Intensified Algebra
A comprehensive curricular intervention to support the learning of algebra Heading link
Intensified Algebra (IA) is a partnership of UIC’s Learning Sciences Research Institute, the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas, and Agile Mind Inc., an education technology company. IA is a curriculum intervention designed to target our country’s most at-risk high school students—those who enter high school significantly behind in mathematics but who face the more rigorous mathematics graduation requirements that are increasingly a part of our states’ policies.
This comprehensive, year-long algebra course addresses the academic, social, motivational, organizational, and linguistic needs of underprepared and diverse learners.
The design principles of the course include:
- Rigorous algebra curriculum targeting students’ conceptual understanding, associated skills, and related problem solving and reasoning capabilities
- Supports for teachers for enactment of high cognitive demand tasks
- Efficient and effective review/repair strategies
- Ongoing, distributed practice
- Activities addressing motivation, views of intelligence, and engagement in learning
- Tools that help students organize information and support metacognitive awareness
- Formative assessments strategies
- Explicit supports for literacy and language development
Funding for development of Intensified Algebra has been provided by the National Science Foundation, the Searle Fund of the Chicago Community Trust, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation.