Elizabeth Matrix Project Overview

Sponsored by the NJ Department of Education's Math Achievement To Realize Individual eXcellence (MATRIX) grant program, the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) at Stevens Institute of Technology and the Elizabeth School District are collaborating to establish a pilot program to comprehensively infuse existing technology in the district into the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade math curriculum with a focus on sustained teacher professional development and in-class support that focuses on achieving the district's technology goals and academic expectations.

This program provides an opportunity to expand on the significant experience CIESE and the Elizabeth school district have already developed over the past several years in a manner that will accelerate the implementation of effective teaching strategies and the development of multi-media projects.

Utilizing calculators, computers, and Internet-based resources, students and teachers will engage in authentic mathematic problems and activities aligned to the district curriculum, which uses the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project's Everyday Mathematics (K-6) and Transition Math (Grades 7-8), and the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, thereby making learning more exciting and more relevant to modern society.

This will then enable the Elizabeth school district to scale up the lessons learned on effectively integrating technology into teaching and learning into a coherent mathematics program for all the students in grades six, seven, and eight.

This project will directly involve select mentor teachers from the following two schools: Battin Middle School #75 and Christa McAuliffe Middle School. These schools, selected based on available data and interviews with key staff, adjoin each other on South Broad Street in Elizabeth and have similar demographics.

In year 3, three teachers at Westminster Academy in Elizabeth will participate as mentees and receive training in Year 1 and 2 Matrix projects.