CPM Professional Learning Portal

Mathematically proficient students understand and use stated assumptions, definitions, and previously established results in constructing arguments. They make conjectures and build a logical progression of statements to explore the truth of their conjectures. They are able to analyze situations by breaking them into cases, and can recognize and use counterexamples. They justify their conclusions, communicate them to others, and respond to the arguments of others. They reason inductively about data, making plausible arguments that take into account the context from which the data arose. Mathematically proficient students are also able to compare the effectiveness of two plausible arguments, distinguish correct logic or reasoning from that which is flawed, and—if there is a flaw in an argument—explain what it is.

A content goal is linked to a specific content standard or objective.  A content goal example might be "creating equations and inequalities in one variable and using them to solve problems."

If time is limited, use these problems to meet the lesson objectives and the Common Core State Standards.  A problem that is not listed as part of the core is either an extension, an opportunity for deeper understanding, or further practice. Core Problems for each lesson are listed in the Teacher Notes.

Your course notebook is the place where you record solutions to all of your classwork and Review & Preview problems.  Some teachers ensure that their written solutions are complete with the intent of sharing them with their students.  Some teachers use this area to take notes about formative and summative assessments, including questioning.  You will also want to think about how your students should organize their own Course Notebook. How will you support your students with their notebook organization throughout the school year?

Teachers understand that students learn at different rates and through different experiences. The CPM materials have been designed to support mastery over time through a student-centered, problem-based course, and this approach supports students’ different learning styles. But when changing the materials and changing the methodology, teachers must also change their assessment practices. Teachers cannot tell students they want them to explain their thinking during class and then assess them with only a multiple choice test. Students will quickly realize that “explaining” is not valued enough to be given the time to be assessed.

CPM Workshops are a partnership created with teachers and site administration to improve instruction through specialized workshops and coaching.

To ensure all students are afforded the same opportunities for appreciation and success, CPM researches the best practices to support learning. It is on this research that CPM has based its philosophy and methodology for the position paper on assessment.  

CPM's philosophy and methodology surrounding homework.  The Review & Preview portion of each lesson is CPM's opportunity for independent practice.  

In the seven years since the original CPM Research Report was posted, the new research has continued to validate the efficacy of the three pillars of CPM pedagogy:

1. Students learn ideas more deeply when they discuss ideas with classmates.
   
2. Students learn ideas more usefully for other arenas when they learn by attacking problems—ideally from the real world.
3. Students learn ideas more permanently when they are required to engage and re-engage with the ideas for months or even years.

These three principles (termed respectively as collaborative learning, problem-based learning and mixed, spaced practice) have driven the development of the CPM textbooks from the beginning, and each year these principles are validated by more research to prove their effectiveness.