Category Archives: Mathematics

First Common Core Math Materials Adopted – Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

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SACRAMENTO—School districts now have a list of more than 30 instructional materials to choose from that are aligned to the Common Core State Standards for mathematics, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today.

This comes after the State Board of Education completed the 2014 adoption of kindergarten through grade eight mathematics materials for California students. The list is attached.

“Today’s step keeps us on track toward our goal of providing students the real- world skills they will need for college and career, in part through the Common Core,” Torlakson said. “These quality materials will help students achieve the proficiency in mathematics that California’s employers are looking for from this future workforce.”

via First Common Core Math Materials Adopted – Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education).

Parents’ Guide to Student Success – Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

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SACRAMENTO—State education officials are working with the California State PTA to get information on the Common Core State Standards into the hands of parents across California, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today.

As part of this effort, the organizations are distributing the Parents’ Guide to Student Success—a series of resources designed to help parents understand what their children will be learning at each grade level in English-language arts and mathematics.

via Parents’ Guide to Student Success – Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education).

5 Open Education Resources for K-5 Common Core Math | Edutopia

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By Matt Davis

There is an abundance of math open educational resources on the web. So many, in fact, that Education Week asked, “Why is There More Open Content for Math than English?

Common Core is driving a lot of the growth in open education production and curation, with new databases and sources popping up left and right. It can be overwhelming to wade through everything, and find a source that works for your classroom. With that in mind, here are some math open education resources for elementary educators.

via 5 Open Education Resources for K-5 Common Core Math | Edutopia.

Math, science program sees big improvement on AP tests – Sacramento Bee

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By Renee Schoof

The pass rate on rigorous Advanced Placement tests went up by 72 percent last year at high schools that took part in a National Math and Science Initiative program that trains teachers and gives students extra help on Saturdays.

The program has been especially helpful in boosting success for girls and minority students – groups that have been under-represented in advanced math and science classes, said initiative CEO Sara Martinez Tucker. The nonprofit group announced its 2012-13 results on Wednesday.

via Math, science program sees big improvement on AP tests – Education – The Sacramento Bee.

Statistics indicate SCC help needed in math, English to boost college completion rates – Daily Republic

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FAIRFIELD — Statistics for 2011-12 show that at Solano Community College, “unprepared” students persist at a more successful rate in the first three school terms than those who arrive “prepared.”

Initially.

Unprepared students are considered as those who must take a remedial level math or English class upon entering college. Those students considered prepared, according to the California Community College’s Student Success Scorecard, are at college level in those areas.

Statistics indicate help needed in math, English to boost college completion rates Daily Republic.

SacBee: Remedial math classes unnecessary at community college level, study says

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By Renee Schoof

WASHINGTON — Many students are sent to remedial math classes at community colleges to learn high school math they won’t need in their first-year programs anyway, according to new research on what it takes to be successful in community college.

Colleges nationwide have been looking for ways to reduce the high numbers of students who must take English or math classes to meet prerequisites. Colleges generally require incoming students to take placement tests in English and math, and the failure rates are high. A survey last year found that on average, 52 percent of students entering two-year colleges had to take remedial classes.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/07/5399128/remedial-math-classes-unnecessary.html#mi_rss=Education#storylink=cpy

via Remedial math classes unnecessary at community college level, study says.

The Educated Guess: Math framework for Common Core ready for your critique

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by John Fensterwald

A draft of the California math curriculum framework went online Wednesday for public comments and suggestions. While weighing in at 1,200 pages, the document is actually a readable grade-by-grade manual that puts meat on the bare-bones Common Core standards that the state adopted in 2010. It  explains the rationale for key standards and puts them in context of what students will learn, while providing guidance on how they should be taught. Interspersed are numerous sample problems and illustrations that teachers can use in the classroom.

via Math framework for Common Core ready for your critique – by John Fensterwald.

SCOE’s Facebook Wall: Want to learn how to integrate technology into the STEM++ classroom?

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Want to learn how to integrate technology into the STEM++ classroom? Check out SCOE’s K-12 STEM++ In Action Workshop Plus Math. While this workshop will have a focus on Math, we will also look at 21st Century skills in all content areas that enhance the Common Core Standards.

Register by Wednesday, April 17 – more information: http://www.solanocoe.net/apps/events/2013/5/1/1216847/?id=0

via Want to learn how to integrate technology into the STEM++ classroom? Check out S….

EdSource Today: State Board poised to lower standards for middle school math

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At its meeting next week, the California State Board of Education will consider eliminating the incentive for schools to offer a full Algebra 1 course to students ready to take Algebra by 8th grade. But removing this incentive would result in a de facto lowering of expectations for mathematics programs in middle schools, and lead to a significant reduction in the number of middle school students becoming proficient in Algebra. Do we really want to do this?

Perhaps it is best to view this issue from the perspective of a middle school mom who asked in an email several weeks ago: “With state board action adopting Common Core grade 8 math standards in January, will middle schools be able to offer Algebra?” She continued, “My son’s school will be offering the new 8th grade Common Core class next year but not Algebra. I’d like my son (who is a high performing math student) to take Algebra 1 in 8th grade. The middle school principal, high school principal, and high school math teacher have all said this is a better pathway for college prep.”

via State Board poised to lower standards for middle school math – by Doug McRae.

The Reporter: Vacaville, Dixon, Travis educators support algebra requirement change

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By Richard Bammer/RBammer@TheReporter.com

Some education critics say California seems to be relaxing middle school math standards, making them less rigorous, by shedding a policy that expects eighth-graders to take Algebra I.

But Vacaville-area educators agree that the state’s decision to permit eighth-graders to take Algebra I or an alternate course not only matches existing policies but comports with the Common Core curriculum being rolled out across the nation.

“You’re going to hear both sides” of the argument, said Mark Frazier, chief academic officer for Vacaville Unified School Distrit. “The bottom line is, not all eighth-graders are taking Algebra I.”

via Vacaville, Dixon, Travis educators support algebra requirement change.

EdSource Today: It’s final: State Board shifts policy on eighth grade Algebra

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The State Board of Education ended a decade-long controversial policy of pushing eighth graders to take Algebra I when members voted unanimously Wednesday to strip California’s Algebra I standards from the state’s eighth grade math standards.

Those standards will now mirror the national Common Core standards, which do not include Algebra I for eighth graders. The State Board will create curriculum options to accelerate math-taking in middle school and high school and to leave it up to local districts to determine who’s eligible for them. About two-thirds of eighth graders enrolled in Algebra I last year. That number is likely to decline; supporters of Common Core argue that many will be better off taking it a year later.

via It’s final: State Board shifts policy on eighth grade Algebra – by John Fensterwald.

CDE: California Adopts Modified Math Standards

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SACRAMENTO—The State Board of Education today voted to modify the California Additions to the adopted Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM).

The Board’s action will help the state continue its progress toward implementing the Common Core State Standards, and provides options for accelerating to higher mathematics in middle school while maintaining the requirement that all students pass Algebra I before graduating from high school.

via California Adopts Modified Math Standards.

SCOE’s Facebook Wall: Our February 6 STEM++ In Action Science Workshop will share best practices

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Our February 6 STEM++ In Action Science Workshop will share best practices on encouraging students to think critically about how they use technology, mathematics, and scientific reasoning. Interested? Register by January 23 and find out more at: http://www.solanocoe.net/apps/events/2013/2/6/1216838/?REC_ID=1216838&id=12

via Our February 6 STEM++ In Action Science Workshop will share best practices on en….

KQED MindShift: Making Math Meaningful with Online Games and Videos

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By Almetria Vaba

Math can be made meaningful when connected to students’ experiences. With video clips and interactive games from public media students practice math concepts while exploring real world concepts. Learn how to decorate an intricate cake, play the role of the pharmacist, roof a house and more using PBS LearningMedia resources to measure with math.

via Making Math Meaningful with Online Games and Videos.

EdSource Today: University-Udacity partnership brings innovative online courses to students

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In announcing San Jose State University’s contract with the online course developer Udacity to offer three innovative math classes, Gov. Jerry Brown bristled at a press conference Tuesday when the first question from the media was, “How much would they cost?”

After comparing technology to poetry and quoting from Robert Frost in his remarks, the governor was disappointed that the reporter had left the intellectual sphere so quickly to delve into the mundane.

via University-Udacity partnership brings innovative online courses to students – by Susan Frey.

EdSource Today: California 8th graders behind states and world on math, science tests

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California 8th graders ranked in the middle of the pack overall but behind seven of eight states in math and science in the latest international tests.

The rankings are based on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) tests taken last year by a random selection of representative students from 56 countries and education systems, which included eight states and Canadian provinces.

Although the differences between rankings are sometimes only a matter of one or two points, California 8th graders had below-average scores in both subjects. They scored 493 in math, out of a possible 1,000, with 500 being the international average. They ranked 26th, behind 8th graders in 15 countries (including the United States) and 10 education systems (including seven states).

via California 8th graders behind states and world on math, science tests – by Susan Frey.

EdSource Today: Many math students are flailing, repeating courses without success

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A big reason California students are pushed to take higher math in high school is to see that they satisfy the admission requirements to a state four-year university. And yet 68 percent of students who haven’t passed one of the required courses, Algebra II, by the end of 11th grade don’t even enroll in math as seniors, giving up on the possibility of applying to a UC or CSU school.

That puzzling statistic is among the data from an extensive research study by San Francisco-based research organization WestEd’s Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning of math courses that 24,000 students in two dozen districts took – or didn’t take – in middle and high school. Those findings point to great success for a minority of students – about one out of five – who take Algebra I by the end of eighth grade, geometry by the end of ninth and Algebra II by the end of tenth; many of those students then go on to complete pre-calculus in 11th grade and calculus as seniors.

via Many math students are flailing, repeating courses without success – by John Fensterwald.

EdSource Today: Fast track to STEM teaching in state with federal grants

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Five alternative teacher certification programs in California that won millions in federal grants are on track to train nearly 800 math and science teachers and place them in high-poverty, hard-to-staff schools.

The California Teacher Corps, which represents more than 70 of the state’s alternative certification programs, said the projects, which began with planning grants in 2011-12, will receive about $18 million over five years from Transition to Teaching, a competitive grant program run by the U.S. Department of Education. Its goal to recruit and train teachers in science, technology, engineering and math (known as STEM fields). Particularly in high-needs schools, California continues to face a shortage of fully trained STEM teachers.

via Fast track to STEM teaching in state with federal grants – by Kathryn Baron.

Dixon Tribune’s Facebook Wall: A unique look at math and science at Anderson Elementary

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Phil Tulga, a music educator at California State University, Sacramento, gave Anderson Elementary students a unique look at math and science Friday in a lively and interactive assembly. Tulga led two assemblies at the school Friday afternoon, incorporating music and sounds into lessons on math, science and technology. He had a number of dem

onstrations that enthralled the children, including several that involved volunteers.

via A unique look at math and science

KQED MindShift: Should Math and Science Teachers Get Special Training?

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By Anne Jolly

Excited and inspired about the subjects they teach, math and science educators ideally want their classrooms to dive into real-world challenges. But they’re faced with the predictable realities of the school day when designing their curriculum. Each year, students seem to lose interest as the subjects become more difficult and abstract. “And what use is this anyway?” students. Why should they learn it?

Though educators know that real-world application would help students engage more fully with the subjects and understand the vital role in solving real problems, they’re overwhelmed by how to make this happen. Just a few of their obstacles:

  • “My school system has an obsessive focus on student testing, and that’s all they want me to teach toward – test objectives, test objectives, test objectives.”

via Should Math and Science Teachers Get Special Training?.