1. Lower School Coffee February 4, 2015 SMI - Math
Sheena Hall – Director of the Lower School
Bill Ennist – Assistant Head of School for Academics
Joe Vignolini – TK-12 Mathematics Department Chair
Carolyn Pitches, Maureen Sidor – LS Math Specialist
Kim Dewar, Shannon Titmas, Jeanine Schwartz – LC Specialists

2. 1. Flint Hill School is committed to the Investigations approach; deep thoughtful mathematics that helps student develop enduring understanding of mathematical concepts through multiple strategies.
2. SMI enhances the Investigations materials, by providing us individualized targeted skills and concepts.
3. All results tell a different story and are part of multiple inputs we use to teach a child

3. Scholastic Mathematics Inventory
WHAT is SMI?
Scholastic Mathematics Inventory
An objective and adaptive assessment of a student’s readiness for mathematics instruction from Kindergarten through Algebra II
IT IS NOT cumulative, but formative assessment.
It helps identify the degree to which students are ready for instruction on certain mathematical concepts and skills.

4. It can provide targeted support for students at their readiness level.
And help monitor growth as a gauge of students’ developing understandings of mathematics in relation to the objective measure of algebra readiness and Algebra II completion.

5. SMI is completed on the Ipad or MacBook and can take between 20–40 minutes.
Students engage with at least 25 and as many as 45 test items that follow a consistent four-option, multiple-choice format.
SMI also gives us data that includes how long the student spends on test and each question - which can correlate to results. It also aids in identifying individual student needs.

6. This is a snapshot of the child that can help to flexibly group in grade 3-4 and to differentiate in grade 1-2 to help develop the child.
Students’ Quantile measures indicate their readiness for instruction on skills and concepts within a range of 50Q above and below their Quantile measure.
Students should be successful at independent practice with skills and concepts that are about 150Q to 250Q below their Quantile measure.

7. Limitations
SMI is one source of evidence about a student’s mathematical understandings.
Obviously, impactful decisions are best made when using multiple sources of evidence.
Other sources include student classwork, homework, unit assessment results, student motivation, and teacher judgment and observation.
One measure of student performance, taken on one day, is never sufficient to make high-stakes, student specific decisions.

8. THE SMI - screenshot of progression and image.
860
775

9. THE SMI - screenshot of progression and image.

10. 850
625
495
550

11. WHERE do we go from here?
Sometime past spring break when a grade takes the 3rd test we will meet parents by grade level and discuss the results. The SMI will be given to grades 1-6 this year (1-8 next year) but we will sending results for grade 3-6 home. The grade 1-2 results will be evaluated but may not be very useful in terms of development of the child.
You will be informed by teachers before each SMI to help you “prepare” children - what does that mean? scores may be influenced by many factors etc…
Sleep
Eating right
Having a good mindset
- be focused - be positive - be ready.

12. What about Fluency – it is done deliberate way.
Fact fluency is best defined as Computational Fluency - more than memorized…
The National Mathematics Advisory Panel report (2008, p. xix) recommended the following:
To prepare students for Algebra, the curriculum must simultaneously develop
1. conceptual understanding
2. computational fluency
3. problem-solving skills

13. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics - Principles and Standards for School Mathematics states, “Computational fluency refers to having efficient and accurate methods for computing. Students exhibit computational fluency when they demonstrate flexibility in the computational methods they choose, understand and can explain these methods, and produce accurate answers efficiently. The computational methods that a student uses should be based on mathematical ideas that the student understands well, including the structure of the base-ten number system, properties of multiplication and division, and number relationships” (p. 152)

14. Fluency encompasses more than memorizing facts and procedures.
Focusing on efficiency rather than speed means valuing students’ ability to use strategic thinking to carry out a computation without being hindered by many unnecessary or confusing steps in the solution process. Accuracy extends beyond just getting the correct answer. It involves considering the meaning of an operation, recording work carefully, and asking oneself whether the solution is reasonable.
Fluency encompasses more than memorizing facts and procedures.
By NCTM President Linda M. Gojak
NCTM Summing Up, November 1, 2012

15. Questions….