4th Grade Math Priority Standards
Instructional time is limited during in-person & virtual instructional environments. In lieu of the revised California 2021 Math Framework, the Sunnyvale Math Ad-hoc Committee began to prioritize and pace Common Core math standards for the '20-'21 and '21-'22 school years. District teachers use this priority standards document with linked resources to pace and plan their units of study.
My Role
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4th grade leader to the District Grade Level Committee
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Math Ad-hoc Committee member
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Co-curated the 4th grade Priority Standards & Formative Assessment library, linking standards to cross-grade scope and sequence
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Paced spiraled standards across trimesters
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Developed formative assessment digital instructional resources for each curricular strand
Time Frame
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4 months
Timeline of Process
Empathize & Define
Nov 2020
There are so many math standards. Typically right before Spring Break, teachers start sweating because they know that state standardized testing is coming soon. We teach the student, not the test. Yet despite our best pacing and planning throughout the year, there is always a rush to cover content prior to the test.
The Mathematics Vision in my school district is that each student engages in rigorous math problem solving with real-life applications. Students should be able to build conceptual and procedural knowledge in order to transfer skills to other contexts.
Due to the quick pivot to virtual instruction at the beginning of the Covid 19 Pandemic, there were inevitably large gaps of mathematical understanding. Student Achievement Partners, an education non-profit, released guidance prioritizing instructional content in English Language Arts and math due to these learning gaps.
While these guidelines are helpful, most classroom teachers do not have time to sift through a 111-page document to repace their curriculum.
How might we focus on target standards and skills to best support students' needs - especially gaps of understanding due to the Covid 19 Pandemic?
How might we engage and provide just-in-time feedback to build students' mathematical skills?
How might we support teachers with tailored standards and tested resources to meet their students' disparate needs?
Prototype & Test
Dec 2020 - Jan 2021
Our first Priority Standards document was organized and color coded by priority, supporting, and additional standards. We wanted teachers to have the flexibility to pace the standards across trimesters. Bulleted notes emphasized how to tailor instruction to account for gaps in understanding due to the Covid 19 Pandemic.
We presented the drafted standards to the 4th Grade Leadership Committee. After viewing how standards build across grades in the Coherence Map, they were thankful for our efforts. Although a powerful resource, the Coherence Map can be overwhelming.
Next, my partner and I set off to design formative assessment tasks using SVMI's MARS tasks.
Formative assessment provides key insights on:
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what students currently know and can do
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gaps in understanding
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missing foundational skills
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transferability of skills to new contexts
Teachers will be able to use our formative assessment tasks in conjunction with the priority standards to tailor their instructional plans to meet all students' needs - in whole class, small group, or individual settings.
MARS Tasks 101
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The original MARS tasks (left picture) was not meant for virtual instruction.
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Each task comes with a grading rubric - hinting at more summative assessment.
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Example student work helps address common misconceptions and errors.
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My redesigned MARS task (right picture) was made for virtual instruction.
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The focus is collaboratively viewing and discussing student thinking - spiraled formative assessment.
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These tasks are not meant to produce summative grades. They are learning activities which provide insights into students' skills.
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I utilize Pear Deck for formative assessments in order to:
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help students connect to prior knowledge and interests
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make sure each student participates; no one can be ignored
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enable students to explain their thinking in multiple ways: drawing, text, equations
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help students feel like they are able to contribute and are appreciated for doing so
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quickly share student work to spark discussion - math talk empowers students to question and build upon each others' thinking
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use student work to model exemplary ways of explaining or analyze math errors
After sharing the MARS task with my 4th grade teaching team, we decided to roll out the task with all 130 4th graders at my school during virtual school. The feedback was exciting!
Wait, this is math? When are we going to start doing math?
A, student
That was so fun! When are we going to do this again?
My class loved the MARS task! How can we incorporate more of these?
R, student
Ms. S, teacher
Test & Improve
Feb 2021 - Present
Due to the rave reviews, I created a second task building upon the themes of the first. I noticed my students needed more support and practice with reading and creating line plots. I also wanted them to practice adding and subtracting mixed numbers since that is a foundational skill for 5th grade.
Meanwhile, the District Leadership decided to make the priority standards for all grades paced by trimester. I worked with my math ad-hoc committee partner to revise the standards and link all MARS task instructional materials for scaled use. I also added non-MARS task materials from the Rich Math Task Library I developed as part of the Math Leadership Team a few years ago.
When we presented the updated Math Priority Standards with the linked formative assessment resources to the 4th Grade District Leadership Team, my colleagues were so excited to explore the MARS tasks. They loved the MARS task template they could use to make their own learning materials.
A fellow 4th grade teacher was inspired that she share how she uses formative assessment tasks in her class. She shared the Jamboard resources with us. These resources further promote student agency, equity of access, ownership, purpose, and teamwork.
The following teacher feedback shows that more professional development and coaching is needed around the role and importance of formative assessment.
Why don't we grade them [the MARS tasks]? What do we tell families?
Our response during the presentation was:
These tasks are used for instruction, so share just like you would any practice/learning experience. For example, just like tasks in Writers' Workshop. Those tasks are for practice/formative assessment, and not “graded” like a trimester writing sample.
Next Steps
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Continue to create and link formative assessment tasks to the Priority Standards & Formative Assessment document.
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Scale by sharing the document with the entire school district during summer professional development and trainings next school year.
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Review the California 2021 Revision of the Mathematics Framework.