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The top 6.5 things holding back
student achievement in Mathematics
& what to do about it.
MESPA
February 2013
Sara Van Der Werf
K-12 Mathematics Lead
Minneapolis Public Schools
[email protected]
612-600-6307
Emily Larson
Nancy Nutting
K-12 Mathematics Specialist
Mathematics Professional
South Washington County
Development Facilitator,
[email protected]
Retired MPS Teacher
651-458-6217
[email protected]
612-866-2030
Today’s presentation and helpful resources available at:
www.mctm.org/principals.php
and
http://scimathmn.org/stemtc/resources/resources-february-2013-mespa-conference-0
Or go to scimathmn.org/stemtc ---> Resources--->
Resources from the February 2013 MESPA Conference (on page 3)
Follow us on Twitter @MNMath4All
VISION FOR SUCCESS
All students deserve to have
opportunities to learn
important and challenging
mathematics every day.
We need to enhance . . .
TIME for students
TIME for teachers
TIME for support staff,
including administrators

Minimum of 90 minutes a day
 60 minutes of core mathematics for all students
 30 minutes of targeted instruction to fill gaps,
challenge students, differentiate, flexible groups

“Opportunity to Learn” is key
 Lessons Learned from TIMSS – you can’t learn what
you haven’t been taught – the MN Anomaly
 Singapore’s success – give mathematics equal time
with literacy in beginning years
 Detroit’s Project SEED – focus on problem solving
Additional 90 minutes/day for 15 weeks
Involves specially trained mathematicians
90% of SEED students passed Michigan’s
Educational assessment compared with 79% of
comparison group
 Improved learning was consistently linked to
allowing students to struggle utilizing problem
solving – answers not instantly obvious
 Supported by a business partnership



Detroit News, Jan.3, 2013
http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20
1301031115/SCHOOLS/301030371


Equity Research consistently shows that ability
grouping does not help lowest achieving
students (Oakes, Education Trust)
Lower expectations means less opportunity to
learn (see Maintaining High Expectations, Best Practices,
SciMathMN Frameworks)

Solid interventions require strong diagnostic
tools; implies we increase and use assessment
FOR learning



Additional training in both mathematics and
mathematics pedagogy impacts student
learning (see Ball and Hill)
The closer the learning to students the
greater the impact, e.g. PLCs
Coordinated approaches help students most
– Do support staff know and have access to the core
curriculum materials and receive training in
mathematics and mathematics pedagogy?
VISION FOR SUCCESS
All sites will provide
intentional/directed
PLC time around
Content Knowledge
AND Pedagogy.
The Lesson:
•
Students were taught an
algorithm for dividing fractions &
practiced the skill several times.
•
Dividing fractions is a 6th grade
math standard.
•
All students were engaged.
•
Students got the correct answer
over and over again.
There was a
lot to like in
this lesson,
yet I was
disturbed.
4 1
 
8 2
4 1
 
8 2
4 2
 
8 1
4 1
 
8 2
4 2
 
8 1
4 2
 
8 1
4 1
 
8 2
4 2
 
8 1
4 2
 
8 1
4 1
 
4 1
4 1
 
8 2
4 2
 
8 1
4 2
 
8 1
4 1
 
4 1
4 1 4
 
4 1 4
4 1
 
8 2
4 2
 
8 1
4 2
 
8 1
4 1
 
4 1
4 1 4
 
4 1 4
1
4 1
many
  1 How
groups of
8 2
½’s fit into
4/8?
4 1
1 1
 
 1
8 2
2 2
1
2
Just like….
3÷3 = 1
20÷20 = 1
425÷425 = 1
conceptual
development
over
doing procedures.
A flexible
understanding of
the base 10
number system
(place value)
365
A deep
understanding
of equality.
(and even better,
relational thinking)
8+4 =
+5



Teachers will become
Diagnostic
This allows teachers
to Differentiate
KEY = Listen to
student talk and look
at student work.
Write out a year long plan for providing
on-going on-site PD on Mathematics
Content and Pedagogy Development
 Are your teachers teaching a balance of
skills and concepts?
 Use the resources at the SciMathMN
Frameworks site.

VISION FOR SUCCESS
Teacher leaders will be identified who will work
in partnership with administration and a math
committee to improve mathematics teaching
and learning.
Nurture talent once it surfaces.
Make more talent rise to the surface.
National Research Council. Everybody Counts. 1989

•
Identify teachers who have an interest in
mathematics and find opportunities for them to
learn about mathematics instruction. Write down
the names of two teachers you will work with as
your math leaders.
Be a mentor or coach to a teacher to partner
together to improve mathematics teaching and
learning. Along the way help him/her develop
leadership skills.
•
Learn together through a book study, professional
development videos and conversation.
• Lenses of Learning (www.mathleadership.org) is
one resources specifically for math leaders.
•
Support your math leaders work in leading
learning for other teachers in your building and
intentional changes in the structures around
mathematics teaching and learning.
•
•
Help your leaders become members of NCTM and
MCTM.
Support your mathematics leader(s) attendance
at Mathematics related conferences or
professional development sessions.
• Be aware of the Minnesota Council of Teachers of
Mathematics Leadership Symposium and Spring
Conference in Duluth (www.mctm.org) as an option.
Change takes some time and investing in
your teachers in this way will serve your
building and your students well.
VISION FOR SUCCESS
Students will not only have the opportunity to
learn the skills and procedures of mathematics
but will also develop strong conceptual
understanding and apply that understanding to
solve problems.
•
•
•
Help students develop strong conceptual
understanding of mathematics as well as
problem solving and reasoning skills.
Have your teachers read their grade level
standards at least 3 times a year.
Understand that in order to Meet or Exceed
the Minnesota Academic Standards, it is
necessary to build strong understanding of
concepts.
•
Be aware of the purpose and structure of
online resources and Apps. Online programs
often serve as tools to drill basic facts or
practice simple procedures. Do not let the use
of these tools take away from time spent on
developing conceptual understanding.


Use “Helping Children Learn” National
Academies Press. This short summary of the
National Research Council’s report “Adding
it Up” and answers the question, “What does
it take to be successful in mathematics”?
Consider the book “How the Brain Learns
Mathematics” by David A. Sousa to help
build understanding of how to engage
students in learning mathematics.
•
Use the resource from the National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics, including the Focal Point
Series books for every grade level. (www.nctm.org)
These books show how to introduce concepts and
to build deeper understanding of mathematics
content.
VISION FOR SUCCESS
 We have a deep repertoire of formative
assessment tools
 We use information from formative
assessments to drive and personalize
instruction
 We assess both conceptual
and skill knowledge


minimum of


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Level 1 – Recall
20%
Level 2 – Skill/Concept
30%
Level 3 – Strategic Thinking
5%
Level 4 – Extended Thinking in classroom
Norman L. Webb, Depth of Knowledge
Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA)
Mathematics Test Specifications, Jan. 24, 2013 p. 11-712


Standard 3.3.2
Understand perimeter as a measurable
attribute of real-world and mathematical
objects. Use various tools to measure
distances.
Benchmark 3.3.2.2
Find the perimeter of a polygon by adding
the lengths of the sides.
1. Find the perimeter.
6
2. Draw a four-sided
irregular polygon
with a perimeter of
23 units. Show all
dimensions.




Gives us a better snapshot of both skills and
understanding
Increases likelihood of students meeting or
exceeding standards on MCA assessments
Engages students
It’s mathematics – what mathematicians
and scientists actually do!
Achievement
Level
Descriptors
5%
How do I teach
the standards?
30%
20%
VISION FOR SUCCESS
All students are
talking about mathematics
out loud
every class period.
My definition of a good teacher has
changed from “one who explains
things so well that students
understand” to “one who gets
students to explain things so well
that they can be understood.”
Who is doing
the talking?


Tell teachers you will be looking for who is
doing most of the talking in the classroom.
Read
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School * April 2000

Make it a goal to do multiple student turnand-talks every math lesson.

Classroom culture matters. Teachers need
to socialize students to the idea that math is
about thinking and reasoning rather than
being first, fastest and always right. This shift
in classroom culture is critical because it
allows students to see mistakes as learning
opportunities.

Intentionally Plan the Questions that they will
ask that will uncover students…
 Misconceptions
 Conceptual Understanding
 Thinking.
VISION FOR SUCCESS
Just Start
and you are
HALF way there.

What can you take action on in the next
 1 day
 1 week
 1 month
 1 year?

Schedule 15-30 minutes every month on your
personal calendar to plan for increased
mathematics achievement for all at your site.
Today’s presentation and helpful resources available at:
www.mctm.org/principals.php
and
http://scimathmn.org/stemtc/resources/resources-february-2013-mespa-conference-0
Or go to scimathmn.org/stemtc ---> Resources--->
Resources from the February 2013 MESPA Conference (on page 3)
Follow us on Twitter @MNMath4All
STEM TEACHER RESOURCE CENTER
www.scimathmn.org/stemtc
A New Resource for Teachers to
Identify Resources to Help Students Achieve Minnesota
Standards
in Mathematics or Science
Launched 6/30/2011 – work in progress
– your feedback is appreciated!
Do you
know
what a
STANINE
is?
OVERVIEW
 Summarizes Big Ideas and Essential Understandings of the
Standard/Benchmarks
 Correlations to NCTM Standards
 Correlations to national Common Core Standards
MISCONCEPTIONS
 Points out frequent misconceptions and common errors students have
about these math ideas
VIGNETTE
 A snapshot into a classroom featuring an acitivity and teacher/student
dialogue
 Gives a picture of what standard/benchmarks mean
RESOURCES
 Teaching notes and ideas for learning
 Resource lists
 Key vocabulary and ideas for working with vocab.
 Professional development/PLC resources
 References
ASSESSMENT
 Sample tasks to assess this standard/benchmarks
 May be used formatively or summatively
DIFFERENTIATION
 Ideas for struggling learners and English Learners
 Ideas to extend the learning for kids who “get it”
 Resource lists
PARENTS/ADMINISTRATORS
 Checklists and resources for parents, coaches, administrators
Mathematics Best Practices

As a profession, teachers of mathematics must
continually strive to learn from research, remain
current within a dynamic field, effectively serve an
increasingly diverse student population and
constantly improve the results obtained by students
. . . Read more »
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Overview
Modeling Word Problems
Maintaining High Expectations
Questioning
See excerpts on pp. 1-3 in your
handout
Strength
Weakness
Achievement
Level
Descriptors
How do I teach
the standards?
5%
30%
20%