Co-teaching teams at South Cache Middle School lead to improved student tests scores
Team teachers at South Cache Middle School
When it comes to teaching math to middle school students, two teachers may be better than one. A co-teaching program has been established in Cache County Schools and the results speak for themselves.
At South Cache Middle School, two general education math teachers are paired with two special education teachers for 7th- and 8th-grade co-taught math classes. Principal Doug Snow says the key to having a successful program is finding two teachers with complementary strengths and weaknesses that work well together. And the results come. In the last show-your-work exam, all but two students got 100%, and the missed points were due to simple arithmetic errors, not procedural mistakes. This same test was given to every math class that day, but the co-taught classes scored 10% higher than the other classes. In co-taught classes, the students receive more individual support and help, and the test scores reflect that.
Cindy Page, a math teacher at South Cache, says she has been able to grasp learning strategies and engagement practices from her teaching partner, Mindy Brown. “The co-taught classes help the professional development of both educators," she explained. "They improve and learn from each other, and the students grow because they get the best of both teachers.”
Brown, on the other hand, has learned more about content and has also been able to apply what she learns during her time co-teaching, to her other classes. She says, “I have learned so much and grown so much as a teacher. It has not only benefited the kids in these classrooms, but we use the things we learn to help out other students as well.”
Along with having extra help, the co-taught classes focus on having a growth mindset. This mindset encourages students to believe in dedication and hard work, instead of simply relying on natural talent or ability. Most students in the co-taught classes struggle in school and many have special needs. The co-taught program allows them to get the one-on-one help they desperately need and assists them in attaining their goals and working towards success. Funded by grants, the program may be a little more expensive, but in the words of principal Doug Snow, “the results are worth it.”
The CCSD co-teaching program is being implemented in classrooms at North Cache, South Cache, and Spring Creek Middle Schools, and at Mountain Crest, Ridgeline, and Sky View High Schools.