April 2018
Secondary Math
Steve Hiner * Greta Robertson, PhD
Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival
This year’s Julia Robinson Math Festival for 4th to 10th grade students is scheduled for April 28 from 1 to 4pm at PAST Foundation (1003 Kinnear Road).
Kids immerse themselves in rich math problems for an entire Saturday afternoon! It’s a non-profit event sponsored and hosted by Math Plus Academy. You can learn more here: jrmf.mathplusacademy.com.
Students can register here: jrmf.mathplusacademy.com ($12 per child, fee can be waived if needed)
Teachers are needed to be table leaders at the festival. It takes about 30 volunteers to run the event. There is a $40 honorarium for all volunteers. If interested in helping out, please contact Dr. Raj Shah at raj@mathplusacademy.com.
Click here for a downloadable flyer.
Math 6 Accelerated Math Testing / Summer School Update
Thanks for all your support during this busy testing season. We had over 440 students take the Middle School Accelerated Math Placement test. Grading has begun and should be done by Friday, April 20. If you have not sent your tests in yet, please send them to Steve Hiner at Linmoor Education Center.
Students who score a 60% or higher can enroll in Math 7 and Math 8 next year, or the compacted version of the course at Dominion and Woodward Park. We are planning an accelerated Math 7 summer school option that would allow students successfully completing the course to take Math 8 only during their 7th grade school year.
Complete information on the testing process can be found at our website at:
Math Department Chair Meeting
April Math District Department Chair Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 in the library of Eastmoor Academy, 417 S. Weyant at 3:30pm.
DESMOS Workshop
Using DESMOS As An Innovative Instructional Tool (Grades 6-8)
June 1, 2018
9am-3:30pm
$69 registration fee (includes lunch)
Register at: www.faircoesc.org
Location: Fairfield County ESC
955 Liberty Drive
Lancaster, OH 43130
Summer Activities
The Strategic Plan for Education: Draft
If you have not read and commented on the Strategic Plan for Education, please spend some time to read it and comment on it via ODE website.
If you plan on giving your feedback and input via the survey on the ODE website, you only have this week left to do that. The window closes on April 13. Please, please, please, read it and give input! Please, please, share it with colleagues, administrators, parents, business community, etc., and let them know that the survey window on the website closes on Friday.
Computer Science Standards Being Rewritten
Now through April 18, 2018, educators may apply to serve on the Computer Science Standards & Model Curriculum Writing Team. This is a cross-office effort that is being led by the offices of Curriculum & Assessment, Career-Technical Education, and Innovation. We are seeking content experts from the kindergarten level through higher education. We need team members who are experienced with computer science, and those who can make connections to computer science across content areas.
Computer Science Standards & Model Curriculum Writing Team members will assist the Department in the writing of Ohio’s Learning Standards & Model Curriculum for Computer Science, which are expected to be finalized and approved by the State Board of Education in December 2018. The following dates have been scheduled as meeting dates (additional dates may be required, if needed):
- May 2 – 3, 2018 (face-to-face);
- May 17, 2018 (virtual);
- May 30 – 31 (face-to-face);
- June 13, 2018 (virtual);
- June 20 – 21, 2018 (face-to-face); and
- Aug. 28 – 29, 2018 (face-to-face).
Click here to apply to serve on the writing team.
Otterbein Scholarships
Ten scholarships ($1500 each) are available beginning Fall 2018 to new and current students accepted into the MAEM or the “18 in 15” program. Contact Dr. Jeff Smith for more information (jsmith@otterbein.edu).
AIR Test Prep
Did you know the new calculator for the AIR test uses the DESMOS calculator? Students need to practice using it before the test. We have a link to each calculator on the testing page of our website. You can access it here:
Also, please make sure your students practice on computers they will be using for testing. For example, if students will be taking the tests on a Chrome book, it is important that they get familiar with the operation of the Chrome book.
Math 8: Systems of Equations
Math 8 students are expected to know how to solve a system of equations graphically and algebraically this year. Next year, students will only need to know how to solve them graphically, as the rest of the standard is being move to Integrated Math I. Of course, you can show students how to rewrite equations in slope intercept form and graph them, even if a problem was intended to be solved algebraically.
Here is a worksheet that shows solutions to each sample and released items pertaining to systems of equations.
Puzzler from Dr. Shah!
ALEKS Contest Winners!
MASTERY WINNERS
Yusuf Sadek
Ridgeview MS
Mastery: 56%
Joshuah Gualapuro Males
Ridgeview MS
Mastery: 53%
Shonima Tamang
Mifflin MS
Mastery: 46%
Julian Cherok
Arts Impact MS
Mastery: 39%
Dalish Adhikari
Berwick K-8
Mastery: 37%
RANDOM SELECTION WINNERS
These students had to actively particpate in ALEKS to be eligible to win
Columbus Spanish Immersion
Naomi Armistead
Berwick K-8
Nino Nesbitt
Ridgeview MS
Tia Ward
Arianna Thompson
GREAT JOB EVERYONE!
Prizes will be delivered to buildings soon!
Model Curriculum is Here
News from ODE
The ONLY item type that will no longer appear on the state assessments is the Constructed Response items where the students write/type in a justification using sentences.
Exceptions from this is the Writing component in the ELA assessments and, for a few high school students, the Physical Science assessment.
Click for more information from ODE
ALEKS Training
SMART Notebook Tip!
Summer Opportunities and Engagement Fair
Literacy in Math
Here are 5 great strategies you can to teach literacy in math. To view more information and helpful strategies, check out the entire article on Math Geek.
1.Teach Math Vocabulary
2. Use Schema (a.k.a prior knowledge)
3. Make Connections
4. Make predictions
5. Teach kids to visualize
UDL Toolkit Website of the Month: UDL Connect
- Math articles
- Designing UDL in math
- Improving basic math instruction
- Math dictionaries
- Supports for written math such as MathType
- Software reviews
- Math playground to practice skills
And much more. Check the website out at UDL Connect.