Standards of Mathematical Practice
“By all these lovely tokens September days are here With summer’s best of weather And autumn’s best of cheer.”
I have always loved September. As much as I enjoy summer, September is always a welcome arrival. It is one of the many gifts of being in education - a new beginning. Buildings are bright and clean, teachers and children are excited and ready to learn, and the halls are once again full of the sounds and sights of learning.
UPDATES FROM MA DESE AND PARCC:
Our focus for this new year is embracing the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework forMathematics. In the spring of 2013, standards from this document will be assessed. DESE Transition Documents links to a list of standards to be assessed. PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) is busily working to create a new assessment system that is likely to be adopted by MA, potentially in time for the 2014 testing cycle. Sample test items have just been released. To learn about tasks and prototype questions as well as to view ample tasks, visit PARCC.
A prediction from EDC's authors of Think Math proves to be correct, "The MathematicalPractices will be taken seriously in curriculum and teaching if, and only if, they are takenseriously in testing. It can be expected, then, that the developers of the CCSS, and the States that collaborated in calling for the development of the CCSS, will work with the developers of assessments to ensure that the Mathematical Practices are taken seriously in testing. In fact, this is what we see in these prototype tasks.
These tasks require much more than procedural knowledge. They are directly linked to theMathematical Practices. "The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe varieties of expertise that mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in their students. These practices rest on important "processes and proficiencies" with longstanding importance in mathematics education." (CCSS, 2010)
It is important that as we work with teachers and students this year, we focus on theseMathematical Practices; that we have not divorced this from the content of the new standards. The newly released test items show us that simply checking off a list that standards are being taught / covered, will not be enough to ensure the success of our students. They are going to be asked to engage with mathematical tasks of a rich nature.In order to support and encourage applications of the Mathematical Practices we can consider the following ......
Questioning: How can teachers use effective questioning to access higher level thinking? What questions can teachers ask their students? How do we practice and develop this skill?
Tasks: What tasks can be chosen and how can theybe posed to support rigor? How are tasks presented so that students are encouraged to wrestle with problems and construct their own understandings? What resources are in place for teachers to find such questions?
Engagement: What will the teacher say during their lessons? What will the students do? Which visual models will be recorded and how? How will all students be engaged at their appropriate level of challenge? How will instruction be differentiated?
Routines: What routines can be used within classrooms and across grade levels?
The Community: How can the larger community be involved, reaching out to families?Newsletters? Websites? Math Events?
We need to give teachers time to brainstorm answers to these questions, to share their collective expertise, and to practice new instructional practice in supportive environments.
So, where do we start? I have two excellent resources as follow:
SUPPORT RESOURCES:
NCSM: ILLUSTRATING THE STANDARDS FOR MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE
The National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) has provided a resource that can be shared to explain how to instruct using the Mathematical Practices. This resource includes modules of study, power point presentations, handouts, and video clips to bring the Mathematical Practices to life.
EDC: EXPLAINING THE STANDARDS FOR MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE WITH CLASSROOM EXAMPLES
"This attention to Mathematical Practices connected with content must also be enacted inteaching, which will require professional development .... The Mathematical Practices are not so easily condensed into a lesson or unit, not so easily tested and, generally, not so familiar....Though they can be enacted in an appropriate way at any level, they evolve and mature over years rather than days, along with children's cognitive development and the nature and sophistication of the Mathematical Content." This resource gives more guidance and clarity to the Mathematical Practices.
And, so, with the promise of an exciting school year, we begin our journey of understanding better this new set of standards with an eye to the future generation of creative problem solvers and thinkers.
Happy September!
Sue Looney, Ed.D.
President-LMC