{"id":24625,"date":"2025-01-28T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/?p=24625"},"modified":"2025-02-03T14:09:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T22:09:21","slug":"unlocking-high-growth-for-all-schiller-parks-self-paced-math-classrooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/2025\/unlocking-high-growth-for-all-schiller-parks-self-paced-math-classrooms\/","title":{"rendered":"Unlocking high growth for all: Schiller Park\u2019s self-paced math classrooms"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"At NWEA, we\u2019re fortunate to have relationships with districts all over the world, partnering with them in their data-rich journeys and learning from the inspirational work they do with their students. One such district is Schiller Park, in Illinois, where our researchers identified incredible growth scores\u2014scores that measure an individual student\u2019s progress over time, no matter the initial starting place\u2014among their comparatively \u201cnormal\u201d district conditions. When outliers were accounted for, the facts remained: something magical is happening<\/a> in the classrooms at Schiller Park, including with self-paced math.<\/p>\n

As we dove deeper into the partnership, Schiller Park became a laboratory of sorts. We studied the behaviors and results, which yielded our guide detailing ten transformative teaching strategies<\/a> for those wishing to replicate its success.<\/p>\n

While in a webinar with Schiller Park district leaders<\/a>, I also heard an anecdote that, as a math teacher, was impossible to ignore. Born from the need to differentiate to many varying math levels in the classroom, Schiller Park teachers devised a self-paced math classroom that allows students to truly work at their own pace. Questions exploded in my mind. How long does this process take? How many students can be supported at a time? What are the challenges? And, most importantly, how do I do it?<\/p>\n

I was lucky enough to sit down with the district\u2019s leadership team and two math teachers at the district\u2019s Lincoln Middle School to talk through the nitty gritty specifics\u2014and no wonder these schools are seeing high growth. Did they find the eleventh transformative teaching strategy?!<\/p>\n

One teacher\u2019s summer project<\/h2>\n

As most things in schools do, it began with a truly passionate educator.<\/p>\n

Faced with the challenge of meeting a wide range of student abilities in a single classroom, Alison spent her summer crafting a bold new plan: a classroom where every student could learn at their own pace. Armed with a deep understanding of her students\u2019 needs and a commitment to making math accessible, she created the first iteration of the program. What started with paper worksheets quickly evolved into a tech-enabled model, thanks to district support and the creativity of her colleagues. Over time, the program expanded, becoming a cornerstone of Schiller Park\u2019s success story.<\/p>\n

Now, Alison and Bill, sixth- and eighth-grade math teachers, spearhead Schiller Park\u2019s self-paced math classrooms with a loving (if slightly exhausted!) dedication inherent to teachers who love their jobs. They take each new school year as an opportunity to iterate, perfecting the process from Alison\u2019s \u201csummer dream\u201d to a very real success story.<\/p>\n

How it works<\/h2>\n

Schiller Park\u2019s self-paced math classrooms combine thoughtful planning, educational technology, and a focus on student ownership. Here\u2019s how they do it:<\/p>\n