Buncombe County Schools Math 1 Courses
Buncombe County Schools (BCS) partnered with Coherent Math to create a highly personalized suite of three versions of an integrated Math 1 course aligned to North Carolina standards. Building on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Math 1 course, Coherent Math and BCS created three versions of Math 1 to meet BCS’s needs: a middle school course, a semester-long high school course, and a year-long high school course with foundational supports. In addition to high-quality mathematics and a student-centered, culturally relevant program, BCS required each course to align with the district’s Instructional Framework (emphasizing the inclusion of reading, writing, thinking, listening, speaking, and moving in every lesson), include outcomes-based goals, and provide opportunities for routines and practices unique to BCS. The final product addresses the specific needs of BCS teachers, students, and schools.
Want to learn more about how to personalize curriculum to meet the mission and vision for your district? Reach out to learnmore@coherentmath.com.
“BCS is incredibly fortunate to have a personalized curriculum from Coherent Math. They have been highly responsive to the needs of our district, teachers, and students. Teachers were given the opportunity to review all materials, and their feedback was consistently considered throughout the curriculum development process. Our teachers appreciate that the guidance is thorough and aligned with both North Carolina State Standards and our district initiatives. Students enjoy seeing themselves reflected in the lessons and activities they engage in. Our experience with Coherent Math has been exceptional, and I highly recommend them to any district seeking a personalized and well-aligned curriculum.”
Nathan Arvey
Secondary Lead Math Coach, BCS
Three Distinct Courses with the Same Goal
Addresses the unique needs of students taking Math 1 in different settings while ensuring all settings meet the expectations of the NC Math 1 standards.
Write As Much As Possible (WAMAP) Routine
Incorporates BCS’s Write As Much As Possible (WAMAP) Routine to support district’s commitment to writing across content areas.
Connecting Representations Organizer (CRO)
Incorporates a unique graphic organizer tool and process that was a common practice in BCS.
Local Context
Incorporates local contexts to connect to students’ experiences and knowledge.
Outcomes-Driven
Addresses district’s outcomes-based instruction in each lesson and assessment to reflect the district’s goals, outcomes-based focus, and grading criteria.
“Putting It All Together” Lessons
Provides synthesis and review opportunities through newly created, station-based review lessons that foster student agency and self-analysis.
“Working with Coherent Math allowed us to integrate our established, locally defined curriculum and classroom expectations into a program developed by leading mathematicians. This project was focused on addressing the specific needs of our students in the mountains of western North Carolina in real time, while maintaining the rigor required by the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. We began by visiting classrooms and presenting to principals about the current state of our curriculum. From there, we engaged with teachers and Coherent Math on a regular basis, providing detailed feedback on every aspect of the project. Coherent Math valued every detail, ensuring that nothing was overlooked.
This project was a collaborative effort involving Coherent Math, BCS Leadership, the BCS Curriculum Department, and, most importantly, our BCS math teachers. Unlike a curriculum developed in a large city and sold to us, this project was tailored specifically to our needs. What stands out most about the process is how student-focused the collaboration remained. The result is a cohesive, attainable, relatable, and equitable math curriculum that provides access to all our learners and teachers. Although it required a significant commitment from BCS Leadership and our teachers, the development of a fully aligned, appropriately paced, and rigorous Math 1 curriculum made the effort worthwhile.”
Stefanie B. Hill
Assistant Principal, C.A. Erwin High School, BCS