Elementary Math Updates
January 14, 2019
NEW Monthly Test-Taking Tips to Support Online Testing!
Prepare now.
Administer formative assessments online regularly.
Assign CMS Topic and Quarter Schoolnet Assessments.
NCDPI K-2 Midyear Formative Assessments
When Should Students Stop Using Manipulatives in Elementary Classrooms?
- Stage 1- The student needs to manipulate (touch) the model to make sense of the mathematics.
- Stage 2- The student can look at a model and mentally rearrange or move the model.
- Stage 3- The student can refer to a partial model (representation of one part) and imagine the rest of the model.
- Stage 4- The student can think about or visualize what is happening just by looking at symbols. The student can use a model to show the origin of solutions.
When introducing new and/or challenging math concepts, you may find that a large percent of your students fall into either Stage 1 or Stage 2 modeling. Continued use of appropriate manipulatives (physical representations) and tools will help students develop mental referents that they can retrieve later, gradually moving them to Stages 3 and 4. Consistent connections of concrete models to corresponding visual (pictorial), symbolic (abstract or numerical), verbal and contextual representations will help students move quickly through these stages.
In other words, allow student use of manipulatives as needed. For Grades K-2, permit student use of concrete objects and tools during instruction and assessment. In Grades 3-5, encourage manipulative use until conceptual understanding is developed and/or strategy usage is solid. We do not promote an over-reliance on manipulatives. However, we do advocate student demonstration of understanding until fluency with computations and facts are achieved. This requires multiple experiences manipulating objects (Stage 1) until those experiences become files that are quickly retrieved from students' mental file cabinets.
Assessing Math Concepts Anywhere (AMC)
The Learning and Teaching Department renewed a limited number of subscriptions to Assessing Math Concepts (AMC) through the 2019-2020 academic year. The subscription is intended to provide a diagnostic assessment for K-3 students who are candidates for a supplemental or intensive MTSS plan in the area of mathematics. This assessment does not replace NC ENSI as the normed progress monitoring tool, but it does allow teachers to access more specific "drill-down" data regarding students’ instructional needs.
Professional Development
NC ENSI Training
Friday, Feb 1, 2019, 08:30 AM
Bishop Spaugh Administrative Center, 1901 Herbert Spaugh Lane, Charlotte, NC 28208, USA
NC ENSI Training
Friday, Feb 1, 2019, 12:30 PM
Bishop Spaugh Administrative Center, 1901 Herbert Spaugh Lane, Charlotte, NC 28208, USA
Q.T.E.L. Training for Elementary: Academic Achievement for ELs
Register for Q.T.E.L. training in MyTalent using course # 420034.
Tuesday, Jan 15, 2019, 08:30 AM
Smith Family Center, 1600 Tyvola Road, Charlotte, NC 28210, USA
Foundations of Math Training
NOTE: The CMS session is full. However, additional opportunities to participate are listed below. Contact the Lead Facilitator if you are interested.
Foundations of Math (Gaston County)
Event Dates (Second Option): 1/16, 1/23, 1/29, 2/1 and 2/6
Lead Facilitator's Name: Jennifer Hamrick
Lead Facilitator's Email Address: jlwirthamrick@gaston.k12.nc.us
Tuesday, Jan 15, 2019, 08:30 AM
#1 Learning Place EC Training Room, Gastonia, NC 28052
Foundations of Math (Cabarrus County)
Event Dates: 1/31, 2/13, 2/28, 3/20 and 4/11
Lead Facilitator's Name: Nancy Jones
Lead Facilitator Email Address: nancy.jones@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Thursday, Jan 31, 2019, 08:30 AM
Cabarrus Education Center, 4401 Old Airport Rd., Concord, NC 28025
Foundations of Math (Catawba County)
Lead Facilitator's Name: Selena Teague
Lead Facilitator's Email Address: selena_teague@catawbaschools.net
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019, 08:30 AM
Mill Creek Middle School, 1041 Shiloh Rd, Claremont, NC 28610, USA
Additional Professional Learning Opportunities
Building Procedural Skill and Fluency from Conceptual Understanding
Mark your calendars! Jennifer Bay-Williams- an enVisionmath2.0 author, University of Louisville professor, a leading author of Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally (10th edition) and math expert- will be engaging CMS math leaders in a one-time, professional learning experience focused on equity-based practices that build fluency from conceptual understanding for ALL students. *Please join us February 15 at the next Math Teacher Leader Meeting for an incredible day of collaboration and learning.