South Bend Community School Corporation
The South Bend Community School Corporation is the largest school corporation in St. Joseph County.
The Riverbend Community Math Center is working with SBCSC administrators and instructors to identify ways of improving instructional practices in the district. The Riverbend Community Math Center provides professional development sessions for teachers, models instructional strategies in classrooms, mentors teachers on an individual basis, helps to organize math teacher circles, and presents math enrichment activities to students during and after school.
Currently, Riverbend Community Math Center is partnering with schools in South Bend to offer Advanced Math Pathways for students who would not otherwise have advanced math opportunities available to them in 4th through 8th grade. During the 2020--2021 school year, Riverbend Community Math Center provided daily instruction for two 8th grade students so that they could earn high school credit in Geometry. We also provide mentors on a weekly basis for a class of 8th graders who are earning high school credit in Algebra 1.
During the 2019--2020 school year, Riverbend Community Math Center led an after-school STEM Studio program at Navarre Middle School. In addition, we supported a class of Algebra students at Navarre four mornings per week.
During the 2018--2019 school year, Riverbend Community Math Center met four days a week for an hour and a half each day with a class of 6th grade students from Navarre Middle School who wanted to participate in a challenging Math Circle program.
During the 2017--2018 school year, we met weekly with each of the six 5th grade classrooms at Navarre Intermediate Center. During the spring of 2018, this led to the formation of a Navarre Math Circle program for two self-selected classes of students who wanted to work more intensively on math. These students met for 4 days per week during the month of may.
During the summers of 2016 and 2017, we led professional development sessions for teachers leaders from all primary and intermediate centers.
During the 2016--2017 academic year, we continued our work mentoring Career and Technical Education Instructors, providing mentoring for those incorporating math into their subjects on their own, as well as weekly support for several teachers.
In 2015--2016, we continued working with Career and Technical Education Instructors, and provided intensive mentoring for teachers at 5 primary and intermediate centers.
In 2014--2015, we continued working with Career and Technical Education Instructors, led professional development sessions for high school math teachers, and provided intensive mentoring for teachers at 8 primary and intermediate centers.
During the 2013--2014 academic year, we provided frequent visits to primary and intermediate centers around the district to directly support teachers through modeling lessons, meeting during plan times, and providing professional development. We also led a weekly Math Circle for students at LaSalle Intermediate Center after school. We also continued our earlier work with Career and Technical Education instructors.
During the 2012--2013 academic year, the Riverbend Community Math Center provided 6 half-day professional development sessions for all 3rd grade, 6th grade, and 8th/9th grade teachers in the district. During these sessions, we presented hands-on activities that teachers could use to address each strand of the Indiana Math Standards. We presented a day-long math and art integration workshop for teachers at Dickinson Intermediate Center. We also demonstrated math integration lessons on a weekly basis in 3 Career and Technical Education classes (Culinary Arts, Hospitality, Building Trades). We also met for half-day professional development sessions with four other CTE instructors to guide them through the process of developing a weekly math integration plan for their disciplines.
In 2011--2012, the Riverbend Community Math Center provided teachers at 5 primary centers with professional development throughout the year. We also provided weekly math integration for Career and Technical Education students studying Culinary Arts, Radio/TV, and Building Trades. We also provided several professional development days for CTE teachers from all disciplines to show them how they could begin integrating math content into their disciplines.
During the 2010--2011 academic year, the Riverbend Community Math Center worked with math curriculum leaders, principals, and teachers at all primary centers. We also brought hands-on math activities into classrooms at all ten intermediate centers. At the high school level, we provided weekly math instruction to students in three Career and Technical Education classes. We also consulted with math teachers, guidance councilors, and adminstrators at all four high schools.
During the 2008--2009 and 2009-2010 academic years, the Riverbend Community Math Center worked intensively with math curriculum leaders at 8 primary centers in the school corporation.
During the spring of 2009, we assisted the Adult Education Department to provide a GED class for 30 adult students who were on the waitlist.
During the 2007--2008 academic year, the Riverbend Community Math Center worked with the Adult Education Department to provide enrichment activities for adult students. We also assisted the adult education department in finding ways of tailoring math instruction to meet the individual needs of their students.
In 2008, the Riverbend Community Math Center worked with the Career and Technical Education department to provide Culinary Arts students with additional instruction needed to pass math tests required for certification.
During the 2007--2008 academic year, we also helped Navarre Intermediate Center with their Literacy Enrichment After-school Program (LEAP). This program is designed to expose 5th grade students to fun activities that will boost their reading skills. The program includes extra exposure to computer, art, math, and fitness activities. The Riverbend Community Math Center led weekly hands-on math activities for a group of 50 students and teachers.
