February 5th, 2016
A Word (or many words) on Math
For this midyear issue, let’s talk about math–specifically, Common Core math. Students continue to fare poorly on math state exams across the country because they’re tested on CCLS skills they were never adequately taught. And we cannot possibly expect schools to fully teach CCLS math unless we all know exactly what CCLS math is and what it isn’t. CCLS Math isn’t just a reorganization or a repackaging of standards; CCLS Math isn’t about injecting literacy in math; and CCLS math is absolutely not about adopting abstract, new-agey, non-sensible math methods as people on Facebook would lead you to believe.
What’s new about CCLS Math is that it targets the development of both foundational math skills AND problem-solving and critical thinking practices. It retains the expectation for students to be “book smart” (know rules, procedures, etc.) while attending to the “streets smart” practices that allow one to apply what they know to navigate and problem-solve in new or unfamiliar contexts. Here are the 8 math practices highlighted in CCLS:
- Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
- Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
- Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
- Model with mathematics.
- Use appropriate tools strategically.
- Attend to precision.
- Look for and make use of structure.
- Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
CCLS math practices pose significant challenges to schools because they require new ways of teaching, learning, and assessing. Doing more of the same math instruction long routinized in schools—whether as AIS or test prep or remedial learning—does nothing for students to acquire these practices. So what should we do? In “Mathematical Practices for Deep Understanding”, Ceri Dean and Susan M. Brookhart explain:
“These eight mathematical practices1 are the antidote to teaching mathematics as a series of “plug and chug” procedures (“Do this for this kind of problem”). Students who make sense of word problems don’t start by asking, “What kind of problem is this?” They start by trying to figure out what the problem means. What does the problem ask? What information is given, what needs to be found, and which mathematical procedures will lead to that information? Students will approach word problems with questions like these once they master the mathematical practices. They’ll not only be able to solve mathematically rich problems, but they’ll also appreciate math’s usefulness.
Students won’t master the standards for mathematical practice overnight, even after schools begin implementing the Common Core State Standards. The practices address habits of mind, thinking processes, and dispositions that help students develop “deep, flexible, and enduring understanding of mathematics” (Briars, Mills, & Mitchell, 2011, p. 20). Teachers will need to both give students problems that require them to use the practices and create environments that support student discourse and risk taking. And students will need a steady diet of feedback on their performance.”
Math educators will need to change three things to nurture these practices. Besides changing instructional strategies and materials, teachers will need to change their assessments (so items measure mathematical practices as well as computational skills), and make their feedback focus on students’ mathematical reasoning, modeling, and other practices—not just on correct answers. Instruction, assessment, and feedback will all need to focus more on higher-order thinking skills, communication, and collaboration.”
We’re not going to be able to do this work overnight, but it’s important we start learning and thinking about it when we plan lessons as we get closer to April. Reading the full text here is a good start.
Things You Need to Know
NYS Exams: The ELA exam for grades 3-8 will be administered from April 5th to April 7th, and the Math Exam from April 13th to April 15th. NY state has announced that Questar, not Pearson, will create the test questions and the test will be shorter and with no time limit for all students. More information to follow once I receive them.
ELA Scorers Needed April 18th to April 22nd: We will need to send 3 elementary teachers and 5 middle school teachers to score the ELA exams. Please email me by Wednesday 2/10 if you are interested in scoring. This is for ELA only.
Off Site PD Requests: As we count down to state testing, it is important for us to prioritize and protect instructional time for our students. Approvals for off-site PDs will only be given to mandatory sessions, and you should discuss with me in person prior to submitting such a request.
100 Days Celebration (K-5 Only): Yet another 102 celebration where I can offer little expertise, Mr. Borelli has graciously stepped up to lead the efforts along with Theresa. He will be sending out more information to all staff shortly.
New Prep Schedule Effective 2/9: Please find the new prep schedule here.
Happy Lunar New Year!
mrkobot.com 