Abstract
In this chapter, we will discuss pilot research in our multiyear effort aimed at aiding a large, urban school district in the state of Florida to adopt SimCalc MathWorlds® as a sustainable and integral part of middle school mathematics education. Building upon analyses that identify important factors in sustainable use of SimCalc-based materials, we have built local capacity to support the program and designed teacher professional development and district rollout plans to increase the likelihood of sustained use in the district. We have found that our efforts resulted in a replication of prior effectiveness results, as well as strong local support for SimCalc-based materials. These factors have allowed us to steadily increase our presence in the district, and now the district and project team are actively working toward our shared vision of the materials being used by every middle school mathematics teacher in the district. We end with a discussion of next steps and risks associated with our ongoing efforts.
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Acknowledgements
This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0437861, an EDUCAUSE Next Generation Learning Challenge grant, and grants from the Helios Foundation, Pinellas Education Foundation, the Pinellas County Schools, and the Progress Energy Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation, The Next Generation Learning Challenge, Pinellas Education Foundation, the Helios Foundation, or the Pinellas County Schools. The authors would like to thank the teachers in Texas and Florida who were willing to use our materials and provide feedback to the team. The authors would also like to thank the teams at SRI International and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.
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Vahey, P., Roy, G.J., Fueyo, V. (2013). Sustainable Use of Dynamic Representational Environments: Toward a District-Wide Adoption of SimCalc-Based Materials. In: Hegedus, S., Roschelle, J. (eds) The SimCalc Vision and Contributions. Advances in Mathematics Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5696-0_11
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