual attention to the needs of each student because they have the opportunity to observe their work and interact with them during each lesson. (Cooperative Learning)