The Early Math in Illinois:Recognizing and Raising the Profile report also describes the recommendations for delivering professional development in early math to ECE practitioners. The Illinois Early Math Advisory Committee came together and began their work by addressing these 9 Key Questions:

1. What does research say about the correlation between early math competency and later academic success?

2. What does existing data from SRI International, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and others tell us about early math outcomes and early math training needs?

3. What math curricula are being utilized in university settings for Early Care and Education/Child Development teacher preparation programs?

4. How is early math knowledge being transitioned into classroom instruction and practice?

5. How effective are both university and community-based teaching strategies for early math?

6. How do current practices/outcomes related to early math align with core standards and certifications?

7. Is early math instruction accessible in all early care and education settings?

8. How can we be assured that early math efforts in Illinois provide a strong foundation/baseline for all children?

9. How should this early math knowledge impact current and ongoing discussions and work around teacher certification and credentials, student assessments, standards alignment?

Over the next few weeks, I will write about what the committee discovered when they went looking for the answers to the above questions.