Kennedy/Wilson Middle School Family Math Night. Evening Overview. Program Philosophy 11/18/2009

Transcription

1 Kennedy/Wilson iddle School Family ath ight ovember 12, vening Overview Overview of vening S athematics rogramming rade evel Investigations xperiences arent esources: ook at the athematics arent uide & S ath Website ath lacement rocess ath ourses and igh School Q & rogram hilosophy Balanced mathematics approach Inquiry opportunities raditional skill building Working with algorithms earn the concepts behind mathematical operations Build mathematical understanding nable students to develop efficient and flexible problem-solving strategies 1

2 Objective: Inform the families of our students about our programs and state standards & how the investigation of mathematics plays an important role inbuilding a student s mathematical understanding ote: acing this evening differs from what your students experience. urriculum esources iddle School athematics th rade - Investigations () th and 7 th rades - athematics () 8 th rade -assport to lg/eo (cougal ittell) lgebra onors - lgebra 1 (cougal ittell) ote: rop-in units and supplementary materials are used at every grade level. arent esources atick Website: Under epartments Select urriculum and ssessments Select athematics th -8 th rade iddle School arent uide ath content help for units of study Website (topics of study) elpful math websites hallenge websites atick iddle School athematics Website alinfo/msmathwedsite.cfm Organized by Strand and then opic ath contentpractice and challenges evelopment will be throughout the year as math concepts are explored 2

3 hallenge is Built In Investigations contain additional, richer assessments, inclass materials and online components ach investigation has additional challenge () problems ath resources website in development (challenge and support materials included) ath lub experience available to all students at each middle school ath department meetings focus on differentiating lessons to meet the needs of all learners Breakout roups rade s. ewar s oom: 112 rade rade afé oom: 110 rade 7/8 rade afé oom:130 lacement: uiding Framework First duty is to ensure that students leave us with solid ms math foundation--they will only receive this in middle school Studentsdevelop math/cognitive readiness at different times Instruction is differentiated to meet the needs of all learners lacement is based on math ability at time of placement ata-driven process eachers work together to place students and review data onors lgebra & eometry are offered to elite math students 3

4 lacement ssessment Information th to 7th rade th rade S Scantron erformance Series (nationally norm referenced aligned to the Standards) th id-year xam eacher ecommendation rades from erm 1 &2 7th to 8th rade th rade S 7 th id-year xam ationally orm eferenced lgebra eadiness test eacher ecommendation rades from erm 1 & 2 ortfolio of ssessment any opportunities to demonstrate skill/knowledge Variety of assessments to give complete picture of learner s skill/knowledge ationally-normed State ocally created Skill competitions Writing tasks Inquiry tasks omputation tasks eadiness tasks lacement ssessment Information ame - S IY 2-28 ationally ormed lgebra eadiness ssesment B B+ B+ 4

5 ates of ssessments ssessment ate of dministration S (all grades) ate ay 09 th rade - ationally orm eferenced ssessment October 09 id-year ests (all grades) Week of January th rade - ationally orm eferenced lgebrassessment pril 10 lacement etters mailed home June4 10 he rocess ata analysis ecommendations made lacement is not a track of courses lass sections are created based on the number of eligible students (changes yearly) riteria for placement remains consistent arental input is critical to this process * O: he process and courses are currently under review by the School ommittee iddle School ath lasses

6 iddle School ath lasses iddle School ath lasses iddle School ath lasses ath 7 ccelerated lgebra onors ath 7

7 iddle School ath lasses ath 7 ath 7 ccelerated lgebra onors 7 iddle School ath lasses ath 7 ath 7 ccelerated lgebra onors 7 Integrated lg/eo lgebra onors eometry onors igh School ath efer to high school courses handout o level 2 s in grade 9 (all college track courses) ushing children into lgebra too early is a disservice in high school and college math Students gain admission to elite colleges with and without having taken lgebra in grade 8 ollege and high school math teachers state strong foundation in middle school mathematics is best asset for students 7

8 igh School ath lgebra 1 does not need to be completed by 8 th grade in order for students to take alculus by senior year Students can accelerate in high school by doubling up eometry & lgebra II in 10 th grade eometry builds on lgebra I; lgebra II concepts are independent of eometry ollege placement data indicates students who engage in the normal course of math classes at S can & do entrance into elite colleges igh School ath ourse igh School ath Students may move up a level by earning an - or better in the prerequisite course. Independent summer study is recommended for those seeking to move up a level. o remain in honors classes, students must earn a B- or better in the prerequisite course. Students with a - or worse in a prerequisite course should move down a level. Students may also change levels by permission of the department head 8

9 Family ath ight FQs re all of the math teachers able to teach all levels of math? Yes! ll teachers in grade 7 and 8 are certified to teach all math levels and subjects for middle school. o you limit the number of sections of each level of math or make the number of sections based on eligible students? We make as many sections as there are students eligible for sections. re teacher recommendations used in math placement decisions? re grades used in placement decisions? Yes, as a part of the portfolio of data points used to make the decisions. re teachers involved in the placement process? Yes! eachers and administrators sit together to review data points and place students according to test data, grades and discussion of student aptitude and performance. Family ath ight hank you for coming! 9