SMART Leaders!

This year, our former math cluster leaders will be reorganized to coincide with our Student Responsibility Teams, or SRT's. If you add an "M" for math, you will find that we now have SMaRT leaders that will support our teachers as they engage in Year 2 of the enVisionMATH adoption. You'll receive an invitation from your SMaRT leader soon, so please plan to join in and collaborate with your peers!

Sample STAR Items

Released items organized by grade level and proficiency:

STAR SAMPLE ITEMS

(Ten) Rules of Engagement

Dead time interferes with students' learning, and it is contagious. It lures those who are on task into wondering, "Why should I pay attention if others aren't?"

Learn more at:

http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips

Online Math Fun

Yes, kids need to master facts and be able to use them with automaticity. But who says this must be limited to timed tests and flashcards? Have some fun! Check out all of the games and activities available online- here are just a few:

The Math Playground

Game Classroom

Brainormous

Welcome to 09-10!

Welcome back to a new school year! Most of you have had an opportunity to review CST data, and there is much to celebrate. Despite a challenging year which involved learning a brand-new mathematics curriculum (which for many of us meant rethinking the way we teach math) we posted significant gains district wide. Estimated results show that overall, the percent of proficient students increased at every grade level from 2008 to 2009. :
Grade 2 - 53% to 59%
Grade 3 - 56% to 57%
Grade 4 - 62% to 66%
Grade 5 - 51% to 60%
Grade 6 - 45% to 53%

Official results will be released in mid-September.

There is still much to be done, as we strive to meet NCLB goals for ALL of our student subgroups, but I feel confident that we can do it if we stay positive, collaborate, and continue to fully implement enVision. Keep up the great work.

HAVE, BE, DO

"Education shouldn't be about adding more to our lists of HAVE'S, DO's, and BE's, but rather thinking outside the lines, intentially about the BE's, DO's and HAVE's that matter most.

The 21st century world needs learners to BE critical, BE creative, and BE strategic. The 21st century world demands learners to DO their own thinking, rather than relying on someone else to think for them. The 21st century world expects learners to HAVE the endurance fortitude, and courage to brave through each new challenge with confidence and competence."

Do YOU have the courage to demand that your learners DO their own thinking?

POSE the problem, ASK the question, and let students BE creative.

Partnership Possibilities

As many of you may know, RUSD is pursuing federal and state funding to create a partnership with UCR and RCC to provide staff development in the area of math content and pedagogy for teachers in grades 5 through Algebra I. Recently, UCR Extension was included in the partnership. In addition to summer workshops and student academies, today's meeting held promise for college credit for participants; additionally, new courses will be developed that will mirror the content of our academy. (Imagine courses titled "Language and Concepts of Elementary Mathematics", From Arithmetic to Algebra" and "Language and Concepts of Algebra.")
RUSD is fortunate to be located amidst such outstanding institutions with whom we can build relationships. Thank you to all involved.

Man Up!

Read this on a kindergarten teacher's blog... hilarious.

Today we were doing math and I was trying to get the kids to figure out how to divide up a bunch of Unifix Cubes into equal piles. Getting them to problem solve is like pulling teeth. Actually, I think I’d RATHER pull teeth. After working at it on the rug for about 45 minutes, and still dealing with a lot of glazed over eyes, I put my head down on the floor and said, “I want my Momma, I think I’m going to cry.” My new kid (the one driving me crazy) said, “Mr. B’s not going to cry, he’s a MAN.” Then he nudged me (I had my face down in my hands), “Come on Mr. B. – MAN UP - be a MAN.”

enVision Leadership Symposium

On August 6th, Pearson Education sponsored an enVision Leadership Symposium. District math coordinators, directors, and principals from throughout the state met to share best practices as they support their teachers in the implementation of enVision Math. Because enVision is "different by design" there has been a rather steep learning curve for teachers and students. Students are asked to DO math, EXPLAIN their thinking both orally and in writing, utilize higher levels of academic language, and generally incorporate a broader range of higher level thinking skills daily. These skills are crucial if we expect our students to meet the state standards as well as become prepared for higher math. Participants were able to hear Dr. Randy Charles, senior author of the program, and other speakers share their experiences as new users prepare for the 09-10 school year.