Archive for the ‘Administrators’ Category

NC Personalized Assessment Tool – Survey Announcement

You may already have the information about surveys from NCDPI to get feedback that will be used to create grades 3-8 test specifications for the new NC interim testing, a part of the North Carolina Personalized Assessment Tool. Since these interim assessments will replace the NC Check-ins and may one day be required of districts, we wanted to make sure that your district’s voice is heard. The content specifications for each interim assessment will essentially become a default state-wide pacing guide because districts expect teachers to teach the standards assessed on each interim. It is therefore important that the collective expertise of our mathematics education community weigh in to ensure that the clustering and sequencing of instruction is connected and makes sense for student learning of mathematics.

The survey links should have been sent to your district/PSU testing coordinator. If you haven’t already received this information, we hope you will take the time to check with that person and make sure the surveys are completed by the person/people in your district most involved in decisions about mathematics instruction.  Only one survey can be submitted per grade level per district. If no one in your district has received the survey, please contact Beth Nash ([email protected]). Also, if there are others that you think might need this information, please forward it to them.

Much good work has been done in the last few years with new standards implementation, including the development of the NC2ML Instructional Frameworks for Elementary, Middle Grades, and High School and aligned Tools4NCTeachers and NC2ML Resources. We look forward to future work together to support our students in the learning of mathematics.

Call for Nominations

The North Carolina Collaborative of Mathematics Learning (NC2ML) is soliciting nominations for a K-12 mathematics Co-design Team. Team members will participate in a research study to understand the role of instructional vision when implementing STEM innovations at scale and how one’s instructional vision mediates their uses of implementation resources. Members will work within grade bands (i.e., K-5, 6-8, 9-12) to collaboratively design resources to support the development of a state-wide coherent vision of high-quality and equitable mathematics instruction. Those selected for the Co-design Team will commit to a three-year term and will be compensated for their time. All NC K-12 mathematics teachers and teacher leaders (e.g., administrators, district or state leaders, coaches, university-based mathematics teacher educators) are eligible. Self-nominations are welcome.

Why are we building the Co-design Team? Simply put, we are building this team to support all students in NC. We have seen the power of NC math teachers collaborating for change. For example, our collaborative efforts resulted in an infrastructure and collection of resources to support teachers in the implementation of the newly revised state math standards in ways that value all students as doers of mathematics. This continued work has been difficult in the last 5 years due to a lack of time and space and the diminished role of DPI in guiding our collective work. Through the support of the National Science Foundation, we have been given the time and space to collaborate and effect change in NC. Whether you have been a part of the work in the past or not, we need you. The students of NC need you.

Who are we looking for? Ideally the Co-design Team will be made up of K-12 mathematics teachers, mathematics coaches, district mathematics leaders, school administrators, and university-based mathematics teacher educators from all parts of the state. We are looking for people who have skills in building relationships and facilitating groups, positive views of students as learners and teachers as professionals, and an understanding of mathematics teaching as helping students to make sense of mathematics. We are particularly interested in team members who represent voices that are often marginalized in educational decisions.

What will the Co-design Team be working on? The Co-design Team will engage in three year-long design cycles that will include 1) discussing and identifying of a shared problem of practice within the overarching project goal of promoting a shared statewide vision of high quality and equitable mathematics instruction; 2) collaboratively designing resources based on the needs identified; 3) eliciting feedback from the wider state mathematics education community; and 4) refining the resources based on feedback. In addition, Co-design team members will be an important part of the research related to these efforts and as such they will be expected to participate in periodic interviews. This work will be done in monthly hour long zoom meetings, one full day meeting each semester, and a 3 day retreat each summer during the third week in June. Team members will be compensated $1500/year for this work.

If you, or someone you know would be a great fit for the NC2ML Co-designTeam, please complete this brief form by November 12th, 2021.