CoMath Update for January 31, 2024

So…much…happening!

CML Book Study with NCTM President and Co-Author Kevin Dykema!

The Colorado Math Leaders (CML) will continue with their book study with Chapter 5 of Productive Math Struggle at 5 pm on Thursday, Febraury 1. The book study will continue with Chapter 6 on Thursday, February 29th and then to wrap up the book, CML will be joined by NCTM President Kevin Dykema, co-author of Productive Math Struggle, on March 28.

The next regular meeting of the Colorado Math Leaders will be at 12:30 on Tuesday, February 6th.

CCTM

The Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics (CCTM) is continuing its Teaching for Thinking book study with sessions on February 8 and February 13. Visit the book study web page for details and links to register for a book study date.

Save the Date! CCTM will be holding its next in-person event on June 13-14, 2024. Many details to come!

CCTM and Forefront Fractional Reasoning Assessment Launch

Join CCTM and Forefront Education on Tuesday, February 6 at 3 pm MST for the launch of new, free, interview-based assessment tools to measure fractional reasoning for students in Grades 3-5. Register today via Zoom.

NCTM News

Three interesting pieces of NCTM news to share:

Colorado's very own Joseph Bolz is a candidate for the NCTM Board of Directors! NCTM members as of January 26 will be eligible to vote in this year's elections, which begin on February 12. Joe has been a math teacher and department chair at George Washington High School in DPS for the past decade and has served on the CCTM Board of Directors for the past five years.
NCTM is conducting a book study for a new publication, Proactive Mathematics Coaching: Bridging Content, Context, and Practice. The book study will focus on planning professional learning, using coaching frameworks, and peer problem-solving discussions. Book study sessions will happen from 5:30 to 7:00 pm on February 29, March 14, April 4, and April 18.
NCTM has released a new position statement called "Ability Labels: Disrupting 'High,' 'Medium,' and 'Low' in Mathematics Education." I personally really appreciate this position statement because these labels bother me and this statement does a better job than I would at explaining why.

Also, if you missed Rachel Lambert's webinar on Monday called "Unpacking Research Claims About the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics," it will help you make sense of some current debates that you might be hearing about quality math instruction. The webinar does not require NCTM membership, but you will need an account to access.

Catching Up to Our Students Through Effective and Innovative Multiple Pathways

On February 20th, CASE is organizing a workshop focused on creating opportunities for students, including K-12 course pathways, community and business partnerships, and effective implementation. The workshop will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center in Loveland and the cost to attend is $165 for CASE members and $305 for non-members.

National Learning Forward Conference

The 2024 Learning Forward Annual Conference will be held December 8-11 in Aurora. In preparation for this event, organizers are recruiting proposal reviewers to meet on Thursday, February 15, in Aurora. Lunch will be provided. To indicate your interest in reviewing, complete this brief form.

Early STEAM Spring Seminar

The Early STEAM Spring Seminar is a professional development event focused on problem-solving, equitable math for early learners, and seeing the brilliance of children's thinking through counting. This virtual event will be held on February 15 from 7-9 pm MST and registration is required via Zoom.

Colorado Academic Accelerator Program Grant

Colorado’s Academic Accelerator Program applications are due by 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15. Intents to Apply are strongly encouraged and are due by 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 1. CDE will host weekly office hours for 30 minutes at 9:30 a.m. every Thursday for potential applicants to ask the CO-AAP team any program or fiscal questions about the Request for Application. To access office hours Zoom links and recordings, application materials, technical assistance opportunities and resources, visit the CO-AAP webpage. For more information contact Rachel Messersmith at [email protected] or 720-467-0457.

If you are interested in being a reviewer of CO-AAP grant applications, please complete this online interest survey by Monday, February 12. Reviewers should have experience in the fields targeted by the grant (math, science, out-of-school time enrichment programs, etc.) and be able to commit 15-20 hours of time to individually review applications then meet as a team to reach consensus and debrief. Responses received after the deadline may be considered if more reviewers are necessary. Those selected will be contacted with additional information no later than Friday, February 23, and reviews will need to be completed between February 23 and March 11.

Free statewide access to Zearn Math for 2024-25

Governor Polis and CDE have extended free access to the Zearn Math K-8 digital math accelerator through June 2025. This means Colorado educators can access 1,000+ digital lessons covering every K-8 math objective to reinforce their instruction. To receive free access to Zearn Math for the 2024-25 school year, your district lead must complete CDE’s interest form. CDE will prioritize Colorado Academic Accelerator Program (CO-AAP) grant applicants that express interest in using Zearn.

Colorado Group Calculus Competition

Peak to Peak Charter School is hosting the first Colorado Group Calculus Competition to help students prepare for AP Calculus AB and BC exams. Teams of 4 can compete. There can be more than 1 team from each school. Middle or high schoolers can compete from any grade level.

Format: 10 questions of varying difficulty that are solved as a group.
Prizes for winners and certificates for all.
When: Tuesday, April 2nd, 6-8 pm
Where: Peak to Peak Charter School, 800 Merlin Drive Lafayette 80026
How to register: If interested, math teachers please use this link to register: https://forms.gle/ecg4xvsbfEojL67U9
Register by: March 25, 2024
Contact: Anita Chakraborty-Spotts ([email protected])

AreteLabs Spring Math Madness

AreteLabs is conducting their "math madness" competitions again this spring, with "Mini-Madness" for informal scrimmages between February 11 and March 16 and a re-run of the 2023 competition between February 11 and April 20. There are also options for coaches to create their own matches and opportunities to set up leagues of online competition between classes of your district. For many more details, see https://www.aretelabs.com/.

Notices of Rulemaking: 1 CCR 301-37 and 1 CCR 301-101

At its January meeting, the State Board of Education approved the notices of rulemaking hearing for Rules for the Administration of the Educator Licensing Act of 1991 (1 CCR 301-37) and Rules for the Administration of Educator License Endorsements (1 CCR 301-101). Both hearings are anticipated at the board’s March meeting.

Recommended revisions in 1 CCR 301-37 include a new credential for teacher apprentices, additional pathways to a director of special education endorsement and updates to the standards for educator preparation program authorization and reauthorization. Recommended revisions in 1 CCR 301-101 include additional, specific math standards to elementary, middle school and secondary mathematics endorsements, updated special education standards and streamlined requirements for obtaining special services endorsements. More information about the specific recommended revisions as well as access to redlined/annotated and clean versions of both draft rulesets and a feedback form may be found here. Public comment is welcome through Friday, March 8. For more information contact Tanya Klein at [email protected].

Teaching and Learning Conditions in Colorado Survey is Live

The statewide TLCC survey is live through Friday, Feb. 23. Association representatives or school leaders were sent survey codes the week of Jan. 15. Schools and districts need 50% participation and at least five respondents to receive results. For more information on survey coordinator assignments and headcounts or to track participation, visit the TLCC website. For more information contact Lisa Steffen at [email protected] or 720-498-3020.

Feedback Requested for the Format and Organization of the Colorado Academic Standards

In an effort to proactively seek input about areas for improvement, the Office of Standards and Instructional Support would like to hear your thoughts about the current format for the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) and the organization of our standards website. Please give us your input using this optional survey. The results will help our office tailor professional learning about the current standards and consider if there might be a need to revise the current format. This survey will remain open through February 16, 2024. We are hoping to hear from teachers of mathematics about this so that all content areas are represented in the data.

Please note that we are not asking for input on the actual content of the CAS for any content areas. Also, please be assured that any changes to the format of the CAS would only be applied when a content area goes through review and revision. The Colorado Academic Standards is revised on a rotating schedule with one third of the content areas reviewed every two years. The approval of the next revision of mathematics standards is expected from the State Board of Education in June of 2026. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to SIS Director, Samantha Messier, at [email protected].