TITLE: from Assessment to Professional Development to Performance

TITLE: From Assessment to Professional Development to Performance

OBJECTIVES: 1. To analyze Terra Nova and WKCE test data to determine a math strand in need of improvement 2. To improve teacher knowledge about that strand and to improve instruction in that strand 3. To set the stage for professional development in mathematics in the 2005 – 2006 school year.

PROGRESS THUS FAR:

At the banking time day on April 13, 2005 the math teacher leader led a workshop to analyze the item analysis of test data in the mathematics section of the Terra Nova at grades 3, 5, 6, and 7. We identified the geometry strand as our area of concentration.

The math teacher leader attended geometry strand presentations during the two-day Green Lake Conference. She ordered the Navigations Through Geometry series for all teachers grades Pre K through 8.

Our math specialist, Beth Schefelker, made a presentation at faculty meetings about the big ideas in geometry. We read an article from the book Principles and Standards of School Mathematics. Teachers were to identify what each math strand looked like at their grade level. As a whole group we started to compile the information to build the learning continuum for each of the four big ideas of geometry but we ran out of time.

On July 12 a three-hour geometry workshop will be held at the Technology Support Center. At that workshop we will read about one of the four big ideas in geometry. Teachers will be asked to identify the content that is expected at each grade level in that big idea. Finally teachers will perform activities from each grade level in that big idea to illustrate the progression of the curriculum. If time permits teachers will identify activities from their math texts that follow this strand. We will look at the Mathematics Framework and the learning targets at each grade level for evidence of the big idea.

Further work on the geometry is included in the 2005/2006-school education plan.