Carroll County Middle School fifth grade teacher Kelly Simmons has turned a simple idea into an award-winning instructional strategy. What began as a personal effort to bring more structure and engagement to her math lessons has now been recognized by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) as one of the state’s Best Practices in teaching.
“Congratulations to Kelly Simmons for being selected to share her practice at the Continuous Improvement Summit,” said Carroll County Schools Superintendent Casey Jaynes. “Being chosen as one of only 13 educators statewide to present is an incredible honor and exemplifies Carroll County's commitment to becoming a Top 10 school district in Kentucky. We’re proud to see her representing Carroll County Schools and showcasing the great work happening in our district.”
Simmons’ approach, called Strategic Mapping for Math, helps students visualize and understand math concepts by exploring multiple problem-solving strategies. “There are so many different ways to do math,” Simmons explained. “Some students move objects around, some draw pictures, and others write equations. It’s all about helping them see the flow of how they learn concepts.”
To bring order to this process, Simmons created a spreadsheet system that tracks which strategies her students use, whether they’re working with manipulatives, diagrams or equations. This allows her to select examples of student work to showcase during lessons, giving students the opportunity to teach each other.
“It creates so much engagement,” she said. “Students get up and explain their thinking. They learn to agree, disagree, or build on someone else’s idea respectfully. Even the students who didn’t understand at first now have a room full of strategies they can choose from.”
Each new lesson begins with a “try-it” problem, where students are encouraged to use any strategy or tool they think might help. Simmons steps back for the first five minutes, allowing the students to work without her. “ You’ll see a variety of things come out from that. Some will move blocks around as counters, some will make a number line or a table or some kind of picture that helps them do multiplication or something and some people can do the equation,” she said.
The system started as a time management tool, but it has evolved into something much bigger. “I just took pieces of things I had learned and smashed them all together,” Simmons said with a laugh.
Encouraged by instructional coach Mandy Young, Simmons submitted her strategy to KDE’s Continuous Improvement Summit program last spring. Her presentation detailed how the strategy transformed classroom engagement and improved student understanding. Only 13 entries were selected statewide to be presented at the Continuous Improvement Summit, where Simmons received her award.
“I was shocked when it was chosen,” Simmons said. “When Mandy suggested I apply, I told her, ‘It’s not really anything special, but it helped me create a more structured system for myself and the students.”
Simmons, now in her ninth year of teaching, eight of those at Carroll County Middle School, became the first Carroll County teacher to receive this recognition. KDE also awarded a $500 check to the Carroll County Board of Education in honor of her accomplishment.
“I’m honored,” Simmons said. “As teachers, we’re often so focused on what’s happening inside our own classrooms that we don’t realize how what we do might help others. It’s not about being recognized, it’s about doing what’s best for our students.”