Invitational Letter

Exhibit A. INVITATION LETTER

DATE: September 15, 2007

TO: Chief School Administrators

School Principals

Mathematics Supervisors

FROM: Regional Educational Laboratory – Mid-Atlantic

RE: Opportunity to Participate in Research Examining the Effects of Connected Mathematics 2® Curriculum on the Mathematics Achievement of Selected Sixth Grade Students

The Regional Educational Laboratory – Mid-Atlantic invites eligible New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and District of Columbia school districts to express their interest in participating in an upcoming research trial in 70 schools. The research calls for a random assignment of classrooms to the intervention or control groups.

Connected Mathematics 2 is a standards-based math curriculum that allows students an opportunity to work on both basic skills and to engage in deep conceptual learning. In our study Connected Mathematics 2 will be implemented as the primary curriculum at the sixth grade level in the academic years 2008-09 and 2009-10 in your school.

The Connected Mathematics 2 research project includes a number of incentives for participating schools:

1. Schools will receive assistance from the publisher of Connected Mathematics 2 in implementing the curriculum, including site visits.

2. Teachers will be paid to attend professional development for Connected Mathematics 2 in the summer of 2008.

3. Teachers will be provided with either a laptop computer or a classroom LCD projector. These devices will be purchased for the participating school and owned by the school or district, and schools or districts will agree to assign that device for the professional use of the participating teacher.

4. On-line resources will be provided for on-going professional development for teachers.

Please note that the school funding for implementation of this research project begins in the summer of 2008 and selection of schools must be confirmed by June. Because of the nature of this project, only schools new to Connected Mathematics 2 are eligible for the study.

Local Education Specialists and the Principal Investigators (Dr. Taylor Martin and Dr. Kelli Millwood) for the Connected Mathematics 2 Research Project will contact your schools and districts with further information regarding this research program soon. The Local Education Specialists and Principal Investigators will follow-up with on-site visits.

The federally funded Regional Educational Laboratory for the Mid-Atlantic Region serves Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The purpose of the Regional Educational Lab is to conduct applied research that meets the needs of educators and to communicate that research to educators in the field. This Regional Educational Laboratory is operated by a partnership that includes the Graduate Schools of Education at Rutgers University and Pennsylvania State University, and three consulting organizations, Caliber ICF, the Metiri Group, and ANALYTICA. Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes. The reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district or individual. We will not provide information that identifies you or your district to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.

For any additional information, please contact:

• Dr. Taylor Martin, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Texas at Austin: (512) 232-9686, taylormartin@mail.utexas.edu,

• Dr. Kelli Millwood, Associate at the Metiri Group: (310) 945-5157, kmillwood@metiri.com; or

• The Regional Educational Laboratory for the Mid-Atlantic Region: (866) REL-MA FYI, info@relmid-atlantic.org.

Cc: Chief State School Officers

Intermediate or County Offices (as applicable)