Alison Hansen has always had a way with numbers. But the Bethel Acceleration Academy content coach doesn’t just teach students how to master their math.
She also uses numbers to have “data-driven conversations” to help them move toward their dream of a high school diploma.
“Just seeing them feel successful,” says Hansen, who teaches math and science. “That’s what I love most.”
Educators at Acceleration Academies have always kept a focus on key data points. How many hours a week are graduation candidates devoting to coursework? How many activities within each course did they master? How many courses have they completed so far this year?
The Covid-19 pandemic underscored the need for this monitoring as GCs shifted to doing more work remotely. Hansen has embraced that challenge with deep attention to detail. Rather than setting one-size-fits-all goals, she drills into each student’s performance data and uses the insights to set personalized goals.
“I could copy and paste a message to every GC and say, ‘Hey, this week, I want you to complete 8 activities,’ ” she says. “But that’s just a generic message” and one that not many will find compelling.
Instead, Hansen makes the effort to study the progress of each of the 80-some GCs on her caseload and to craft her coaching for them based on that data. If a student completed two activities in geometry last week, she might challenge them to complete four this week. If they would benefit from a daily goal rather than a weekly one, she’ll provide one — and then follow up.
“I try to make it really specific for them,” she says.
Her approach is yielding results, as Hansen has become a network leader in helping her students accelerate their progress.
“Alison’s approach takes into account each GC’s needs and capacity for challenge, while also holding them to steady progress and real results,” says Diana Solis, BAA’s interim director and model fidelity coach. “It’s differentiated accountability, and it works.”
And Hansen’s work has a real human impact, adds Solis. “Behind every number is a GC who needs us to believe in them.”
Hansen has always enjoyed math. She enjoys being one of the relatively small number of women teaching the subject, and hopes to ignite a spark of possibility for students who might otherwise find math intimidating.
“So many people have that fear,” she says. “I want to break that.”
While most of her students won’t have to do a lot of algebra in their adult lives, they will have to file taxes, handle car payments, make a family budget. And she’s been pleased to see their reaction to their data; many embrace doing better by the numbers — and by themselves.
Her message to those young scholars? “I’m here for you, and guess what? I’m going to teach you something and you’re going to be successful.”