In the Spotlight!
The Big Show
Preparing for the changes as recommended in the 2011 MA Curriculum Framework for Mathematics can be thought of in terms of preparing for a performance. We have our cast – students and educators – and we have a performance looming – a revised MCAS.
PARCC (Partnership for Assessment and Readiness for College and Careers) is on track for their goal of releasing a new test in the 2014-2015 school year. The new testing system will involve both a midyear and an end of the year assessment. The timeline that we follow to prepare for the big show is ambitious, to say the least.
Learning the script …………
We have been given our script – the standards. And now, we must learn our lines.
The content of what students are expected to know is highlighted in the critical areas for each grade level in the 2011 MA Curriculum Framework for Mathematics. With the driving philosophy of learning progressions, students are expected to fully master the material presented by the end of a specified grade band. From authors for the Common Core for State Standards, Daro, McCallum and Zimba, “The standards were not so much assembled out of topics as woven out of progressions. Maintaining these progressions in the implementation of the standards will be important for helping all students learn mathematics at a higher level.”
Words in a script cannot be delivered effectively without considering the actions and the overall intend of the performance. Much the same way, the critical areas cannot be reduced to a script of topics or skills. We cannot divorce the content taught from the way in which it is taught. This is evident when we closely examine the language used to describe critical areas.
And ……………. ACTION!!!!!!!!!!
As we study our script, the meaning of the text becomes our new reality. The verbs used throughout the critical ideas in 2011 MA Curriculum Framework for Mathematics are as follows: develop understanding, describe, classify, represent, relate, extend, build, analyze, interpret, formulate, reason, apply, solve, draw inferences, formulate, model and grasp. These verbs all reflect a high level of cognitive demand, which is defined as “the kind and level of thinking required of students in order to successfully engage with and solve the task.” Stein, Smith, Henningsen, & Silver, (2000) These verbs clearly reflect the need for students to engage with mathematics in meaningful and purposeful ways. As we take action, we must be prepared to guide and support our educators.
It’s show time!
Our teachers need to be experts in both content and pedagogy. Their call to action includes content knowledge, understanding of learning progressions, and the ability to use formative assessments to drive instruction. Teachers must be adept at keeping the cognitive demands of the mathematics at a high level with an emphasis on inquiry and understanding.
Our students now take center stage. Their opportunities for learning are directly related to the actions that we take and to the tasks that we present to our students. We must be prepared to not only align the content of our mathematics program, but also to attend to the level of challenge that we require in our mathematics classrooms. With greater focus and rigor, we will “bring down the house.”
Helpful links:PARCC: http://parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/January2012PARCCPlaceNewsletter_0.pdf
Full commentary from authors of CCSS: http://commoncoretools.me/2012/02/16/the-structure-is-the-standards/
Summary of critical areas: http://www.looneymathconsulting.com/criticalareasccss.html