Is today’s math preparing your child for tomorrow’s world? November 19,2014

Objective: To share the rationale behind the decision to pilot a new math program in Hanover. This evening we will discuss:  Background on Common Core State Standards and expectations  The development of Vision 2020  Our current elementary math pilot program - enVisionMATH

A little Background….  By the 90’s most states had a set of standards but they were all different  Often the standards were long lists of concepts to be taught- too many expectations in each subject/grade  Lead to teachers choosing which standards to include/not include…leading to even more inconsistencies  12 th grade was often thought of as end point instead of thinking how to build a K-12 system that supports college and career expectations  2007 educational standards started to be updated to reflect new information about what it means to be college and career ready  Shared standards help prepare our students to compete internationally  New standards are connected from grade to grade and home in on specific areas for each grade level, allowing children to truly master concepts before moving on  Students now explain their thinking, work with others and can be resourceful when new or unknown problems arise known as 21 st century skills Old Standards Common Core State Standards

21 st Century Skills Set of abilities that students need to develop in order to succeed in the information age. o Critical Thinking- analyzing, argue, classify, compare and contrast, describe, evaluate, explain, problem solve o Creative Thinking- brainstorming, designing, imagining, problem solving, questioning o Collaborating- decision-making, delegating, evaluating, goal setting, leading,managing time, team building o Communicating- taking turns, listening actively, speaking, reading, writing, analyzing the situation

 The Common Core State Standards set grade-by- grade learning expectations for students in grades K-12 for Mathematics and for English Language Arts and Literacy.  While states have had standards for more than 15 years, this set of standards is more focused on preparing students for success in college and career. They set clear, consistent and high learning goals.  The Standards allow for more time to focus on preparing students for college and career readiness.

Vision 2020  In October 2013, Leadership Team began discussions around strengths, challenges, and sustainability within current programming.  Based on these discussions, feedback from teachers, summative data trends over time, various town reports, community concerns, and the release of the 2011 CCSS it was clear math needed to be a top priority.

V2020 Process… Pilot Selection Process October 2013-July 2014  Vision 2020 plan presented to School Committee, staff, and community.  Vision 2020 survey developed (Questions pertained to current program strengths and challenges and ideal characteristics).  All math teachers and support staff were asked to participate in the survey (92% responded).  Survey was reviewed and summarized for staff and School Committee (Summary sent to all staff).  Vision 2020 Math Leadership Committee was created (Volunteer staff and administrators).  Surveyed surrounding towns on the current programs they are using and for how long.  Analyzed high achieving towns based on overall math MCAS scores, researched math programs utilized, and for how long.  Using the information from this research, multiple publishers were contacted to begin our review of materials.  Integrated the revised NCTM Principles and Standards document to guide us in the selection of a challenging and developmentally appropriate math curriculum.  Read and discussed all relevant reviews on the programs included in the vetting process.  Broke up into two teams; grades K-5 and grades 6-8.  Created a “checklist” based on research by the Education Development Center to assist with the vetting process.

V2020 Process cont’d  Several teachers “tried out” lessons from each of these programs.  Textbook companies presented their programs to our teams.  The grade K-5 & grade 6-8 math teams narrowed down the programs to their top two selections.  Site visits were set up for both the grade K–5 and grade 6-8 teams to see the programs “in action” and discuss strengths and weaknesses.  The grade K-5 team decided to pilot enVisionMATH 2015 edition (Pearson) and the grade 6-8 team chose to pilot CMP edition (Pearson).  Pilot proposal was completed (July 2014) and our pilot “roll out” plan was finalized.  Pearson shipped materials for two teachers at each grade level, at each school, K-8 to pilot beginning in September  Professional Development for pilot teachers took place in early September and a follow up day was conducted in November for both teams. (Two teachers at each grade level, at each school)  Pilot began

enVisionMATH 2015 Background:  Written specifically to address the CCSSM  The authors include experts that helped shape the CCSSM  Tiered system of supports to reach all students with the right amount of support and challenge  Powerful in concept-development and grounded on big ideas of mathematics and related essential understandings  Emphasizes conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application of concepts in real-world, problem solving situations  PearsonRealize.com – includes lessons, assessments, games, math tools

From a teacher’s perspective…  Lesson outline  What does my child see?  Home School Connection  Assessment  View “inquiry” engagement piece

What’s happening now? Current Pilot Activities (November 2014)  Regular updates about our progress have been presented at School Committee meetings and Curriculum Nights.  Community Forums for sharing information and gathering feedback conducted in November  A schedule of “open math classes” was created to allow for non-piloting staff to go in and observe the programs “in action”.  Pilot teachers meet once a month to share their experiences, impressions, and reflections. These discussions are then shared at faculty meetings and in- service days. Next Steps (December 2014-January 2015)  Non-pilot teachers will continue to be invited in to observe lessons.  Our full Committee and grade level teams will continue to meet to support one another, reflect on program strengths and weaknesses, and discuss facilitation success and challenges. (Collaboration Schedule)

To Summarize: Indicators change is necessary: o Summative data trends over time, feedback from teachers, community concerns, and the release of the new standards o Math scores are not where they should be o Current resources (Expressions 2009) was built using old standards Goal: To better prepare our children for college and career. To build and develop capacity for critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving, and application of mathematics to real-world issues and challenges.

Questions? Debbie St. Ives, Assistant Superintendent Nancy Dutton, Elementary Math Coach

Additional Resources:  Council of the Great City Schools Parent Roadmaps: Math ELA / Literacy National Parent Teachers Association (PTAhttp://pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2583http://pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2583 Achieve the Core Common Core State Standards Text Exemplarshttp://