Tangent Times December 2016
DPS Secondary Mathematics Newsletter
6-12 Information
District Benchmarks Around the Corner!
Our annual diagnostic benchmark is right around the corner for traditional schools. This assessment provides a performance snapshot at the student, class, school, and district level. A Benchmark FAQ document has also been created to provide more information.
After administering this mid-term, you will have the following advantages:
- Performance data for your class, department, school, and district. Be sure to compare student EVAAS projections to their midterm performance.
MS Math Progress Monitoring Google Spreadsheet (each teacher has their own)
- Dive deep within your data to see student growth, proficiency, and item analysis.
- Pinpoint student strengths and weaknesses using the data.
- Results provided in Excel for easy analysis.
- Develop and share a benchmark intervention plans with colleagues.
Possible tool: Question Item Specs
DPS 4th Annual Mathematics Fair 2017
Just as last year, we ask that both Middle and High School have their own school level fairs prior to the District fair to select the best representations for each of the grade bands for your school.
More details and the flyer can be found HERE
SAMPLE School Level Timelines can be found HERE
Student Handout with Help Getting Started can be found HERE
Bus transportation will be provided to and from the schools for the event.
District Math Fair is March 1, 2016 from 9 -12:30 at the Staff Development Center.
DPS 4th Annual Mathematics Fair
Wednesday, Mar 1, 2017, 09:00 AM
DPS Staff Development Center, 2107 Hillandale Road, Durham, NC, United States
Manipulatives are Fun!
Students who are presented with the opportunity to use manipulatives report that they are more interested in mathematics. In addition to engaging students and increasing both interest in and enjoyment of mathematics, manipulatives allow students to construct their own cognitive models for abstract mathematical ideas and processes. It should be no surprise that long-term interest in mathematics translates to increased mathematical ability. A table has been created to help decide what manipulatives works with which concept.
Online Resources:
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
If you are interested in trying out the Algebra Tiles, let us know. We can provide a class set and provide support to help you plan a lesson.
EVAAS Projections Available
Plato Online Support
Mini-Grants: Support for Your Classroom
This program will provide funds for special projects and research that will enhance the teaching, learning, and enjoyment of mathematics. There is no preconceived criterion for projects except that students should receive an on-going benefit from the grant.
Available to full, current members of NCCTM, the mini-grants are awarded by each of the three regional organizations to members within their geographic boundaries. A total of $18,000 is available each year for the state’s mini-grants, with each region awarding approximately $6000 in grants to its members. In recent years the average award has been just under $850.
Deadline: January 15
Download the directions and coversheet [PDF, MSWord]
You will receive an email confirmation once your proposal has been received. If you do not receive a confirmation within one week, it is your responsibility to follow-up with the Mini-grant Coordinator.
Proposals selected for funding will receive their funds as soon as possible after the state conference.
Questions? Email Sandra Childrey at schildrey@wcpss.net.
If you are not currently a member of NCCTM (not to be confused with NCTM), visit the Membership Information page to find out how to join and plan to apply for a mini-grant.
From NC Department of Public Instruction
Mathematics Standard Review Timeline
Canvas Course for NC Math Teachers
By now, you should have received an invitation to a course on Canvas from NCDPI. A pilot project has been created for teachers of NC Math 1, 2, and 3. Teachers of record in these courses at both middle schools and high schools across the state are being uploaded into NC DPI’s instance of the Learning Management System, Canvas. The purpose of this “course” for teachers is to house resources like the Math Resource for Instruction, the Collaborative Pacing Guide, integrated math tasks with student work samples, and the weekly webinar recordings. Most of all teachers are invited to collaborate with each other and share resources while engaging in meaningful discourse around teaching and learning using discussion boards and chat features.
For assistance, use these step-by-step instructions to access Canvas.
“Just in Time” Virtual Sharing Sessions Monthly Seminars
Attention all NC Math 1, 2 and 3 middle and high school teachers:
Join NCDPI staff for our “Just in Time” Virtual Sharing Sessions in December.
During these collaborative sessions, we will chat as an educational community about student work, supporting students and each other, and many math topics. Facilitated by partnering NC educators across the state, we will frame our discussions around a task aligned to the revised high school math standards that can then be implemented immediately in your classroom.
By signing up for the webinar in advance, you get early access to the task (Tuesday before session), materials for implementing the task, and an opportunity to provide feedback through a follow-up survey. Don't wait, sign-up for one of the following sessions today!
- NC Math 1 - Statistics on December 1 (Register Here)
- NC Math 2 - Probability on December 8 (Register Here)
- NC Math 3 - Trigonometric Functions on December 15 (Register Here)
Professional Development Opportunities
Kenan Fellows Program
- Cells and More Cells
- Let's Talk About Fish
- The How and Why of Stem Cell Research
- Spurring Innovation in Product Creation
Middle School Information
iReady Middle of Year (MOY) Testing
The READY Teacher Toolbox was introduced and every teacher now has access to these grade level resources. To take a look at these great standards based resources, visit: https://www.teacher-toolbox.com/toolbox you can access the resources be registering and using your school’s zip code.
The iReady reports training PPT is attached for your use. As you visit respond to your newest data point by revisiting your intervention/flextime classes, you should use iReady Tools for Instruction or the grade level resources within the Teachers toolbox.
DPS to Hold 1st District Math Counts Competition
MathCounts is a national Middle School program that encourages students to increase their math skills through learning and competition. Students should meet weekly (during or after school) for practice prior to competing. School level practice sessions should include correcting weekly assignments, a lesson (often things that are not taught in the regular classroom), and a fluency competitions to improve the students' speed and accuracy.
Download the 2016-2017 MATHCOUNTS School Handbook here!
Visit https://www.mathcounts.org/get-started-0 for more MATHCOUNTS information.
Each school team will compete for a position in the Regional MathCounts competition in the Spring (also hosted in Durham, NC). Top schools and individual students advance from district competition to regional, state and national competitions.
Middle School Teacher Academy (MSTA)
Lesson plans that focus on best practices were developed for future use on the following standards:
6th Grade: 6.EE.1 & 6.EE.2
7th Grade: 7.EE.1-4, 7.G.1-3, 7.RP.2
8th Grade: 8.G.6-8
Each teacher participant or grade level Teacher Leader(s) may share these resources at your request. Grade Level Teacher Leaders are:
6th Grade: Jennifer Tuttle (DSA)
7th Grade: Candace Lynch (Shepard) and Liz Moffitt (Lucas)
8th Grade: Kristy Rowland (Rogers Herr)
Our Spring Session of MSTA will begin March 16th. Additional information regarding the registration process and extra duty contract will come in February,
High School Information
Study Island Available for EOC Courses
Morphology - Its Often Greek to Me
Morphology is the academic study of the forms of words and how they change. A morpheme is smallest unit of meaning within a word (root, prefix, suffix). For high school instruction, this is applied to classroom practices to build student capacity to attack unfamiliar words and new forms of words. Using morphology as an approach to vocabulary instruction requires only minor changes to current vocabulary instruction practices used by teachers.
If you attended the District's Morphology Training during Election Day, you know how much impact working with word roots can help in developing student comprehension and vocabulary. A reminder that you were tasked in completing an activity and submit it in the Google Folder. If you were not able to attend, there are some videos you can view to help begin your exploration with the topic.
2016-17 Grading for NC Math 2 and NC Math 3
On October 6, Durham’s Board of Education approved to waive the 20% required final exam calculation for NC Math II and NC Math III. In response, teachers will need to adjust the PowerSchool percentages for the overall report cards to reflect the “no-final exam” calculation in the PowerSchool gradebook. For both courses, grading would be calculated as follows:
- Semester course: 50% Term 1 and 50% Term
- Year-long course: 25% Term 1, 25% Term 2, 25% Term 3, and 25% Term 4
While there are other ways to calculate a mathematical equivalent final grade, teachers are to follow the percentages as laid out above. (For example, teachers are not to calculate the average of Term1 and Term2 and place this in the “final exam” cell. This would incorrectly indicate on the transcript that the student took a final exam.)
Math 1 Unit Resources for General and Inclusion Teachers
The next sessions are December 1 (Unit 4), January 12 (Unit 5), February 7 (Unit 6), and March 21 (Unit 7).
Truenorthlogic Course #5501 Section 8668