Michigan's new assessment system

Michigan is one of the governing states of the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), one of two multistate consortia awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Education to develop an assessment system based on the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS). To achieve the goal that all students leave high school ready for college and career, SBAC is committed to ensuring that assessment and instruction embody the CCSS and that all students, regardless of disability, language, or subgroup status, have the opportunity to learn this valued content and show what they know
and can do.
With strong support from participating states, institutions of higher education, and industry, SBAC will develop a balanced set of measures and tools, each designed to serve specific purposes. Together, these components will provide student data throughout the academic year that will inform instruction, guide interventions, help target professional development, and ensure an accurate measure of each student’s progress toward career and college readiness.

• Check out SBAC's Summary of Core Components to learn more about Michigan's new assessment system to be implemented starting 2014.
• Learn about SBAC's interim goals, accomplishments, and current action items in their April 2011 Quarterly Report
  

What are the Department of Education's priorities?

On Friday, April 15, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke at the 2011 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) annual meeting. The nation's number one advocate for education summarized the Department of Education's priorities and its blueprint for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind), as well as the need for programs like Race to the Top.
Curious about these priorities and how they will affect your district and school in the next several years? Watch the Secretary's presentation to find out more (you'll have to scroll down a bit).

Flatland: The Movie - the power of storytelling in math (especially geometry)

Flatland, a classic novel from 1884, is a story about A. Square, an inhabitant of a two-dimensional world who visits other dimensions. On Wednesday, April 13, Jeffrey Travis, director of the IMAX 3-D movie Flatland: The Movie kicked off the 2011 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) annual meeting by showing clips from the movie and discussing the power of storytelling in mathematics and in geometry in particular.
You won't be equipped with the 3D glasses that conference attendees wore during the presentation, but you can still watch and enjoy the mathematical connections that Jeffrey Travis makes within the world of Flatland.

Happy Pi Day!

What should you do to celebrate? Here are a few ideas reported in The Chicago Tribune:

In an after-school pi event at Walter Payton College Prep, students will throw hot dogs on a floor marked with evenly spaced parallel lines. Why? Because the proportion of hot dogs that cross the lines when they fall works out to be approximately one over pi, said Payton mathematics chairman Paul Karafiol.

One highlight of many Pi Day events is a competitive recitation of the numerous digits of pi, which modern computers have calculated to a trillion decimal places.

If reciting numbers or tossing meat aren't really your thing, then there are surely any number of other things you can do to celebrate pi. For example, a musician named Michael Blake set pi to music, creating a lovely and complex melody.

If you're not as ambitious as Blake, then just take a few minutes to watch his brief video. Consider it a fitting homage to the beauty of pi.

Reposted from Change the Equation

Is your school graduating students who are college and career ready?

If you'd like to compare your high school's student percent scoring proficient on the MME to the student percent scoring proficient on the ACT College and Career Ready Benchmarks, check out the newly posted comparison document on MDE's website.
How do your school's percentages compare?
As we move toward the new assessment system under Common Core, our schools' scores will more closely align to that reported through the ACT College and Career Ready Benchmarks.
How can we increase the percentage of students who are assessed at the "proficient" level?

March's Workgroup: Differentiating Instruction in K-5 Mathematics

• Are you a K-5 math teacher who wants to know more about effectively differentiating mathematics instruction?

• Do you wonder about what the research says for differentiating mathematics instruction?

If so, come to March’s Math Workgroup at Kalamazoo RESA.

Tuesday, March 8

4:30-6:30 pm

We will spend time exploring the research-based Concrete-Representational-Abstract instructional sequence.

The C-R-A sequence has proven to assist all students in better understanding mathematics – at all levels.

We will explore the C-R-A instructional sequence using two common models: Bar Models and 10-frames. Both models can be used across grades K-5 mathematics

Light refreshments will be provided free of charge but feel free to bring your own snack as well.

HURRY! Registration is limited to 50 people!

In order for us to get an accurate count for materials and refreshments, complete the short form at: http://tinyurl.com/math-workgroup

by the Friday prior to the Math Workgroup monthly meeting: March 4, 2011.

CCSS-M: What, How, When and How about YOU!

The Center on Instruction hosted a webinar on February 9, 2011, featuring Dr. Francis (Skip) Fennell who provided an overview of the Common Core State Standards and the intended impact on the field of mathematics. Both the archived WebEx file and the PowerPoint presentation used during the webinar are available to view and use.

WebEx: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics - What, How, When and How about YOU!

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics March Workshop

The Common Core State Standards for K-12 Mathematics were released in June 2010. Michigan has adopted the Common Core.

But where does that leave us?

Kalamazoo RESA invites you to attend a one-day workshop on March 22, 2011 to explore the answers to this question.

District or school teams of teachers, instructional leaders, and administrators will begin to answer these important questions:

· How does the Common Core for Math compare to Michigan’s GLCE and HSCE for math?

· When will we be expected to fully implement the Common Core?

· What type of PD is available for us to be trained in the Common Core?

· What resources will we need to implement the Common Core?

· How will the Common Core affect assessments like the MEAP and MME?

· What will we have to change? What will stay the same?

Information and resources will be shared. Teams will work together to determine the impact of the Common Core and begin to develop a district- or school-wide strategic plan for implementation.

Register NOW!

Note: This is a repeat of the National Math Standards: The Common Core workshop that took place on September 22, 2010

New 4th Year Math Course Option - free training for teachers

"When will I ever use this?"
Do you find your students often asking this about the mathematics they are learning? If so, come check out a 4th year HS math course with real answers!

Kalamazoo RESA invites you to attend a FREE, 1-day workshop for High School Mathematics Teachers. Come explore a new MINDSET for mathematics teaching and learning that is applications-based & problem-driven. It focuses on Algebraic & Probabilistic Real-World Decision Models.

Schools who have teachers attend will be reimbursed up to $100 per teacher to cover substitute teacher costs.

Breakfast and Lunch Provided
Limited Availability — Register NOW!
Date: Friday, March 25, 2011; 8:30 am—3:30 pm Location: Kalamazoo RESA Registration Deadline: Friday, March 18, 2011
Register: http://bit.ly/KRESA-MINDSET

And, if you like what you see, MINDSET will pay for training and all teacher and student materials if your school implements during the 2011-12 school year.

MEAP & MME Cut Scores to be Raised

This Tuesday, Michigan's State Board of Educations passed a measure that will raise "cut scores" for being graded as proficient on Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests taken by elementary and middle school students and the Michigan Merit Exam taken by high school students. The new scoring scales for math, reading, writing, science and social studies tests could be adopted by June and go into effect during the 2011-12 academic year.

How will Michigan's students, teachers, and schools be affected? Check out a presentation to the State Board of Education outlining the potential impact of the increased cut scores.