Welcome to the Center for Mathematics Achievement (CMA) at Lesley University. Led by Dr. Anne M. Collins, a leader in the mathematics education field and author of numerous books, the Center is a leader in mathematics professional development. The CMA staff are leaders in formative assessment strategies and protocols. It is the belief of the faculty and staff at the Center that teachers who have enriched their own mathematical content knowledge are better suited to providing richer, more effective mathematics opportunities to their students in grades PreK-12.
Throughout the year, the Center for Mathematics Achievement offers mathematically rich professional development opportunities on campus. In addition, the Center works with schools and school districts to provide individualized professional development. Professional development can be curriculum specific, such as Connected Mathematics Project or Everyday Mathematics, or content-specific, such as focusing on rational numbers or proportional thinking.
Currently, the Center is working with districts and teachers towards gaining a better understanding of the 2011 Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for Mathematics and the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics. The Center has partnered with numerous districts on Title IIA and Title IIB grants funded through the state to provide graduate credit math content courses to teachers. Our professional development and courses have been shown to lead to an increase in student achievement and an improvement in student and teacher perception of mathematics.
About
The Center for Mathematics Achievement was established in 2003 to assist in the national effort to improve content and instructional practice in mathematics at the elementary and middle school levels. The primary emphasis of the Center is to provide teachers with opportunities to update and deepen their background in mathematics. Led by Director, Dr. Anne M. Collins, the Center and its team are actively involved in the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Massachusetts, Massachusetts Mathematics Association of Teacher Educators, the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, and the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators.
The Center was founded by Dr. Kenneth I. Gross. Dr. Gross was also the founder of the Vermont Mathematics Initiative (VMI) which was funded by the National Science Foundation to improve the mathematics content knowledge of teachers in the state of Vermont. In collaboration with Lesley University, Dr. Gross brought his rich mathematical experiences and previous experience with teachers to Massachusetts. It was with this experience, and the desire to improve the content knowledge of teachers, that the Center was created.