Date of Award

Spring 6-10-2023

Degree Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

College of Education, Doctoral Program

First Advisor

Roxanne Owens

Second Advisor

Melissa Bradford

Third Advisor

Christopher McCullough

Comments

The purpose of this capstone was to explore the processes in attempting to design a culturally relevant, high-quality digital mathematics curriculum (DMC) and to provide recommendations for a strategic plan to evaluate the design and revision processes. The DMC initially aligned with three foundational frameworks, addressing the challenge of teachers implementing each framework individually. Continued research into the DMC design and revision processes with alignment to Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU), Understanding by Design (UbD), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Frameworks could show the impact of a custom-built DMC for a large, diverse urban school district. Currently, no research has focused on DMC design and revision processes. Therefore, this paper was a means of exploring the perspective of one of the designers (myself), articulating the process of creating the program, and reflecting on its implementation. This capstone utilizes a self-study method and employs a qualitative approach. The rationale for the methodology was to document firsthand knowledge from myself as the math curriculum designer at the center of the research and inquiry. The information resulted from self-reflection over two years and a total of 17 weekly self-reflection journal entries that provided insight into the experiences of a math designer and the need for a strategic plan to evaluate and revise the DMC’s current design. The data gathered from these entries underwent coding into clusters with assigned indicators for specific themes. At present, the DMC is undergoing revision based on feedback from teachers, administrators, and students. There will be a need to evaluate the curriculum after the revisions to ensure the integrity of the initial build, so the design continues to align with the best practices in the equity rubric, content rubric, evidence guides, design guidebook, Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU), Understanding by Design (UbD), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This capstone could contribute to continuous improvement efforts by suggesting how to approach feedback and determine if it is actionable and evidence-based. The significance of this study is that it could show other major districts in the United States how to design and revise a curriculum to best serve teachers and students. Expanding this study and reporting the recommendations could support the entire district and show decision-makers how to solve issues related to the design and revision processes, potentially strengthening the program, and avoiding problems and pitfalls. Digital mathematics curriculum improvements could impact the quality of instruction and learning to closely reflect the needs and information from teachers, students, and administrators. A strategic plan for implementing the improvements in Year 3 could be a way to accelerate the revision processes and make larger and more meaningful changes based on the feedback. This project produced four key recommended priorities to include in a strategic plan for DMC design and revision: communication, data analysis, increasing math experts, and school readiness and professional learning. The findings contributed to the knowledge base on how to design and revise a culturally relevant and high-quality DMC. A significant finding was the need to investigate DMC effectiveness. The broader implications relate to the continuous improvement of the DMC over time. Further research could indicate the factors impeding access to rigorous mathematics education. These conclusions could have significant applications regarding the rigor, accountability, and equitable access to mathematical knowledge students need to succeed in their chosen careers.

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