"What do you need to do to make that equal 12?" asked Fletcher Elementary School Math Coach Lisa Certo-Card to a small group of first grade students.
"I want you to show a 10 and two ones. Now, I want you to make the number 12 four different ways. Please use the number cards, 10 sticks, place value cubes and place value chips to create the number 12. Remember, how does a 12 look? How does a teen numbers look."
The students worked with Mrs. Certo-Card to demonstrate their knowledge of looking for the "tens" and "ones" in a number and creating teen numbers in different ways as part of a small group instruction.
Fletcher Elementary School Math Coach Lisa Certo-Card works with Dresden Coan and Preston Haight during small group math instruction.
As Fletcher Elementary School's Math Coach, veteran teacher Mrs. Certo-Card's role is not only to provide support to teachers as they implement the new Common Core math curriculum, but to also provide intervention to students whom are in need of extra support in specific math skills.
By working in small groups for 30 minutes, Mrs. Certo-Card can focus on skills students might be challenged by and reinforces math concepts presented in class. She breaks down the skills to help students build on them gradually so that they can do the math skills necessary for their grade level. Mrs. Certo-Card also goes into classrooms to help enhance curriculum with real-world problems.
Mrs. Certo-Card also provides professional development for teachers on best practices in math. She attended a training workshop in Albany over the summer for the new Common Core math modules and helped JPS Math Coordinator Denise Pusateri train elementary school teachers on the new modules. A large part of Mrs. Certo-Card's job is to help collect and analyze student data and help teachers use that data to drive classroom instruction.
"With Mrs. Certo-Card on the building instructional team, she is able to help in developing a response to intervention model for math. The purpose of her position is to increase student achievement in math through intervention and support," said Fletcher Elementary School Principal Maria DeJoy.
Mrs. Certo-Card is also a mentor teacher for new teachers by supporting them in their classroom practices.