Welcome to a new school year! The K-5 Illustrative Mathematics Consortium would like to welcome you to their first meeting. Please save the date for the first virtual meeting to be held Monday, November 22nd from 3:45 - 4:45.

One of the goals of this Consortium is to help educators navigate the glows and woes with implementation of the Illustrative Math K-5 resource in order to maximize its potential for student learning across the state.  They are looking forward to the collaborative work of our collective members this year as educators navigate the ongoing residual challenges from Covid 19 and the first year of implementation of IM. As a Consortium, they have been meeting and collaborating with educators of grades 6-8 since 2017, the first year of implementation for 6-8 Illustrative Mathematics. As this is the first year of the K-5 IM resource, they are excited to include the elementary community.

The challenges this year are greater than ever with many questions around unfinished learning and meeting the needs of our learners while ensuring focus on grade level content.The first meeting will be an opportunity for Illustrative Math K-5 users across the state to begin the conversation for collaborating and sharing best practices for the 2021-2022 school year.  This initial session is open to grades K-5 coaches and district leaders who are implementing the Illustrative Math resource.   

During this meeting, educators will reflect upon the implementation of the Illustrative Math resource this fall, continue to learn about available Illustrative Math resources, as well as collaborate in looking ahead at implementing Illustrative Math throughout the rest of the school year.  If you are using Illustrative Math in grades K-5 and can contribute to or benefit from collaborative work around implementation, you are encouraged join this productive session!  

The meeting will be held from 3:45 - 4:45 pm on Monday, November 22nd via google meet. 

If you plan on attending this meeting, please complete this form to RSVP for the November  CT Illustrative Math Consortium K-5 Meeting by Wednesday, November 17th.

The second session of the school year will take place next Tuesday (10/19) evening from 7:00-8:30pm (EST). Scott Kapralos will be sharing math lessons from CREC's first "Racial Justice Action Week" and lead a discussion about particular district data. See below for the registration link and full description. 

REGISTRATION

Title: Racial Justice Action Week

Date/Time: Tuesday, October 19th, 7:00-8:30pm (EST) via Zoom

Presenter: Scott Kapralos, CREC

Description: In February of 2021, the CREC Magnet Schools launched its first annual “Racial Justice Action Week.” Teachers were given lesson plans to implement in their classroom to investigate and act on a wide range of racial justice issues. Come join this session to see an overview of the math lessons provided to teachers and engage in inquiry about the racial and ethnic makeup of advanced level (AP/ECE/IB) courses in the CREC schools. Use this as a blueprint for having students investigate your own district’s data to determine if enough is being done to disrupt the patterns of racism and systemic bias that are pervasive in our schooling systems.

We know that great teaching can be found in every corner of the country and we need your help to find it! Show your appreciation by nominating a teacher for The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) – the highest honors bestowed on STEM educators by the United States government.

We encourage you to join us for a PAEMST Informational Webinar, where you can learn about the program and how to nominate outstanding STEM educators in your network. The webinar will be hosted on October 12th, at 6:00 PM ET. To register for the webinar, click here!

Should you have any questions, please reach out to info@paemst.org and a PAEMST Team Member will be happy to assist you.

Join Pittsburgh Steeler Josh Dobbs and NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker, and Soichi Noguchi for a discussion focused on their recent mission to space, the future of STEM and the importance of ensuring that space is for everyone.

Event Date:  Monday, September 27, 2021

Event Time:  6pm ET / 5pm CT

This event is in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Steelers, NASA, EverFi Character Playbook, and the Carnegie Science Center.

Registration Link:

https://everfi.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZQ9aby49RJy9u-JIS3xYNA

Olay Face the STEM Gap Role Model Event:

On Wednesday, September 15, 2021, Olay, in partnership with Million Women Mentors, will host a live, virtual event featuring an exceptional panel of women in STEM. It’s for high school girls and they have a chance to win $500 towards their STEM education. Please see the attached flyer and share with others.

MTC4SJ

MTC4SJ has a slate of 8 workshops for this school year - see attached flyer for the dates, titles, and speakers. Notice that if you attend at least 4 workshops this year, we will send you a MTC4SJ gift! The first workshop will be held on Tuesday, September 21, 2021 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. This session is about the formula used for distributing money to schools in Connecticut and the fairness of the various factors. The presenters will be Kaitlyn Seeto, Toby Way and Megan Staples from UConn. Use this link to register and for additional information.

NCSM

The NCSM Conference is now virtual with three virtual experiences. The cost is $40 for individuals and $60 for a group of any size to attend the 2 night celebrations. New registrations are being accepted HERE.

Virtual Experience #1

Virtual Pre-Conference Sessions 

Sunday, September 19, 2021 1:00-4:00 pm EDT

Enhance your NCSM conference learning experience by signing up to attend one of our virtual Sunday afternoon pre-conference sessions for leaders. These pre-conference sessions are a great way to kick off your conference experience, network with other leaders and take a deeper dive into our recent work and Essential Actions Series from NCSM.  For more information, visit the Pre-Conference tab.

Virtual Experience #2
NCSM Virtual Celebration (*New Event*)
Monday, September 20, 2021 & Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 6:30-9:00 p.m. EDT

NCSM will now offer a virtual celebration on Monday, September 20, 2021 and Tuesday, September 21, 2021 to build connections among our NCSM community, celebrate awardees, and to host live sessions from featured, nationally renowned mathematics speakers.  

Virtual Experience #3
Beyond the Conference: 2021
October 5, 2021-December 14, 2021 

#NCSMlive sessions every Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. EDT NCSM is pleased to announce a virtual conference learning experience, Beyond the Conference 2021. Additional information on Beyond the Conference 2021 can be found HERE.

IRWECA

The Institute for Real-World Education and Curriculum Advancement (IRWECA) is a partnership between the Biopath team at Southern Connecticut State University and the Connecticut State Department of Education; a Connecticut-wide initiative bringing education teams together with industry professionals to collaboratively generate interdisciplinary curriculum modules.

Teams must consist of at least 3 teachers, one of whom must be a CTE (Career and Technical Education teacher) and two must STEM teachers (i.e., Math, Science, or Computer Science). School counselors and Administrators and Teachers from other disciplines are encouraged to be part of the team. Additionally, teams will work with a curriculum specialist and industry professional, aligned with your interests and retained by the Biopath team at SCSU. For more information and to sign up for an information session, please visit https://biopath.southernct.edu/irweca/ and see the attached flyer.

Math Class: More Than Academics Join us for an upcoming webinar Tuesday, September 14, 2021 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET  In this webinar, you'll learn how the Standards for Mathematical Practice intersect with social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD) themes, and how they can be used together in lessons to create a learning environment that centers students and strong, grade-level mathematics instruction. You’ll be introduced to a lesson planning template that walks teachers through a planning process that incorporates SEAD into math lessons, and hear from educators about how they’ve used it to improve their instruction. This is the second webinar from our learning series on SEAD in mathematics. Those who attend both webinars on the topic (either live or on-demand) by September 24 will be invited to join a community of practice wherein grade-alike educators will discuss strategies for implementing SEAD into their math classrooms, and design lessons using the SEAD lesson planning template. Register Now

Assembled by Student Achievement Partners 75 Broad Street New York, New York 10004 a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

Hi mathematics educators!

We are excited to announce a slate of 8 MTC4SJ workshops for this school year - see attached flyer for the dates, titles, and speakers. Notice that if you attend at least 4 workshops this year, we will send you a MTC4SJ gift!

We are also proud to announce a partnership with ATOMIC to keep this important work moving forward =) We thank you all for your continued interest and please continue to share our website (bit.ly/mtc4sj) with colleagues and encourage them to sign up for our mailing list and utilize our resources.

Our first workshop will be held on Tuesday, September 21st about the formula used for distributing money to schools in Connecticut and the fairness of the various factors. See below for link to register and additional information.

 9/21/21 Registration

Date/Time: Tuesday, September 21; 6:30-8:00pm EST

Location: via Zoom, link sent morning of workshop if registered

Presenters: Kaitlyn Seeto, Toby Way, Megan Staples; UConn

Description: Did you know that Connecticut distributes $2 billion annually towards Connecticut schools? They use a formula for distribution called the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) Formula. As with any use of resources that gives different amounts to different constituents, a key question math can help us think about is: Is this fair? There are multiple factors accounted for in the formula. Are there more factors that should be considered? Are different weights appropriate? Such questions help us explore CT’s current policies and reflect on school funding. 

Schedule2122.pdf

*MTC 4 Social Justice Leadership Team*

Kyle Evans, Trinity College

Scott Kapralos, CREC

Gina Rivera, Bristol Public Schools

Megan Staples, UConn

Math Class: More Than Academics

Join us for an upcoming webinar Tuesday, August 24, 2021 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET In this webinar you will understand the need for a focus on social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD) in the context of math instruction, as well as the connections between SEAD and equitable practices for teaching and learning. Current teachers will share resources that support students' needs while engaging them in grade-level content. This webinar kicks off our learning series on SEAD in mathematics. Those who attend both webinars on the topic (either live or on-demand) by September 24 will be invited to join a community of practice wherein grade-alike educators will discuss strategies for implementing SEAD into their math classrooms, and design lessons using the SEAD lesson planning template.

Register Now

Good afternoon math colleagues—

 

As many of you are aware I have been working on updating the state model curricula.  I have gotten the 6-8 documents to a place where we are ready to get stakeholder feedback and I am hoping that you can help. Besides reviewing the 2 units that are posted for each grade and completing the survey yourself, I am asking that you consider sending this out to your distribution lists.  ATOMIC, CCLM and the RESC Math Councils are instrumental in moving math education forward in CT and I would eagerly invite feedback.  Thank you for your time and consideration.

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) believes that a robust, standards-aligned curricula must adhere to the following design principles:

• Focused: Builds upon and connects to prior knowledge providing aligned intentional learning targets focused on grade-appropriate educational standards describing what all students should know/understand/do to achieve future success in college, career, and life.
• Relevant: Engages students in reality-based experiences, explorations, inquiry, and models with multiple and varied opportunities to apply learning. Answers the questions of how this unit builds upon and connects to prior knowledge and how does it prepare the student for future learning.
• Flexible: Offers inherent flexibility allowing for anytime/anywhere personalized, student-centered learning incorporating opportunities for voice and choice to accelerate learning. Strategically blends with both in person and virtual learning approach to teaching and learning.
• Rigorous: Communicates high expectations and supports learning for historically marginalized students and provides high quality, high impact learning opportunities in all learning models (e.g., synchronous, asynchronous, face-to-face, hybrid or remote).
• Coherent: Connects and links learner goals, learner framework, vision or portrait of a learner/graduate.
• Diverse, Equitable, Inclusive: Includes opportunities to value and relate content to students’ cultures to celebrate the diversity of topics, students, cultures, and groups so that students can take perspective and develop a depth of understanding of the events presented. Teachers embrace difficult conversations, provide equal access, and ensure learning is culturally relevant and inclusive.

To assist districts in the creation of local curricula, a model curriculum for mathematics grades 6 – 8 has been developed. CSDE is seeking feedback from district, school, and classroom educators on this model curricula.  Two units from each grade are available for review here. Once you have reviewed the units we ask that you complete this survey so that we can compile all of the feedback and be attentive to the needs of the districts.  The survey will close on October 15, 2021.

Click HERE for additional information and registration for FREE Face-to-Face High-quality Professional Development from Texas Instruments.  You have a choice of August 10 in Pomfret, CT or August 12 in West Springfield, MA.  Space is limited!