Millcreek Township School District Is Transforming Math Learning Through Consistency, Collaboration, and Confidence

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Located along the shores of Lake Erie in Pennsylvania, Millcreek Township School District serves more than 6,600 students across multiple elementary, middle, and high school buildings. The suburban district sits just outside the city of Erie and serves a student population with a wide range of academic needs and backgrounds.

Among its many attributes, one characteristic stands out across the district: a deep commitment among educators to support every learner.

“I think the biggest hallmark of our district is that we have an exceptionally caring staff, highly empathetic and highly dedicated to the work of helping the kids be their best every day,” said Assistant Superintendent Trevor Murnock.

In recent years, Millcreek has steadily strengthened math achievement across grade levels. Through a districtwide effort to bring greater consistency and rigor to math instruction, educators have worked together to build a coherent approach to teaching and learning mathematics using Savvas Learning Company’s mathematics solutions as its high-quality instructional materials.

The results have been significant. Millcreek students now consistently outperform state averages on Pennsylvania’s PSSA math assessments, with proficiency and advanced rates in grade 5 exceeding the state average by as much as 20 percentage points.

Behind those results is a sustained commitment to improving instruction — one built on collaboration, thoughtful use of instructional tools, and a shared belief that all students can succeed in mathematics.

The Challenge: Inconsistent Math Experiences and Student Performance

Around 2018, district leaders began taking a deeper look at student data, particularly in upper elementary and middle school grades.

“What the data was telling us … (was that) we had some significant gaps,” Supervisor of Curriculum Jennifer Dunmire explained. “While our curriculum was aligned to the state standards, our instruction just wasn’t matching what the rigor and expectation of the standard truly was.”

Teachers saw similar challenges in the classroom. Instruction often focused heavily on computation, with fewer opportunities for students to apply concepts, reason through problems, and explain their thinking.

“The old program we used was more just math computation,” recalled fourth-grade math teacher Christine Cherner. “Add these numbers, multiply these numbers. It wasn’t making our kids think.”

Educators wanted students to develop deeper mathematical understanding and stronger problem-solving abilities.

“We were looking to have the students be able to problem-solve better, increase their critical thinking skills, and explain their reasoning,” said teacher and Middle School Math Chair Kelsey Richards.

To accomplish that goal, the district knew it needed a more coherent instructional approach — one that could bring greater consistency, rigor, and collaboration to math teaching across classrooms.

The Solution: Building Coherent, Rigorous Math Instruction

Millcreek began a comprehensive review of potential math programs through a structured pilot process that involved teachers across grades K-8.

“We have a pretty extensive pilot review process,” Murnock said. “Teachers pilot the materials every day, faithfully to the program, so we can get the best read on them possible.”

After an extensive evaluation, the district selected enVision® Mathematics as its core program because of its emphasis on conceptual understanding, problem solving, and mathematical discourse.

“We needed something that was more rigorous, something that had more problem-solving,” explained fourth-grade math teacher Jodi Smith. “enVision does that.”

The district also implemented Momentum Math, a diagnostic assessment system that helps teachers monitor student progress and identify learning gaps, and SuccessMaker Math, an adaptive program that provides targeted practice, intervention, and enrichment opportunities for students.

Together, these tools supported a more comprehensive instructional system by combining core instruction, diagnostics, and personalized learning to meet the needs of every student.

Just as important as the tools themselves was how the district implemented them.

The curriculum team invested heavily in professional learning from Savvas, offering multiple professional development sessions before and during implementation.

“We had various types of professional development … and people from enVision came into the school to go through the resource with us,” Richards said.

Teachers also collaborated regularly across schools and grade levels K-8 to share ideas and refine instruction.

“Our district did a really good job offering opportunities for us to collaborate across buildings,” one teacher explained. “We got to talk with the teachers who piloted it and learn what worked well in their classrooms.”

The Outcomes: Rising Achievement and a Culture Shift in Math Learning

Four years into the initiative, Millcreek’s commitment to coherent math instruction is producing strong results.

“Our kids are making significant amounts of growth in math across the district,” Dunmire said. “We’re 20 to 30 percent above the state average for proficient and advanced rates.”

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19-related school closures, which many experts have attributed to significant declines in math achievement nationally, the district has seen continued academic growth. Benchmark data, common assessments, and state test results all point to steady improvement across grades K-8.

Millcreek’s PSSA results now consistently exceed state averages by wide margins, particularly in grades five and six, which were early focus areas for improvement.

But the most meaningful changes extend beyond test scores.

Teachers across the district report that students are approaching mathematics with greater confidence and curiosity. Instead of giving up when faced with a challenging problem, students are more willing to explore strategies, collaborate with peers, and persist until they find solutions.

“For me, it started with the students,” Smith said. “They were talking more, answering questions more, and taking risks with math that they weren’t taking before.”

At the same time, teachers have embraced a more collaborative approach to instruction. Grade-level teams regularly analyze data, reflect on classroom practices, and adjust instruction to better support student learning. This continuous cycle of curriculum, instruction, and assessment ensures that improvement remains ongoing.

“We work together as a team,” teacher and Middle School Math Chair Richards said. “Teachers, administrators, we’re all there to support each other in any changes that happen.”

Today, math instruction at Millcreek is not defined by isolated classrooms but by a shared vision across the district. Through consistent practices, collaborative professional learning, and thoughtful use of instructional tools, educators have created a culture where both teachers and students see themselves as capable mathematicians, and where success continues to grow each year.

“I did not think four years later that we would be continuing on this path of success,” said Dunmire. “And so the fact that we’re still seeing growth and gains and this positive switch, it's amazing. It's truly amazing.”