Table of Contents
Now that we’re well into the school year, educators and students are immersed in and focused on their drive toward the shared goal of academic achievement. And by this point, many educators have likely identified patterns of both student success and learning gaps that need to be addressed.
These learning trends are one component of the larger objectives and goals that most school districts are striving to attain, particularly when it comes to math and literacy. It’s no surprise that districts have math and literacy objectives in place, especially considering that scores for both subjects among 13-year-olds declined once again in 2023.
Fortunately, high-quality educator professional development—especially when focused on math and literacy—has proven to reverse those trends.
District Math Objectives
As districts look to improve their students’ overall math performance, they tend to focus on a few key initiatives to help them reach that goal:
Increasing math proficiency levels
Reducing achievement gaps
Promoting problem-solving skills
Promoting problem-solving skills
Professional development designed specifically for math instruction has proven to be an effective approach toward improving student math performance. A 2021 study in Teaching and Teacher Education evaluated student results in math, science, and reading after teachers participated in pedagogy-focused PD. The study concluded that students whose teachers participated in this professional development improved their math scores by 25%.
This research illustrates the connection between teacher professional learning and more positive student outcomes. When educators have more tools and information at their disposal, they grow more engaged, confident, and knowledgeable in their instruction, resulting in more positive student outcomes.
District Literacy Objectives
Similar to math, most districts turn to a key group of objectives when striving to improve student literacy:
- Increasing reading proficiency
- Enhancing writing skills
- Integrating literacy across the curriculum
- Closing literacy gaps
And, just like math, high-quality professional development focused on reading and literacy has helped educators improve their instruction and elevate their confidence in teaching the subject, which has led to improved student outcomes. A review of studies concluded that the impact of teacher PD on K-8 student reading achievement was significant when teachers were engaged in high-quality professional learning.
Additionally, these studies revealed that the amount and length of the PD they received made a difference in student achievement: Students whose teachers who received at least 14 hours of PD demonstrated significant improvement in their performance.
The correlation seems clear—educators who receive consistent, effective professional development often lead classes with students who show marked improvement in their literacy and reading scores.
The Right PD Can Impact Student Math & Literacy Achievement
Of course, math PD will look different from literacy PD based simply on their subjects alone. However, there are some common threads among the two topics. After all, high-quality PD is high-quality PD, regardless of the subject it’s covering. The right professional development should emphasize the development of best practices, the improvement of overall instruction quality, and the building of educator confidence in their roles.
For example, effective math PD should empower educators to excel through an emphasis on core competencies, instructional practices, deep math understanding, and problem solving. Catapult Learning’s math-focused professional development covers all these pillars through dedicated workshops and institutes comprising dozens of math-specific topics, in-the-moment job-embedded coaching, and asynchronous online learning that reinforces key concepts.
Through this type of dedicated math professional development, teachers are equipped with the tools and strategies they need to gain confidence in their math instruction, resulting in improved student performance.
Similarly, Catapult Learning’s literacy-focused PD engages educators in high-quality literacy instruction rooted in the Science of Reading and is designed to help teachers develop best practices, improve instructional quality, and uncover new techniques for implementing a strong literacy curriculum.
Like our math-focused PD, our literacy professional learning can be delivered through dedicated workshops and institutes with courses covering topics such as word study and reading comprehension, in-the-moment job-embedded coaching, and asynchronous online learning.
For more than 45 years, Catapult Learning has been providing highly effective educator professional development to districts across the country. To learn more about how we can support your educators, visit https://catapultlearning.com/programs/professional-development/.