Before School Starts: Building the Foundation
Create a Shared Vision
- Familiarize yourself with the InsightMath Texas philosophy of visual-first, brain-compatible learning
- Communicate how InsightMath Texas aligns with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and your campus goals
- Share research supporting how the program builds deep mathematical understanding (NCSM, 2024)
Provide Resource Access
- Ensure all teachers have access to program components (Digital Planning Guide, Teaching Guide, Student Playbooks)
- Set up classroom manipulative kits and designate storage space
- Create a system for sharing the digital platform information with teachers
Plan Targeted Professional Learning
- Schedule initial training focused on the InsightMath Texas structure and lesson components
- Emphasize key features such as the Problem-Solving Process and Universal Design for Learning supports
- Provide time for grade-level teams to examine units and practice facilitating key lesson segments
Establish Implementation Expectations
- Create a realistic pacing calendar aligned with your district assessment schedule
- Clarify your expectations for using program components and assessment tools
- Set up observation and feedback protocols that align with program design
First Month: Supporting Initial Implementation
Provide "Just-in-Time" Support
- Lead or arrange for weekly grade-level team meetings focused on upcoming lessons
- Create opportunities for teachers to observe each other teaching InsightMath Texas lessons
- Be visible in classrooms during math instruction to offer encouragement and model support
Focus on Core Practices
- Emphasize student discourse as a central component of effective implementation
- Support teachers in facilitating productive struggle rather than rescuing students
- Guide teachers to use Argumenteers effectively to showcase student thinking
Monitor and Adjust
- Conduct brief classroom walkthroughs using a simple tool aligned to key program elements
- Collect and analyze formative assessment data to identify early successes and challenges
- Meet with teacher teams to discuss implementation progress and adjust support as needed
Build Parent Understanding
- Host a math night or create communications explaining the visual approach of InsightMath Texas
- Share sample Playbook pages and strategies parents can use at home
- Provide simple language to explain how puzzle-based learning develops mathematical thinking
Throughout the Year: Sustaining Implementation
Deepen Content Knowledge
- Coordinate study of InsightMath's mathematical progressions within and across grade levels
- Focus teacher learning communities on the big mathematical ideas in each unit
- Use the "Big Ideas and Understandings" framework to deepen teacher content knowledge
Support Differentiation
- Help teachers identify and use the built-in differentiation supports (Access, Language, Content)
- Monitor how effectively teachers are meeting the needs of special populations
- Share successful practices for using data to inform small group instruction
Celebrate Growth
- Highlight classroom success stories during faculty meetings
- Create opportunities for teachers to share effective practices with colleagues
- Recognize teacher and student progress toward mathematical goals
Plan for Reflection and Refinement
- Schedule mid-year and end-of-year implementation reviews with grade-level teams
- Collect evidence of student learning and engagement to measure impact
- Identify professional learning needs for the following year
Implementation Success Indicators
Look for these key indicators that InsightMath Texas is being implemented effectively:
- Students actively engaged in mathematical discourse
- Visual models being used to develop conceptual understanding
- Teachers facilitating rather than directing learning
- Student work and thinking prominently displayed and discussed
- Evidence of productive struggle and perseverance
- Multiple solution strategies being shared and analyzed
- Formative assessment used to guide instruction