Freshman Parent Night Math & ELA September 17, 2015

Why doesn’t the math my child is doing look like the math I did in high school? O Think about how much the world has changed since you were in high school… O For your child to succeed in today’s world, arithmetic skills alone are no longer enough. O The mathematics needs to prepare your students for the new basic skills, such as solving real world problems, explaining their thinking to others, identifying trends in data, and of course, using modern technology.

What? My child can write in their textbook? O Yes! They are not lying to you. The textbook your child receives is consumable. Your child is free to write, sketch, cut, paste, highlight, and draw throughout the course.

Why is my child spending class time on the computer? This is called a blended curriculum. Curriculum in context is accessible to a wide range of student abilities, which provides “success for all.” Classroom (60%) Computer Lab (40%)

Classroom – 60% O The classroom will be student-centered O Your child will spend time having conversations about mathematics. “How” and “why” will be questions that are asked regularly. They will no longer simply just memorize procedures. O Your child will spend time writing about mathematics, not just simply writing a numerical solution. O There may be times in class that your student will also have presentations.

Computer Lab – 40% O The Cognitive Tutor provides differentiated instruction to your child. O There are step-by-step example problems to guide your students before independent work. O There are also hints available if they are working and get stuck. O With built in progress monitoring your child will always know where they are in their current understanding of the learning by looking at the Skillometer. New problems are always based on individual student needs.

Where can I find more information about Carnegie Learning? Go to Click on the Resources & Support tab. Click on the Parent Resources tab. Visit the Home Connections page, which can be found by clicking the purple box at the bottom of the Parent Resources page.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & READING Parent Night September 17, 2015

GRADE 9 CURRICULUM OFFERINGS COURSE TITLEGRADE LEVEL ENGLISH I9 ENGLISH I HONORS9 ENGLISH II9-10 ENGLISH II HONORS9-10

9 TH GRADE PROGRESS MONITORING ELA PCS C OMMON A SSESSMENT (Write Score) O All students in grades 9-10 via ELA courses O C YCLE 1- S EPT. 22- O CT. 24 O C YCLE 2- D EC. 14- J AN. 25 S CHOLASTIC R EADING I NVENTORY (SRI) O All students scoring at Levels 1 or 2 via reading intervention or content reading course O C YCLE 1- A UG. 31- S EPT 11 O C YCLE 2- J AN. 11- J AN 22 O C YCLE 3- M AY 16- M AY 27

9 th GRADE STATE ASSESSMENT FSA Assessment FSA Assessment All students 9-10 FSA W RITING G RADE 6-10 FSA W RITING G RADE 6-10 February 29 th - March 11 th FSA ELA G RADES 6-10 FSA ELA G RADES 6-10 April 11 th - May 6 th

T HE AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT READING OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL IS IMPORTANT ! Think about this: a student who reads 21 minutes per day outside of school reads almost 2 million words per year, whereas a student who reads less than a minute per day outside of school reads only 8,000 to 21,000 words per year. Here are some ways to support wide reading beyond the school day: O Encouraging your student to read a variety of different materials O Discussing stories or articles you have both read O Asking your student questions about what was read O Encouraging your student to write in response to what was read O Ensure your student reads widely—encourage them to read and research about a topic of interest or inquiry.

E VERY Q UESTION C OUNTS ! Part of literacy progress is learning how to think as you read. Asking questions supports learning how to think. Examples of some questions you might ask your student before, during, or after they read might be: O What was the most significant concept from the text? O What do you think will happen next? O Did you learn about anything that impacts your life? O What was your favorite part of the story? O How did the characters change over time? O Does this text remind you of something that you’ve read before? How?

RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES STATE RESOURCES   parents can find information on current Florida school policy, assessment, state publications and reports.   a wealth of information covering a range of topics including assessment schedules, information for families, student accommodations, training tests, test design summaries and test item specifications by grade level with accompanying sample test items (updated March 2015).  flstandards.org:  flstandards.org: information on the Florida standards

RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES DISTRICT RESOURCES  focus.pcsb.org:  focus.pcsb.org: Library Resources—including but not limited to: Gale, Destiny, Learn 360, MackinVIA, Visual Thesaurus, Cranium Core, Brain POP, Lexile, Wordle, Florida Memory Project NATIONAL RESOURCES O 09 O 09: National PTA four page brochure with details for parents on student success with the standards