Math+Team

Making Sense of the Data:
 * Average students NOT making 1 year of growth in 1 year of school
 * Grade 5 & 8 scores mirror state averages in math (anchors)

Keystone exams: 4 options -part of final grade -not part of grade -rely on local assessment -AP courses Keystone tests would benefit 8th graders in geometry (Rather than having them go back and do PSSA 8th grade), but keystone questions require a greater depth of knowledge.

CURRICULUM / INSTRUCTION
 * keystone is curriculum specific, has different content than PSSA (gap would need to be bridged in near future)
 * some material can be done in other disciplines: i.e. measurement can be incorporated into art, scientific notation should be incorporated into science, metric conversions...math curriculum and other subjects can support one another (teach in math class, reinforce in other classes like PE, art, science) - however there is a wide range in grade level of math ability, social studies can incorporate reading graphs
 * hearing about math in a department they prefer can increase math ability or liking of math

PROGRAMMING
 * pull some kids after school if extra time than 44 min needed to cover material
 * instruction alone cannot always cover everything (thinking ahead to keystone exams being done in early May, PSSA topics

What else can we do?
 * tutoring - target the borderline students more than we are now because they don't fall in the "Basic" category (looking at PVAAS data can help us identify specific students in this category that could benefit from further supports)
 * new emphasis on ALL borderline students - identify them, mindfulness
 * support families (economically disadvantaged) - get the parents involved, esp. parents of ELL kids
 * math study hall or math lab?
 * test prep: prepare packets with review questions; problem of the day that are PSSA; utilize other resources (Angela doing computer program "first in math" with MS students needing extra help); mini lessons
 * get students interested in math (fun/special things?) - school culture
 * get other departments involved in math curriculum (by tying in math topics when possible - with guidance from math dept.)
 * instruction
 * computers for review- using online Texas or first in math programs (practice problem database by subject and anchor for HS math). This can be a resource they access at home.
 * add open-ended questions to end of chapters - challenge problems that may be PSSA focused

QUESTIONS:
 * How do we motivate the lower achieving students to seek extra help? (i.e. math teachers are available in the morning)
 * How can we support families? (confidentiality...)
 * Can we fit a math study hall into possible scheduling (with math teachers)?
 * How do we get students in applied math classes (HS) or 8th graders in pre-algebra up to speed for test material? (instruction/curriculum)
 * Do we have adequate support (programming) for middle school low-end students? (i.e. all 8th graders must take pre-algebra and they get an acceleration class but that's all that is available - which is less than is available for reading/math) - - - seems like a staffing issue - this hole in 7th grade curriculum
 * Is math a higher priority than elective/other classes (language, tech, art, etc.)? (math is tested but students prefer electives) Should we pull students out of these classes if they need math help?
 * Is there a way to prioritize or reorganize the time during the day (especially outside 44 minutes of class time) to support mathematics? -i.e. peer tutoring during study hall

WIsh List:
 * list of math teachers that are available for a math study hall at certain times
 * math specialist/more staff for math (similar to Tom A. for reading?)

General comments:
 * Math teachers feel they are maximizing their time, curriculum, instructional 44 minutes per day, resources (and are also here in AM/PM for extra help every day) - yet this still seems to not be enough
 * Ideally there would be more student (and parent) accountability - homework