40% Increase in Teacher Beliefs: All Students Can Do Grade Level Math

It’s a common frustration in school districts across the country: you invest in the newest curriculum, provide stacks of resources, and yet, student achievement remains stagnant. At CollaboratEd, I know why. You can have every tool in the world, but if teacher mindsets don't shift, the classroom results won't either.

Recently, I spent just two days with the dedicated educators at Cherry Creek Schools. One day focused on Secondary special education teachers and one day with Elementary special education teachers. While the time was short, the impact was profound. We didn't just look at math problems; we looked at how we view the students solving them.

Scope of Work

The goal was simple yet radical: shift from a culture of remediation (looking backward) to acceleration (moving forward). We spent our time ensuring teachers understood how to get students doing grade-level work faster.

Our contract included just two full days of PD, one for elementary special education teachers and one for secondary special education math teachers. During our day together we explored research from TNTP on acceleration, I shared the priority standards documents from Student Achievement Partners, and we walked through my 4-step Just in Time Intervention model while actually planning for their upcoming unit. Teachers walked away with a plan to implement immediately to steer students toward acceleration and grade level expectations.

Measurable Shifts in Just One Day

The data from our time together proves that when you target mindset, the buy-in follows instantly. Even with a session held right before Spring Break, the engagement was amazing.

Here’s a look at pre- and post-PD surveys:

Metric	Before PD	After PD
Belief that ALL students can do grade-level math	50%	90.2%
Feeling equipped with strategies to engage struggling students	77%	95.1%

"For one of the first times in PD, I feel excited - not overwhelmed." — Cherry Creek Teacher

The Power of "Just in Time"

By walking through a research-backed acceleration model, teachers moved from "Maybe my students can do this" to "I have the structure to make sure they can do this".

• Applicable Strategies: Teachers created actual acceleration plans for their upcoming units.

• High-Level Expectations: The PD reinforced that the expectation is ALWAYS grade level.

• Empowerment: 97.6% of teachers requested a return visit for additional training.

  
  

Wrapping Up: Mindset shift as the Catalyst

Resources are only as good as the hands that hold them. At Cherry Creek, we proved that in a single day, you can double the number of teachers who believe in their students' potential. When teachers feel empowered and shift their mindset from remediation to acceleration, the cycle of failure begins to break. Explore ways to bring this training to your site.