3 Graduate Credits: Saint Michael’s College
Dates and Times: All participants: July 20, 21, August 10, 11, 8:00 am – 3:00 pm, & Ongoing asynchronous discussion
Contact Hours: 45
Intended Audience: Elementary, Middle, and High School Teachers of Mathematics
Location: PLL Offices, Montpelier, VT
Instructors: Patty Kelly, M.Ed., and Glenn Patterson
Cost: $1765.00 including 3 Graduate Credits / $900.00 without Graduate Credits
Description: This graduate-level professional learning course engages educators and school leaders in a deep study of The Math Pact as a framework for developing coherent, equitable, and research-based mathematics systems across classrooms, schools, and districts. Through collaborative inquiry, systems analysis, and application-based design work, participants will examine how instructional coherence, shared mathematical language, aligned representations, and intentional systems leadership improve student learning outcomes.
Participants will analyze current mathematics structures in their own contexts and create actionable implementation plans to strengthen mathematics coherence through the development or refinement of a Mathematics Whole-School Agreement (MWSA).
REGISTER
Course Goals:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Critically analyze systemic factors that contribute to incoherence in mathematics instruction.
- Articulate the principles and structures of an effective Mathematics Whole-School Agreement.
- Evaluate the impact of language, notation, representations, and instructional practices on mathematical understanding.
- Conduct a systems-level audit of mathematics practices within their educational context.
- Facilitate stakeholder conversations about coherence and mathematics improvement.
- Design an implementation-ready Mathematics Coherence Action Plan grounded in the participant’s local context.
Required Texts
Karp, K. S., Bush, S. B., & Dougherty, B. J. (2021). The Math Pact: Achieving instructional coherence within and across grades. Corwin Press, Inc. *
Access to district curriculum and district resources such as: curriculum materials, assessment tools, intervention resources, scope-and-sequence documents, district guidance documents, professional learning materials, family communication artifacts, meeting agendas or PLC structures, observation notes (if available), publicly available school/district materials, teacher interviews or collaborative discussions, student-facing materials, scheduling structures, MTSS/RTI systems, policy documents, coaching tools, instructional expectations documents.
*Note: There are Elementary, Middle School, and High School versions of this text – select the version that fits your context best.
REGISTERBios:
Patty Kelly is an instructional systems leader with more than 18 years of experience supporting curriculum adoption, assessment design, professional learning, and implementation across schools and districts. She currently serves as District Math Coordinator for Mountain Views Supervisory Union, where she leads districtwide professional learning, assessment frameworks, data team structures, instructional resource adoption, and coaching for administrators and educators. Patty also contributes to state and national education work as a math coach consultant with Partnerships for Literacy and Learning, a consultant reviewer with Rivet Education, and a curriculum facilitator/writer/reviewer with EdReports. Her expertise includes data-informed improvement, MTSS structures, adult learning design, high-quality instructional materials, and sustainable systems change. She is a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at Southern New Hampshire University and holds graduate degrees in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Vermont and Elementary Education from SUNY Potsdam.
Glenn Alloway Patterson is an experienced special educator, math consultant, lecturer, and professional learning facilitator with a strong background in special education, mathematics instruction, and inclusive systems of support. She is currently a Lecturer in the University of Vermont’s Department of Education, Special Education, where she teaches and mentors across elementary, early childhood, and special education programs. Glenn has also held leadership and consulting roles with All Learners Network, the I-Team of Vermont, the Vermont Agency of Education, and the Burlington School District, supporting educators and students through embedded professional development, specialized instruction, and services for students with complex learning needs. Her expertise includes special education case management, mathematics intervention, teacher preparation, online professional learning design, and support for students with emotional, behavioral, and complex learning needs. She holds multiple graduate degrees from the University of Vermont and Saint Michael’s College and is pursuing an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Vermont. is an experienced special educator, math consultant, lecturer, and professional learning facilitator with a strong background in special education, mathematics instruction, and inclusive systems of support. She is currently a Lecturer in the University of Vermont’s Department of Education, Special Education, where she teaches and mentors across elementary, early childhood, and special education programs. Glenn has also held leadership and consulting roles with All Learners Network, the I-Team of Vermont, the Vermont Agency of Education, and the Burlington School District, supporting educators and students through embedded professional development, specialized instruction, and services for students with complex learning needs. Her expertise includes special education case management, mathematics intervention, teacher preparation, online professional learning design, and support for students with emotional, behavioral, and complex learning needs. She holds multiple graduate degrees from the University of Vermont and Saint Michael’s College and is pursuing an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Vermont.