News

CSDE Launches Grades 3-5 Model Math Curricula and 6-8 Model Math Curricula Publisher Alignment Guides 

The second phase of Connecticut Model Math Curricula is now available for district access and implementation. This phase includes the release of the grades 3-5 Model Math units of study with embedded financial literacy tasks. In addition, publisher alignment guides of high-quality vetted resources have been added to the 6-8 Model Math curricula. Both are designed to assist districts in implementing high quality, high impact mathematics curricula. All model curricula are available through GoOpenCT, Connecticut's open education resource digital library. The Academic Office has created an updated CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start Guide and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to support districts access. All inquiries can be directed to Chief Academic Officer Irene Parisi at Irene.Parisi@ct.gov. 

WestEd is running an IES study in New England of MathByExample, which are supplemental lessons for 4th and 5th-grade students. They are seeking educators in Connecticut who might be interested in hearing from their study team. Please see this website which further describes the program and study details. If interested, feel free to reach out directly to Kirk Walters.

Southern Connecticut State University is sponsoring a Mathematical Puzzle Programs (MaPP) High School Challenge! 

Join us at SCSU on March 16th, 2023 for a competition for teams of 4-8 high school students, supported by the SCSU Mathematics Department and STEM Innovations and Leadership. Any high school in Connecticut is welcome to participate. We expect most participating schools to bring one team, but where there is exuberant interest or a large math team, a school may bring multiple teams.  Click here for details - https://inside.southernct.edu/mathematics/mapp.

• AP Precalculus Webinar 
  

   

  • Expand AP with Impact: Bringing AP Precalculus to Your School, Wednesday, February 15^th,  4:00PM to 5:00pm
  • AP Precalculus prepares a wide range of students to succeed in math they’ll encounter in college
  • Join us to learn how you can bring AP Precalculus to your school in the 2023-24 school year
  • This session will include an overview of course content as well as strategies for how you can offer this course to a diverse group of students next year.  There will be time for questions, and we encourage all schools/districts to invite their math team as well as anyone involved in advanced coursework. 
  • Please register in advance to receive the Zoom link for the webinar here: Registration Link
•  

AP Computer Science Principles Webinar

• Expand AP with Impact: Increase Opportunities for Students through AP Computer Science Principles,Thursday, February 16^th, 2:00PM to 2:45PM 
• • Please join us for this forty-five minute webinar featuring Isaiah Houtman, AP Computer Science Principles teacher at New Bedford High School (MA), and his students, as they share their experiences in this popular course.
  • AP Computer Science Principles is designed to attract a more diverse group of students by focusing on collaboration, creativity, and student choice in project selection.
  • This webinar is intended for counselors, teachers, and administrators at both current AP Computer Science Principles schools and new adopters to show how you can encourage students to enroll in the course and increase access for all students.
  • Please register in advance to receive the Zoom link for the webinar here: Registration Link

Hi mathematics educators!

We hope you had a restful holiday season and we are excited for 5 fantastic workshops over the next 5 months, starting with one led by our own Scott Kapralos in 2 weeks. This exciting session will utilize data science tools to analyze skin tone representation in the media. See below for registration link and more information.

 1/24 Registration

Workshop Title: Quantifying and Analyzing Skin Tone Representation in Popular Media

Date/Time: Tuesday, January 24th, 6:30-8:00pm (EST) via Zoom

Presenter: Scott Kapralos, CREC

Description: Data Science is a burgeoning field of both study and opportunities for employment. But what does data science look like in a math classroom and how does this intersect with Social Justice? Join us as we investigate how colorism may play a role in popular media by analyzing media “manually” and with data science tools. This will lead us to ask “Does a disparity in skin tone representation exist in the media? What does this mean? What other questions or lines of inquiry could we pursue with these tools?” While this workshop is intended for adult learners, the content can be adjusted to meet the needs of students and extensive resources will be shared if you want to incorporate this in more depth in your classroom.

Sacred Heart University (SHU), home to CS-PLAN offers an array of professional learning opportunities for K-12 educators. As a CODE.org Regional Partner, applications for the summer cohort of Code.org professional learning workshops are now open. Partial scholarships are available to teachers serving underrepresented students wishing to pursue professional learning for Computer Science Discoveries (CSD), Computer Science Principles (CSP), and Computer Science A (CSA). Use this link to apply for scholarships.

Through CS-PLAN elementary teachers learn to conduct PD’s at their school for K-5 content teachers integrating computer science into core subjects. SHU also offers professional learning opportunities in Data Science Integration, Robotics and Automated Systems, and The Internet of Things. Districts can participate in CSforALL’s SCRIPT program, a workshop for teachers and administrators to design a K-12 CS pathway. 

CS-PLAN Workshops will take place June 26-30, 2023 on the West Campus of SHU and some programming may be delivered directly on site in your district. To learn more about these programs please visit and apply on the CS-PLAN landing page or reach out to Susan Auchincloss at auchinclosss@sacredheart.edu.

Welcome back from break. Now that the new year is here the time is NOW to get your students excited about the 4th annual Lt. Governor's Computing Challenge! Not sure what to do or how to get started? CodeJoy is offering some exciting new ways to engage in the Computing Challenge, no matter your codeing experience level! These opportunities include interactive virtual field trips for students (requiring NO PREP from teachers!), and live virtual PD for teachers. Thanks to our sponsors, all of these experiences have been made available for FREE to Connecticut educators and classrooms! The attached flyer has more information and links to join. In addition, the Lt. Governor's Computing Challenge website is loaded with resources to help you help your students submit to the challenge so be sure to check it out!

The Teaching and Learning Unit of the Academic Office at the Connecticut State Department of Education is committed to keeping our stakeholders up to date on important information. Please see below for pertinent information:

Lt. Governor's Computing Challenge: In celebration of Computer Science Education Week, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz launched the 4^th annual Lt. Governor’s Computing Challenge at Smith Elementary School in New Britain, CT. The event can be viewed by selecting https://ct-n.com/ondemand.asp?ID=21203. The Challenge will accept submissions until April, 28, 2022. New this year is a partnership with CodeJoy that will provide free professional development for teachers as well as student sessions! See the attached flyer for more information. Go to www.ltgovcc.org to register for these sessions, to view additional resources and for more information about the Challenge. Let’s get all Connecticut students Coding for Good. 

SDE Releases 2021-22 Next Generation Accountability Results: The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) released results from the 2021-22 Next Generation Accountability System on December 8, 2022. See full press release here: CSDE Announcement: Accountability Results Show the Pandemic Impacted Indicators Beyond Test Scores. 

State Summative Assessment Calendar: To assist districts with planning their calendars, attached is the State Summative Assessment Calendar for Connecticut public schools for the 2023-24 school year. Please direct any questions regarding this assessment calendar to the Performance Office at 860-713-6860 or CTStudentAssessment@ct.gov.  

Reminder: Fund for Teachers Application: Teachers from public schools, including those in Alliance districts, Turnaround and Focus schools, and Charter Schools are encouraged to apply for a grant for up to $5,000 for an individual professional learning experience and up to $10,000 for a team. The grant requires no support funding from the school district, nor does it require substitute coverage as the fellowships are to occur during the summer months.  

 Information about Fund for Teachers and the application process can be found at fundforteachers.org.  Attached is an informational brochure that may be distributed to your teachers.  Please share this information with your district and building administrators who might use it to inform teachers of this grant opportunity.  Grant proposals are due by January 19, 2023. For further information about Fund for Teachers, please contact Dr. Dale Bernardoni, FFT CT Managing Director, dale@fundforteachers.org, 203-671-3052. 

National Geographic Webinar: Scheduled for this Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 4:00 PM. The Webinar will be hosted by Dr. India White and focused on how to implement equitable math practices in the classroom. Dr. White is on the Board of NCTM and is the Equity Chairperson for the council. Please forward this email to any educators and administrators who might be interested. The webinar can be accessed through this link.

In this webinar, educators and administrators will learn how to:

• Define equity in the classroom
• Ensure equitable math instruction
• Advocate for equitable educational experiences that provide all with the opportunity to pursue the best versions of themselves.

3M TWIST: The 3M TWIST program allows K-12, math, science, and technology teachers to spend six weeks during the summer working closely with a 3M host on an actual 3M research project. The objective is to provide active and challenging technical experiences for teachers in an industrial setting.  The attached the flier that gives some high-level information about the program.  The direct link to the application is TWIST2023.

The target audience includes all teachers (K-12) in the science, math, and tech ed teachers, so feel free to spread the word to colleagues.

You can also get information from the website:  www.3M.com/TWIST.

Lt. Governor's Computing Challenge: 

Please see the attached flyer for information about the launch of this annual event. This is a great way take computer science education beyond CS Eduation Week and Hour of Code. This year there will be opportunities for live student events and teacher professional development so stay tuned and check out www.ltgovcc.org regularly.

Milton Fisher Scholarship: 

The Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity awards students who have found a distinctive solution to a problem faced by his/her family, school, community, or the world, or who have solved an artistic, scientific, or technical problem in a new or unusual way.  The Milton Fisher Scholarship is a FOUR-YEAR SCHOLARSHIP of up to $20,000 (up to $5,000 per year for four years).  It is open to HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS AND SENIORS and COLLEGE FRESHMEN in Connecticut and the New York Metropolitan area, as well as students from outside the region going to college in Connecticut or the New York City area. 

This is a wonderful opportunity for any creative and innovative high school students you may know.  More information and the online application can be found at mfscholarship.org.  Interested applicants must complete the online application on or before May 5, 2023.  Supplemental materials must be submitted electronically and include a school transcript, letters of support, financial information, a letter of acceptance from college (if applicable) and any other supporting materials. 

Please feel free to contact  info@mfscholarship.org if you have additional questions