It only took this district half a school year to see massive interim math results with the Texas Math Solution.
In the heart of Temple, Texas, lies a school district dedicated to nurturing academic excellence in its students. With a mission to inspire, motivate, and empower learners to reach their maximum potential, Temple Independent School District (ISD) is where kids go to thrive.
A peek into Temple ISD’s middle and high school math classrooms shows the promise of thriving learners becoming a reality—for advanced mathematics students and those not typically earmarked for success.
The 2023-24 school year has seen double-digit growth in math STAAR interim scores and classes of 100% ‘Meets’ and ‘Approaches’ at the year's midpoint.
This is the largest leap in STAAR math success Temple ISD has ever seen.
How have Temple ISD staff and students so quickly exceeded the high standards they set for themselves?
In part, it’s the high-quality instructional materials they have with the Texas Math Solution. But more importantly, it’s the support and dedication of school leaders and teachers who are willing to put their old practices on the line to try something new.
We had the pleasure of talking with Temple ISD district leaders, math coaches, and teachers to get the inside scoop on how their students are reaching these new heights.
The Texas Math Solution as a vehicle for change
Temple ISD is a district that holds itself to high pedagogical standards—but at the end of the 2022-23 school year, data and classroom observations told a different story.
Dr. Renota Rogers, Executive Director of Secondary Education, candidly reflects, "The more we looked at data and got into classrooms, we saw that instruction needed to shift. But we knew we didn’t have the capacity to develop a curriculum or provide the professional development that would make that shift happen."
As they started hunting for a new solution, Temple ISD leadership spoke with neighboring districts about resources that support their effective instructional practices. Carnegie Learning’s Texas Math Solution emerged as a front-runner. Its research-based approach and comprehensive professional support perfectly fit Temple ISD’s high standards and instructional needs.
Dr. Lisa Adams, Deputy Superintendent of Academics and School Leadership, pinpoints why they selected the Texas Math Solution. "It aligns with the shift we've been trying to make in our math classrooms," she affirms. “The Texas Math Solution promotes discourse and higher-order thinking, and the write-in textbook allows our teachers to see student thinking. The digital and face-to-face components are seamlessly aligned.”
And so, at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, Temple ISD dug into the Texas Math Solution.
Teachers maintain agency and have fun
As anyone in education knows, teacher buy-in is paramount to the success of any new curriculum—no matter how evidence- and research-based its components are, nothing works without the dedication of hard-working teachers.
At Temple ISD, educators like Ruben Magallan epitomize the spirit of adaptability and resilience, embracing change with unwavering determination and creativity.
Mr. Magallan, an Algebra I teacher at Temple ISD’s Lamar Middle School, is at the beginning of his career in education. As a second-year math teacher, he’s learned some effective pedagogical practices during this initial year of Texas Math Solution implementation.
“At first, I was a little confused by the sequence of the solution,” he admits. “But I learned to look ahead and internalize the lessons to understand the scope of the course. The Texas Math Solution and the Carnegie Learning staff who help have shown me how to ask the appropriate questions and encourage discourse.”
Yvanna Howard, Instructional Coach at Lamar Middle School, can’t help but brag about how Mr. Magallan makes the Texas Math Solution his own. “He has a secret sauce in his classroom. His students love to be there!”
Almost bashful, Mr. Magallan elaborates: “I love games and puzzles,” he shares. “I take the Carnegie Learning lessons, and we do scavenger hunts or escape rooms. It gets the kids involved, and they realize that they’re actually having a good time in math class. It’s not just me lecturing about math. I want them to have fun and see math in different and useful ways.”
And we love to hear it! Mr. Magallan's innovative approach exemplifies the spirit of adaptability and creativity nurtured at Temple ISD.
The results are in
Teachers are learning new effective practices, students are having fun while they talk about math, and Temple ISD has access to the research-based HQIM they’ve always dreamed of.
But that isn’t where the good news ends.
After just half a school year of implementation, the Texas Math Solution is already yielding promising outcomes on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). On Texas Education Association (TEA)-created STAAR interim assessments, Temple ISD’s advanced middle school Algebra 1 students have shown a staggering 35.5% increase in students predicted to attain the ‘Masters’ level from spring 2023 to fall 2024.
Dr. Rogers proudly shares, “We’ve always had our advanced middle school math classes at 100% ’Approaches’ on mid-year STAAR assessments. We’ve never had them at 100% ‘Meets’. But this year, on the most recent test, they’re at 100% ‘Meets’ and their ‘Masters’ score is higher than it’s ever been.”
The impact resonates across diverse student populations, empowering learners at all levels to achieve unprecedented success.
“In our co-teaching classes at the high school, the effect is massive as well,” Dr. Rogers beams. “We have one teacher pair with 20 kids in their class who are special education students, and on the mid-year assessment, they were at 100% ‘Approaches’. We have another teacher pair who has 14 kids, and they’re also at 100% ‘Approaches.’”
“I’ve never seen that in a co-teaching class,” Dr. Adams agrees with a grin.
The best is yet to come
Temple ISD's journey with the Texas Math Solution exemplifies the transformative power of innovative instructional practices and dedicated educators.
By prioritizing student discourse, fostering teacher agency, and embracing evidence-based approaches, Temple ISD paves the way for a future where every student thrives. We’re humbled to be a small part of their story, and we can’t wait to see where the future leads.
Does the Texas Math Solution sound like the right fit for your district? Learn more below.
Before joining Carnegie Learning's marketing team in 2022, Karen spent 16 years teaching mathematics and social studies in Ohio classrooms. She has a passion for inclusive education and believes that all learners can be meaningfully included in academic settings from day one. As a former math and special education teacher, she is excited to provide educators with the latest in best-practices content so that they can set all students on the path to becoming confident "math people."
Explore more related to this authorI take the Carnegie Learning lessons, and we do scavenger hunts or escape rooms. It gets the kids involved, and they realize that they’re actually having a good time in math class.
Ruben Magallan, Algebra I teacher, Lamar Middle School, Temple, TX
