Foundations For Success

The CGI program is a mathematics professional development program for elementary-level educators. The CGI program is developed and directed by Linda Levi, Director of the CGI Math Teacher Learning Center. We offer professional development in CGI for teachers and for principals. Principals are welcome (and encouraged) to attend the teacher professional development, but the professional-development for school leaders is specifically designed for principals.

There are two tracks in the program for teachers: K–2, or 3–5. Each track consists of three years. The content of each of the three years builds on what teachers learn in the preceding years. A teacher must complete the first year of the program to become eligible for the second year.

The multiyear program can be completed in consecutive years, or there can be gaps between years. Whether any given teacher completes the three-year program in consecutive years is typically determined by the teachers’ availability and the availability of funding. A teacher must complete the second year of the program to become eligible for the third year. Teachers may participate in the K–2 and the 3–5 programs, but it is not recommended for teachers to participated in both programs simultaneously.

The CGI program offered in the Foundations for Success program focuses on number (including the base-ten number system), operations, and algebraic thinking. The primary-grades (K–2) program focuses on whole number, while the intermediate-grades (3–5) program addresses both whole number and fractions. With a focus on the algebraic foundations of arithmetic, teachers will deepen their understanding of mathematics through their involvement in the CGI program. Through the study of student thinking and curriculum standards, participating teachers increase their professional vernacular and develop stronger abilities to use mathematical language and written notation.

The CGI program provides teachers with opportunities to learn about developmental progressions related to how children understand mathematics in general. The CGI program is not prescriptive and does not provide a curriculum. CGI is applicable to implementation of any mathematics curriculum at the elementary level and offers teachers deeper insight into the curriculum resources available to them. Teachers who implement what they learn in the CGI program have higher levels of knowledge of their own students’ thinking processes in mathematics.

The CGI program is designed for all educators who are responsible for the teaching and learning of elementary mathematics. All ability levels are welcome. Teachers with low, average, or high mathematics knowledge are encouraged to attend. All participants will increase their understanding and knowledge of mathematics.

Teachers should be prepared to work hard in the program. The effort will result in teachers having higher levels of confidence in their abilities to teach mathematics and greater enjoyment from teaching mathematics.

The program is expected to have the greatest impact in settings where teachers are supported by their peers and instructional leaders and are permitted to adjust the scope and sequence of their mathematics lessons in a manner that can be responsive to the needs of the learners in their classrooms. Instructional leaders and instructional support personnel are also invited and encouraged participate in the CGI PD program for teachers, but they should only do so if they will have regular interaction with students during the year(s) they participate in the CGI program.

The Foundations for Success project is supported by a grant award from the Office of Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education. Robert Schoen is the principal investigator.

More than 2,000 Florida teachers have participated in at least one year of the program since 2013. These teachers represent more than 14 public school districts and numerous private schools. Teacher participation in the CGI program in Florida has been supported by a series of grant-supported projects. Robert Schoen has been the project director and Linda Levi has been the developer and director of the CGI professional-development program for each of these grant awards.

No, this program is supported by a grant award. Teachers and principals will not be expected to pay for participation in the training program, but the school district will be expected to provide documentation for in-kind contributions.

Teachers who participate in the program will receive $125 per day for their participation in the professional development workshops when their participation occurs outside of their contracted days with the school district. This will primarily occur during the summer sessions.

Yes, teachers who participate in the program will be asked to complete a set of online surveys each spring to support program evaluation. Teachers will be compensated for completion of these Web-based surveys.

In order to receive compensation for participating in the study, you will need to complete the FSU Teacher Payment Form. If you wish to receive direct deposit you will also need to complete the FSU Teacher Direct Deposit Form. Click here to access the DocuSign electronic payment forms.

On days when you are contracted with the school district, you will receive your salary directly from your school district as usual.

On days when you are not contracted with the school district or for completion of online surveys, Florida State University will provide your payment directly to you. Typically, the payment process will take approximately 4–6 weeks after completion of the activity. This will also require the recipient to complete an initial process to register as a vendor for Florida State University.

No, the program will reimburse your school for the cost of a substitute teacher needed to cover your teaching assignment on the days you attend the program. When applicable, you will need to follow your school’s guidelines to arrange for a substitute teacher.

Unfortunately, this program has limited funding and can only provide spaces for a limited number of teachers each year from partnering school districts. If your school district is not already a partner district, please contact your district and let them know that you are interested in participating in Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) and ask them to contact Robert Schoen (rschoen@lsi.fsu.edu) for information on whether and how they may become a partner district.

This professional development program is part of a larger research study on the effects of the program on students and teachers. As part of the research program, teachers in more than 200 Florida schools were randomly assigned starting in summer 2019, eligible program applicants were assigned through a randomized process to attend the workshops during the 2019-2022 school years or to serve as a wait-list control group during that time. Pending availability of funds, we will invite teachers serving in the wait-list control condition to participate in the CGI professional development program starting in summer 2022. Invitations to register for the program that will start in summer 2022 will be sent in January 2022.

Yes, if you choose to apply to participate in the program, there will be an electronic version of the consent form for you to sign during the application process. Click the link at the top of this page to read the form, indicate your consent to participate in the study, and apply to participate in the CGI program.