During 20 years in education, Andrea Tottossy has served as a math and reading teacher, guidance counselor, dean of students, assistant principal, and middle and high school principal in a large urban school district. Her work in the classroom and at the administrative level has inspired a dedication to creating more effective learning environments for students. She has been able to accomplish this as a counselor, by using student data to assess the unique needs of schools and respond strategically to specific weaknesses.

In one district, Andrea guided administrators to align professional development to meet the needs of middle school mathematics teachers, as many Algebra I students showed signs of struggling. Together, they “unwrapped” standards and built common formative assessments based on power standards. Andrea also implemented initiatives based on the Five Easy Steps to a Balanced Math Program to reduce the achievement gap in Algebra to less than 1%! Her work coaching data teams and implementing Common Formative Assessments has raised schools’ letter grade designations and significantly lowered dropout rates.

Andrea greatly treasures her two children and enjoys spending time with them outdoors, especially hiking and camping.