NCA CASI e-News
January 2003
Working to Help You Leave No Child Behind in Math
Volume 1 Number 3
January 2003
Working to Help You Leave No Child Behind in Math
Volume 1 Number 3
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NCA CASI e-News
January 2003 Working to Help You Leave No Child Behind in Math Volume 1 Number 3 |
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Administrative Note: NCA CASI has a new address.
About e-News:
NCA CASI: Working to Help You Leave No Child Behind in Math Improving Students' Math Problem-Solving Skills: Six Lessons from
the Field Mary Jo Rasmussen is the Associate State Director for NCA CASI in Michigan. Over the years, she has helped many schools tackle math problem-solving goals. She shares with us six lessons that come from a variety of sources across several states and one neighboring province. To read the full article and access references, visit the Fall Issue of the Journal of School Improvement at http://www.ncacasi.org/jsi/2002v3i2/pass_it_on.adp. First, define what problem solving means at your school. What skills will you focus on? Look at your data—what problem solving skills are the most challenging to your students? Remember, these are the skills you want everyone in the school to use very frequently in their teaching. Second, present this to the faculty. Discuss how every teacher, no matter what subject area he/she teaches, can use these skills in his/her day-to-day teaching. Assure everyone that you will provide multiple professional development opportunities so that using problem solving in the curriculum will become second nature. Third, adopt a schoolwide problem solving framework for students to use while grappling with problems. Students need a problem solving roadmap regardless of their age, and it must be consistent throughout the school. The framework may be applied a bit differently in each subject area, or from grade level to grade level, but the steps are identical. For a sample problem solving framework, refer to the subsection in the article http://www.ncacasi.org/jsi/2002v3i2/pass_it_on.adp. Fourth, select additional interventions. Interventions mirror the skills you chose when you analyzed your data in the first paragraph. For example, if students are having difficulty organizing information in a problem, teaching students how to use graphic organizers may be an intervention your goal committee wants to explore. When chosen as an intervention, every teacher in the school is then expected to infuse the use of graphic organizers in their lessons on a regular basis. Fifth, devise a quality locally developed assessment. Quality assessments are those that arise from clear and appropriate achievement expectations for students, are designed to serve particular purposes, provide a representative sample of student performance, and are designed and used in such a manner as to eliminate sources of bias or distortion. For an example of a quality locally developed assessment, refer to the subsection in the article http://www.ncacasi.org/jsi/2002v3i2/pass_it_on.adp. Sixth, organize staff development. Determine what staff development is needed, what forms it should take, and make it widely accessible. Final thoughts. Above all, coordinate with your other school improvement goal committees. Schools have found that at least one link exists between problem solving and the other goals. Often you will be able to use common interventions and/or assessments for multiple goal areas. Math Resources on the Internet The following math websites were compiled by NCA CASI staff as resources for NCA schools. A complete description of each website can be found at http://www.ncacasi.org/jsi/2002v3i2/math_resources.adp.
Success Stories Raising Math Achievement
at George W. Lieb
Elementary School, Accredited Since 1989 The full text of this success story can be read online in the Fall 2002 NCA CASI Journal of School Improvement at http://www.ncacasi.org/jsi/2002v3i2/math_wizard.adp.This story was also released via fax in the December 02 issue of Raising Student Achievement: Practices that Work, a bimonthly broadcast fax of NCA CASI. The authors include Gregory Porod, Diane Kolodziej, Daune Sebastian, and Susan Studenroth, staff members at Lieb Elementary, IL. The NCA CASI school improvement process has been part of the George W. Lieb School climate for many years. Following is a summary of their recent success in raising math achievement. School-wide Goal. All students will increase their skills in applying mathematics in a variety of contexts. The staff at Lieb aligned the goal with the Illinois Learning Standard: open-ended math questions. Implementation. To improve students’ problem solving abilities, the staff at Lieb created a school-wide intervention called “Math Wizard Wednesdays” (MWW). Flyers were made and posted throughout the school to promote the idea of MWW. Staff members were provided with sample open-ended math questions to be implemented at any time throughout their lessons, but especially on designated “Math Wizard Wednesdays” held at least once a month. Staff members were also given reminders prior to MWW in memos and school announcements. The goal was to offer reminders to staff to work on improving their students’ abilities to solve open-ended math problems. Staff members received training on the implementation of the open-ended math problems and on how to prepare and complete a rubric to measure the progress of each child and the class as a whole. Data Collection. All of the rubrics were tallied by staff and graphed by the goal committee on a regular basis. In addition, the staff analyzed the math data from the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). Documenting Success. Fifth grade students increased their performance on the Math ISAT Test over the past three years. The growth represented a Standard Unit gain of +.53, which is substantial verifiable growth over time. The school also documented a +.79 Standard Unit gain on its third grade local assessment. The results can be viewed online at http://www.ncacasi.org/jsi/2002v3i2/math_wizard.adp. Francis Howell School District in Missouri and Rio Rancho Public Schools in New Mexico, two districts with strong NCA CASI accreditation traditions, received national recognition as data-driven districts in The School Administrator Web Edition, December 2002. We congratulate them on earning this recognition. To read the article go to http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/2002_12/LaFee.htm. Commission Corner It’s a new year and NCA CASI has a new address and a new logo. New Address
As we embark on a new year and set direction for the years to come, may the logo serve as a reminder to us all to stay focused and directed on the core of what we are all about - raising student achievement. Submit Your Nominees for the John Vaughn Awards The Commission presents the John Vaughn Award to individuals who have demonstrated leadership in bringing about excellence in education. Nominees may be teachers, administrators, board members, or community representatives. Nomination letters may be sent by anyone and should include a description of the nominee’s contribution in promoting excellence within a school, district, or state. Nomination letters should be sent to your NCA CASI state office. Fall 2002 Journal of School Improvement is Now Online The Fall 2002 Journal of School Improvement is now online. You can access it at http://www.ncacasi.org/jsi/2002v3i2/index.adp.The theme of the Fall issue is Mathematics. Many of the articles in this e-News are derived from the articles in the Journal.We encourage you to take advantage of this useful online resource. To access the Call for Manuscripts go to http://www.ncacasi.org/jsi/2003v4i1/call.adp for more information about manuscript submission. NCA CASI 108th Annual Meeting We invite you to join us for three days of discussion, exploration, and sharing of practices and processes that result in improved student learning. For more information go to http://www.ncacasi.org/event/meeting/. Upcoming Professional Development In addition to the workshops provided by your NCA CASI State Offices, the regional Commission offers professional development opportunities throughout the year aimed at helping you improve student performance. Following are dates and locations of upcoming regional workshops. Contact your state office to obtain updated lists of state-sponsored training. Refining Your School Improvement Skills February 24-25 Bloomington, MN Preparing Each Student for Success – NCA CASI Transitions January 29-30 East Lansing, MI February 4-5 Waterford, MI February 12-13 Grand Rapids, MI March 12-13 Petoskey, MI March 17-18 Englewood, OH For more information or to register on-line go to http://www.ncacasi.org/event/workshops/?region=casi. How to Reach Us We are committed to providing you with the information you need to continually improve student learning. Please share with us your suggestions, advice, and ideas on how to make e-News and our other products and services best meet your needs. Send us feedback at enews@ncacasi.org. North Central Association |
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Thank
you for reading this issue of NCA e-NEWS. Events and dates are subject
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Copyright
© 2003 North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and
School Improvement. All Rights Reserved
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