Thursday, October 11, 2007
So, how is it going?
Please give some feedback as to how things are going in the math classrooms this fall. It is really important to have open and honest communication about what's happening in each of the middle schools. Posts can be anonymous.
Monday, September 17, 2007
School Committee survey results
The Andover School Committee survey presentation is available on-line at aps1.net.
If you look left you will see the link to the survey presentation made at School Committee meeting held in late August.
If you look left you will see the link to the survey presentation made at School Committee meeting held in late August.
Fall 2007
The kids are back in the classrooms and we are all back at our computers. Hopefully you are seeing some positive effects of the math plan. If you have any info you can share please post your comments.
Updates:
- Susan Nicholson has said that she will provide updates re: middle school math at the School Committee meetings.
- Middle School math teachers are meeting to share best practices and workbooks with extension/supplement activities. Also they have put togehter exercises dovetailing IMPACT math with CMP.
- Pre-assessments were given to some classes at the start of the first units. These should enable teachers to determine what material is already known. Hopefully this will cut down on redundancy.
- Pacing should be adjusted this year..
- MCAS scores are due out in the beginning of October.
Updates:
- Susan Nicholson has said that she will provide updates re: middle school math at the School Committee meetings.
- Middle School math teachers are meeting to share best practices and workbooks with extension/supplement activities. Also they have put togehter exercises dovetailing IMPACT math with CMP.
- Pre-assessments were given to some classes at the start of the first units. These should enable teachers to determine what material is already known. Hopefully this will cut down on redundancy.
- Pacing should be adjusted this year..
- MCAS scores are due out in the beginning of October.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Math update for the fall - from Marj
As the school year starts we should expect to see changes in the implementation of middle school math according to the enhancement plan presented by the principals at the June 12 School Committee meeting.
Some of the anticipated "improvements" include:
- use of the IMPACT math materials in the classroom
- use of pre and post assessments to determine student knowledge of the materials, grouping of students, what materials can be skipped, where extra time should be spent, etc.
- flexible grouping of students into work groups for enrichment and extension
- possible cross - teaming of students to assist with flexible grouping (where applicable at your middle school)
- use of enrichment periods for additional math work (where applicable at your middle school)
Marj Andresen has been told that Ann Collins, the consultant to the district, will be working with the teachers to adjust the pacing charts for Connected Math. You can check with your child's teacher on this.
Donna Pappalardo is the new 6-12 math coordinator.
Teachers will be attending a workshop specifically geared toward differentiated instruction for Connected Math. This workshop is being delivered by Teachers21.
Not to be negative but:
There are still some lingering questions and concerns about this enhancement plan. It did not result from a robust evaluation of the current curriculum and implementation -- or at least no evaluation was published for community review. It remains to be seen whether or not this plan addresses the concerns that have been voiced by parents, students and teachers over the course of the last year. Or whether it addresses concerns raised publicly at the Jan 2007 forum.
And becuz this plan was presented at the end of the school year, there was no chance for stakeholders to ask questions before this plan was put into place.
According to the published curriculum review plan, the last school year was the time to collect data for the evaluation of the K-12 math program. For reasons unknown this data collection did not occur last year and is now slated for this school year. A part of that published plan is collection of benchmark assessments (what do other schools do?) as well as a survey of parents, students and teachers to determine the impact of the program. We are all looking forward to the opportunity to participate in this process during the upcoming school year.
Some of the anticipated "improvements" include:
- use of the IMPACT math materials in the classroom
- use of pre and post assessments to determine student knowledge of the materials, grouping of students, what materials can be skipped, where extra time should be spent, etc.
- flexible grouping of students into work groups for enrichment and extension
- possible cross - teaming of students to assist with flexible grouping (where applicable at your middle school)
- use of enrichment periods for additional math work (where applicable at your middle school)
Marj Andresen has been told that Ann Collins, the consultant to the district, will be working with the teachers to adjust the pacing charts for Connected Math. You can check with your child's teacher on this.
Donna Pappalardo is the new 6-12 math coordinator.
Teachers will be attending a workshop specifically geared toward differentiated instruction for Connected Math. This workshop is being delivered by Teachers21.
Not to be negative but:
There are still some lingering questions and concerns about this enhancement plan. It did not result from a robust evaluation of the current curriculum and implementation -- or at least no evaluation was published for community review. It remains to be seen whether or not this plan addresses the concerns that have been voiced by parents, students and teachers over the course of the last year. Or whether it addresses concerns raised publicly at the Jan 2007 forum.
And becuz this plan was presented at the end of the school year, there was no chance for stakeholders to ask questions before this plan was put into place.
According to the published curriculum review plan, the last school year was the time to collect data for the evaluation of the K-12 math program. For reasons unknown this data collection did not occur last year and is now slated for this school year. A part of that published plan is collection of benchmark assessments (what do other schools do?) as well as a survey of parents, students and teachers to determine the impact of the program. We are all looking forward to the opportunity to participate in this process during the upcoming school year.
Notes from School Committee meeting 8/14
At last night's School Committee meeting they reviewed the draft of the 2007-2008 Goals and Objectives. These are what the school district is tasked to achieve for the upcoming school year and represent our best chance to exert influence over the administration.
Marj Andresen attended the working session where these goals were drafted. There was a lot of discussion around ensuring that we strive for student achievement for all students. And that the goals and objectives are measurable. The question "how do we know when we get there?" was often asked.
Using the draft goals as a starting point, the school administration will refine the document to come up with the published goals and objectives for the Andover public schools. Although not the focus of the upcoming admin offsite, there will be some discussion around this topic. At last night's meeting Dr. Bach said she would return to the School Committee with a refined set of goals and objectives in about a month (late September - early October).
Here, on page three, is the current draft.
Marj Andresen attended the working session where these goals were drafted. There was a lot of discussion around ensuring that we strive for student achievement for all students. And that the goals and objectives are measurable. The question "how do we know when we get there?" was often asked.
Using the draft goals as a starting point, the school administration will refine the document to come up with the published goals and objectives for the Andover public schools. Although not the focus of the upcoming admin offsite, there will be some discussion around this topic. At last night's meeting Dr. Bach said she would return to the School Committee with a refined set of goals and objectives in about a month (late September - early October).
Here, on page three, is the current draft.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Summer Vacation
Posting has been quiet (although there continue to be discussions at the schools and the school committee during the summer.)
For those who did not hear, Susan Nicholson (formerly principal at North Andover High School) has been named the interim Assistant Superintedent, replacing Marcia O'Neil.
We know that some parents have received replies from the middle school principals to the parents' questions about the math proposal from June. Feel free to share any highlights or surprises in the comments.
For those who did not hear, Susan Nicholson (formerly principal at North Andover High School) has been named the interim Assistant Superintedent, replacing Marcia O'Neil.
We know that some parents have received replies from the middle school principals to the parents' questions about the math proposal from June. Feel free to share any highlights or surprises in the comments.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Internal Job Posting for Andover Public Schools -- Program Advisor for Mathematics 6-12
Program Advisor for mathematics 6-12
General Description:
Under the direction of the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, the program advisor Mathematics will be responsible for the four major areas of instructional leadership: curriculum and instruction; supervision and evaluation of teachers; staff development; and, administration.
Full posting is available at:
http://www.aps1.net/hr/Admin%20Positions%20Pages/progadvmath.htm
General Description:
Under the direction of the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, the program advisor Mathematics will be responsible for the four major areas of instructional leadership: curriculum and instruction; supervision and evaluation of teachers; staff development; and, administration.
Full posting is available at:
http://www.aps1.net/hr/Admin%20Positions%20Pages/progadvmath.htm
Saturday, June 23, 2007
School Committee meeting Tues June 26 7:30pm
The last School Committee meeting of the year is on Tuesday night June 26 at 7:30pm
Agenda can be found at http://www.aps1.net/District/School%20Committee/SC06-07/SCAgenda6-26-07.pdf
Agenda can be found at http://www.aps1.net/District/School%20Committee/SC06-07/SCAgenda6-26-07.pdf
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Math Plan Poll
Only a few parents were quoted in Monday's Eagle-Tribune story mentioned below. After you have reviewed the administration's math plan, please vote in the following poll:
Feel free to explain your vote by leaving a comment!
Feel free to explain your vote by leaving a comment!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Eagle Tribune Follow Up article on Andover math
The Monday, June 18, edition of the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune has a follow-up article called "Some unhappy with math plan" on page 2. The article is available online (excerpt only - full text available to Eagle Tribune subscribers with a Plus Edition account.)
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