San Ildefonso and Taos Day Schools teachers complete learning journey
BIE Line Officer Casey Sovo recognized the commitment of the MSA program to its partners: the districts, schools, principals, teachers, and students in Northern New Mexico in his keynote address.
Teachers from San Ildefonso and Taos Day Schools celebrated the culmination of three years of hard work with the Laboratory’s Math and Science Academy (MSA) on April 21.
MSA is an intensive and comprehensive professional development program designed to support continuous and sustainable improvement of teaching and learning mathematics and science in participating school districts. MSA supports teachers and school leaders in job-embedded professional learning with a focus on systems change. MSA was initiated by the Laboratory in 2000 and has since professionally developed about 600 teacher and principals combined.
Among the highlights of the April 21 event were the testimonials given by the Line Officer of the Bureau of Indian Education Schools (BIE), the San Ildefonso principal, and several Taos and San Ildefonso teachers.
A Jemez Day School student talks about learning math in a video about the MSA program.
After receiving her graduation certificate, a Taos Day School third-grade teacher shares, “There are a lot of meaningful things that I have gotten from MSA, but the most important one is the friendships and the support that I know I have from each and every one of you in this room. If I would have had this as a first-year teacher it would have been dynamic.” As a result of the MSA program, she regularly engages in cross-school collaboration with her peers to learn math at a deeper level, how to more effectively teach math, discuss student work and thinking, and solve problems of practice with others who teach her same grade level.
When discussing mathematics teaching and learning, Julianna Trujillo, principal at San Ildefonso Day School, explains, “It is amazing to see the change and progress. By no means are we finished with our journey, but I hope that we continue to use the tools and the skills that the MSA staff has provided us.”
In his keynote address, Casey Sovo, BIE Line Officer, noted the commitment of the MSA program to its partners: the districts, schools, principals, teachers, and students in northern New Mexico, saying, “That’s MSA; that’s the Lab; they keep giving.”
With its existing BIE partnerships coming to a close, the MSA is embarking on a new phase. It is currently looking for partners for two new initiatives: a Partnership School and a Math Teacher Leader Network. For more information, see the February 1 issue of Community Connections.
