Change: Let Us Be Aware of the Treasures It Can Bring Emma Ames Mary Jo Messenger 1

2 Student Success Is Our Treasure  It depends not only on teaching students skills, but also making them true learners who can read, solve problems, and work with each other and their teachers in a positive learning environment where they can develop confidence in their abilities.  HSA Scores are one important way that we measure success for our algebra students.

3 What Needs to Change?

4 Success Depends on Many People and Many Things  Community Support  Classroom and Curricular Essentials  School Essentials  Teacher Qualities and Behaviors

5 Community Support Feeder Middle Schools Need to Prepare Students Well  Students should come with a good work ethic  Teachers have prepared them with a good foundation

6 Community Support Students Are Motivated to Learn  Well-behaved committed students  Students need to feel connect to a community of learners  It’s all about heart  Gifted Hands

7 Classroom and Curriculum Essentials  Students need to take the course that is the right level of mathematics.

8 Classroom and Curriculum Essentials  The “Algebra Seminar” course is available for students who need extra support in their study of algebra.

9 Classroom and Curriculum Essentials  Teachers need to cover the curriculum in a timely fashion.

10 Classroom and Curriculum Essentials  Reading and writing must be emphasized.

Are Calculators Being Used By All Algebra Teachers?

12 Classroom and Curriculum Essentials  Calculators must be available for daily use in math classes.

13 Classroom and Curriculum Essentials  Make extra help available to assist students who need review and tutoring.

14 Classroom and Curriculum Essentials  Teachers should make extensive use of HSA review materials.

15 Classroom and Curriculum Essentials  Quiz and test questions must mirror the format of the HSA.

16 School Essentials  Administrators should handle discipline in effective, timely ways.  Administrators need to be attentive to the special scheduling needs of students who need extra support in preparing for the HSA.

17 School Essentials  Small class sizes (about 20 students) are ideal for meeting the needs of students who need extra support.

18 School Essentials  Special education/ESOL teachers or assistants should assist in classes where needed.

19 School Essentials  Administrators work to hire teachers with the right qualifications and characteristics.  Extra support is provided for teachers in their classroom.

20 School Essentials  Teachers need to feel they are part of a team of highly qualified, competent, and dedicated educators.

21 Teacher Qualities and Behaviors  Diagnostic tests should be administered by teachers at the beginning of the year to make sure that students are properly placed.

22 Teacher Qualities and Behaviors  Teachers administer and review results of county assessments.

23 Teacher Qualities and Behaviors  Teachers need to work together as an algebra team to plan for instruction, write assessments, and coordinate pacing throughout the year. They should share labs, projects, tests, reviews, etc.

24 “Students learn most effectively if they’re invited from the beginning to think in a sophisticated way about the underlying concepts.” Teaching is Extremely Complex

25 “The best kind of teaching takes its cue from the understanding that people are active learners. In such a classroom, students are constantly making decisions, becoming participants in their own education. Each is part of a community of learners, coming to understand ideas from the inside out with one another’s help. They still acquire facts and skills, but in a context and for a purpose. Their questions drive the curriculum.” Alfie Kohn, The Washington Post 10/10/99 Teaching is Extremely Complex

26 One Change That Can Bring Big Treasures: A Systematic Approach to HSA Preparation

27 Six years of data can help guide our preparation for the HSA. What should we expect?  How many student selected responses?  How many student produced responses?  How many brief constructed responses?  How many extended constructed responses?

28 Examining Each Indicator  Expect to understand how the indicator is assessed in terms of both item type and number of items.  Expect to see which of the indicators are linked together for the ECRs.

The student will recognize, describe, and/or extend patterns and functional relationships that are expressed numerically, algebraically, and/or geometrically. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will represent patterns and/or functional relationships in a table, as a graph, and/or by mathematical expression.. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will apply addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division of algebraic expressions to mathematical and real-world problems. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will describe the graph of a non-linear function and discuss its appearance in terms of the basic concepts of maxima and minima, zeros (roots), rate of change, domain and range, and continuity. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will determine the equation for a line, solve linear equations, and/or describe the solutions using numbers, symbols, and/or graphs. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will solve linear inequalities and describe the solutions using numbers, symbols, and/or graphs. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will solve and describe using numbers, symbols, and/or graphs if and where two straight lines intersect. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will describe how the graphical model of a non- linear function represents a given problem and will estimate the solution. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will apply formulas and/or use matrices (arrays of numbers) to solve real-world problems. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will design and/or conduct an investigation that uses statistical methods to analyze data and communicate results. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will use the measures of central tendency and/or variability to make informed conclusions. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will calculate theoretical probability or use simulations or statistical inference from data to estimate the probability of an event. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will make informed decisions and predictions based upon the results of simulations and data from research. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will interpret data and/or make predictions by finding and using a line of best fit and by using a given curve of best fit. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

The student will communicate the use and misuse of statistics. YearSRSPRBCRECR Expect

44 SPRs - The Indicators Used for Assessment Year Expect

45 BCRs - The Indicators Used for Assessment Year Expect

46 ECRs - The Indicators Used for Assessment Year1.1.1 & & & & & Expect

47 Preparing Students for the HSA  Administer a practice HSA in April so that you can identify at-risk students and identify indicators that need to be emphasized.  Use the results of this practice test to create individual plans for at-risk students.

48 In Pursuit of Success  The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs... one step at a time. Joe Girard  The first requisite for success is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies to one problem incessantly without growing weary. Thomas A. Edison

49 A Final Thought… Change is a door that can only be opened from the inside. Terry Neil

50 HSA Prep Resources messengerconnection.com Look under teacher resources.