CoMath Update for September 5, 2023

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year, everyone! The new year is just a few weeks old but there's so much news to share, including new CDE math specialists, CML and CoMath events, opportunities for teacher PD, and some fun events for students. Also, don't overlook the item at the bottom -- if you've changed roles, or know someone who has, be sure to follow the instructions for making sure everyone with an interest in math education in Colorado receives CoMath emails this year.

Welcome, New CDE Math Specialists!

Three new math specialists have joined CDE's Office of Standards and Instructional Support. Joe Brenkert comes to CDE from Front Range Community College, where he spent 15 years teaching math and math education courses. Jason Cushner is a PAEMST awardee who comes to us from Estes Park, where his career has included teaching, instructional coaching, and service as a school board member. Tabitha Nickerson served as a math specialist in Thompson School District and has experience teaching in rural Colorado schools. Let's give them a warm welcome as they help CDE support HB23-1231 and other mathematics initiatives that impact the state.

HB23-1231 Fact Sheet

House Bill 23-1231, "Improving Mathematics Outcomes in Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade Education," touches on many aspects of mathematics education, including professional development, materials selection, unified improvement planning, after-school program grants, licensure, and more. For an overview of all these pieces, see CDE's HB23-1231 Fact Sheet.

September CML Meeting

Are you a math specialist? Do you have a job title resembling instructional coach, math coordinator, or math TOSA? Then you need to be active in the Colorado Math Leaders! This year's CML meetings kick off next week on Tuesday, September 12, on Zoom from 12:30 to 2:30. CML members from across the state will share updates from the math initiatives in their districts and CML President Katie Johnson will highlight the planned CML activities in the year ahead.

September CoMath Conversation: Making Sense of CMAS Data

The 2023 CMAS results in mathematics were mixed with some bright signs of progress as districts recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join September's CoMath Conversation to share and listen to other Colorado math educators as they make sense of their results and discuss possible implications for the 2023-2024 school year. The conversation will be held via Zoom on Thursday, September 14 from 4:00-5:00 pm and Zoom registration is required.

IES Math Summit

The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), joined by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO); the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS); the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB); the National Science Foundation (NSF); and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy will convene a three-day summit to bring together national, state, and local leaders to explore efforts to address this crisis. The Summit will address six themes across Pre-K-3, 4-8, and 9-12 grade-level spans:

• Increasing Opportunities to Learn and Raising Expectations for All
• Strategies for Differentiating Instruction for Diverse Learners
• High-Dosage Tutoring and Other Academic Recovery Strategies
• Learning Progressions and High School Pathways
• Language and Mathematics
• Leveraging STEAM Applications for In-Demand Careers

The Summit is free to attend and will take place at 10:00-3:30 pm on September 12, 19, and 26. To register, see the IES Math Summit registration page.

Early Math Fall Forum

The Early Math Fall Forum will be held on the evening of October 5 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Dr. Megan Franke will present for the first hour, followed by breakout rooms and a choice of presentations for the second hour.

Colorado Rockies Math Day

The Colorado Rockies are hosting their second math day of the season on Tuesday, September 26 as they play the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies will provide a packet of baseball-related math questions that teachers can use with their students. Tickets start at $12 and information about lunch and group ticket purchases is available on the Rockies website.

NCTM Annual Meeting

The NCTM 2023 Annual Meeting & Exposition will be held October 25-28 in Washington, D.C. Keynote speakers this year include Jamila Dugan (co-author of Street Data), NCTM President Kevin Dykema, Julia Aguirre and Karen Mayfield-Ingram (co-authors of The Impact of Identity in K-8 Mathematics), and Crystal M. Watson.

NCSM Annual Conference

The 55th NCSM Annual Conference will be held October 28-31 in Washington, D.C. Please note that NCSM is after NCSM this year due to facility availability issues.

Soifer Mathematical Olympiad

The 2023 Soifer Mathematical Olympiad will be held at UCCS on October 6 with an award ceremony to follow on October 13. This will be the 39th year of the event and last year's competition included over 150 students from across Colorado. For questions, contact Samuel Frank at [email protected].

StellarXplorers National Space Design Competition

The StellarXplorers National Space Design Competition is a fun, hands-on competition that is inspiring our nation’s youth to explore education and careers in space, aviation, and other STEM disciplines. Through a series of online competition rounds, teams of students are challenged to solve real-world space missions focused on orbit planning, satellite design, and launch vehicle operations. This program engages students’ critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and leadership skills, while also giving them direct access to industry-grade training and software. No prior experience is required for participation. All training is provided, and volunteer mentors are available to provide real-world expertise to teams. Visit the StellarXplorers website for more information or contact their staff at [email protected] with any questions. The deadline to register teams is October 17 and the deadline to register competitors is October 26.

Managing Your CoMath Subscription

Did you change email addresses? Do you have colleagues that aren't subscribed? Join or update your CoMath subscription!

• To subscribe, send an email to [email protected] with the single line "subscribe comath firstname lastname" in the body (without the quotes), replacing "firstname lastname" with your name.
• To send email to the list, send your message to [email protected]. Remember to double-check that Reply-To address if replying to messages on the list. The default goes to everyone!
• To unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected].
• See past CoMath Updates at https://www.cde.state.co.us/comath/updates.
• Email [email protected] for email changes or other questions.