Mathematical
Reflections and Translations: April 2016
Announcements
WELCOME BACK!
- PERFORMANCE TASKS: As a reminder, District Performance Tasks (English and Spanish versions) are available on Canvas: Curriculum and Professional Development Course. PLCs are encouraged to use a calibration process (example here) to evaluate student work and rubric scores can be uploaded into Illuminate by the end of the semester. Alternatively, sites can choose to administer the SBAC Interim Performance Task and score student work through the CAASPP website. Research & Evaluation will later transfer those scores to Illuminate as well.
- FINAL EXAMS: PLCs have the option to use the District Final Exams from 2014-15 (these are only available for middle school) or create their own final exam. To assist with exam creation, PLCs are welcome to use archived final exams as an item bank (available on Canvas in Word format) as well as Illuminate item banks created per course to align with CPM (see details below). Site-created final exams and their results should be shared with Research & Evaluation. Please contact R&E or your Math Curriculum Specialists for support.
- SAVE THE DATE: The annual SMART conference featuring math and science sessions is tentatively set for May 19th at Otay Ranch High. More details to follow.
Illuminate Item Banks
High school PLCs will be creating their own final exams this Spring. Illuminate Item banks have been created for our IMI, IMII, and IMIII courses to assist with PLC exam creation.
When you click on the link below, it will prompt you to sign in before taking you directly to the item bank. From there you can view the "Item Bank Test Booklet" or "Duplicate," which allows you to make your own editable copy. Feel free to contact Essie, Daniel, Mimi, or your site specialist for assistance.
Fun Tech Tool: Plickers
Do you want to do a quick poll of your class, but don't have individual student iPads? Try Plickers!
Plickers is a simple tool that lets teachers collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices. Try it as a pre- and post-assessment of a concept where you anticipate students will struggle or just use it as a quick check for understanding along the way. It can be used for individual student responses or groups!
The basics:
1) You create a question to ask students (multiple choice format)
2) Students hold up their card in the direction that corresponds to their answer
3) Teacher holds up their ipad or phone to scan the room
4) Bar graph of student responses is created and can be displayed for discussion
Triangular Paradox
Solution HERE
Connecting Secondary Mathematics Experiences to College Course Placement & Content Demands
This presentation welcomes all secondary teachers, administrators, and counseling staff working to support and prepare students for success in college math.
Kimberly Samaniego, UCSD Director of Mathematics Testing and Placement and Director of CSU/UC Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Program (MDTP) will share examples of math placement policies currently used throughout the three California college systems (UC, CSU, and Community College) with explanations of how these policies inform math course pathways for incoming freshmen students. Dr. Samaniego will report on the academic trends for three current cohorts of UCSD students who came from area high schools. Included in the report will be student placements, math pathways, and math course performance. Digging deeper, we will explore how mathematical performance trends found on secondary MDTP results connect to those found on the UCSD Fall 2016 math placement exam and discuss the implications of these results in terms of our current and future practice.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER (Event is free, but please RSVP)
Getting Ready for College Mathematics: Conversations with Math Professors Wednesday, April 20
Free Interactive Sessions for Middle School and High School Math Teachers!
Date: Wednesday, April 20th 4pm-6pm
Location: Sweetwater High School
Topic: Expected Value and Decision Making
Speakers: Dr. John Elwin, SDSU Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and Esmeralda Orozco, Sweetwater Union High School District - Noyce Teacher
Description: A series of modules as resources for teachers in grades 6-12 that support the teaching of statistics and probability has been developed by the California Math Project (CMP) in partnership with the California Mathematics Council (CMC). We will focus on those modules that emphasize the concept of “expected value” and relate the concept to the decision making process. The χ2 statistic occurs in year three of the new common core probability and statistics standards. The statistic is often used to determine if one should reject the so-called “null hypothesis” or the conjecture that nothing has changed. This is a topic of fundamental importance in statistical analysis.
Register HERE
Performance Tasks That Drive Quality Instruction, Hosted by UCSD at the Pruess School
Target Audience: Math Teachers in grades 6 - 12
Date and Time: Saturday, April 23; 9 am to 11 am (continental breakfast at 8:30 am)
Location: Preuss School at UCSD
Description: This interactive session with two excellent and experienced high school teachers (Katrine Czajkowski from SUHSD and David Weber from Preuss) will focus on the instructional value of high-quality performance tasks. A well selected problem can enable student understanding of mathematical concepts and ways of thinking (CCSS Mathematical Practices). How can teachers use these tasks to establish common expectations for student achievement? What are the elements of a valuable “performance task”? Where can teachers find these tasks? How can teachers create these tasks?
RSVP: smillen@ucsd.edu by April 15.
Saturday, Apr 23, 2016, 09:00 AM
The Preuss School, San Diego, CA, United States
FREE Online Leaning Opportunities
This course is self-paced, has no due dates, and you can work through as much or little course work as you like.
This course runs April 11-May 31. You will learn about using and developing performance tasks, as well as contribute to building an online community of educators focused on using performance-based assessments with their students.
CPM Teacher Tip of the Week
Extra tip:
If teams are struggling:
1. Call a team Huddle, in which you call one member of each team to join you in a small meeting. These representatives of their team can share ideas and you can provide some support that they can then take back and explain to their teams.
2. Call a Swapmeet, in which half of each team rotates to the next team and discuss what they have been doing. After some time for exchanging ideas, all students return to their original team and talk about what they learned.
3. Have the teams send a “Spy” to gather ideas from another team.
For a list of all the Teacher Tips, click Here
Math Curriculum Team
Esmeralda Orozco (Math curriculum specialist-High School)
Mimi Williams (Math curriculum specialist-Middle School)
Melisa O'Donoghue (Math curriculum specialist-Middle School)
Carla Jacobs (Special Education Support)
Ivette Sanchez (SEI and Bilingual Support)
Email: mimi.williams@sweetwaterschools.org
Website: curriculum.suhsd.k12.ca.us
Location: 1130 5th Ave, Chula Vista, CA, United States
Phone: (619) 600-4947