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Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction Dr May 2018 Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction Dr. Fatima Morrell, Assistant Superintendent Our Vision: Through a commitment to equity and excellence, all students will receive a rigorous instructional program which ​ prepares them to compete successfully, and contribute responsibly in a global society. Assistant Superintendent Highlights “Mathematics is Everywhere” Take a look around and math is everywhere. From finding the best deal while online shopping to calculating our students’ grades to cooking tonight’s dinner. When we think about math we tend to think about numbers and operations, fractions and decimals, standard algorithms and complicated formulas. But when was the last time you stopped to think about the stories behind the math? The who, the what, the where, the when? Stories connect us. They help us to create a deeper understanding and discover where we fit into the big picture. Have your students ever asked, or maybe you, yourself have wondered, “Why does this matter? When am I ever going to use this?” It’s these questions that show us how critical it is for students to understand both the history of math and the future of math. There are so many people that label the way students today are learning math as the “new way of doing math.” But how “new” is this math? The Ishango bone from Ancient Africa is one of the earliest artifacts of arithmetic, dating back 20,000 years ago. Many similarities can be found when comparing our base-10 number system to the base-20 number system Ancient Mayans used. Using shells to represent zero, dots to represent ones, and sticks to represent a groups of five, Mayans were able to calculate mathematical problems such as the length of the solar year. The importance of astronomy and calendar calculations in Mayan and Mesoamerican society required May 2018 mathematics, and the Maya constructed quite early a very sophisticated number system, possibly more advanced than any other in the world at the time, which speaks to their mathematical genius ( http://www.storyofmathematics.com/mayan.html ). Many students from our Latino cultures may find these ​ mathematical concepts and facts quite interesting as they will be able to make historical and cultural connections to ancient Mayan and Mesoamerican mathematicians to whom many can trace their cultural roots. Ancient Ethiopians developed a system for making computations that focused on halving and doubling numbers. This base-2 number system is very similar to how computers function today. Bringing some of this information into the classroom is a fun and interesting way for students to find similarities and differences with the math they are studying right now. Many students are also able to make historical connections with Ancient African and Mayan mathematicians. Take Imhotep for example, a Black man who was the architect of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, and whom many scholars consider a multi-genius on the subjects of math, science, medicine and other scholarly areas. Many students will be able to make a cultural connection to such a genius who may share their ancestral background. What do we know about other Native American uses of early mathematics? According to significant research(study.com) Native American societies used either base-ten or base-20 counting systems, and recorded numerical data through notches in wood, woven chords, and painted bark, among other lightweight and transportable systems. Some even used their fingers. By using different combinations of fingers and a complex understanding of multiplication, some Native American cultures could count up to 1,000 using their ten fingers alone! I am sure our Native American learners as well as all learners will find a study of this early mathematics phenomenon quite interesting, and therefore engaging. A history of math that includes facts from all around the world, helps our students to see themselves in the curriculum and find where they fit in. Making these connections help students to build confidence related to the curriculum content, while gaining an understanding of how and why mathematical content is relevant in their everyday lives. Seeing the connections between math and computer technology, engineering, astrology, and the medical fields will provide our students answers to the common questions: “Why does this matter? When am I ever going to use this?” Knowing that the math of today has been developed over years and years of hard work will hopefully foster a growth mindset in our students. They can do this! And it is our job as educators to promote a positive math culture in our classroom. The next time your students question the importance of math, try adding some math history to your lessons. In this May edition of the CAI newsletter, each department discusses important mathematical curriculum content connections to their specific subject areas and make suggestions for strategies and best practices that can be used to develop cross-curricular alignment and understandings during classroom instruction. We hope you will find this useful to your instructional practice. Thank you, Dr. Morrell (with contributions from Nicole Buccilli) May 2018 Important Dates May 1-3 3-8 NYSED Math Testing May 7-8 NYS Math 3-8 Scoring Training Building Level Lead Teachers (8:15-3:30@BPDTC) J. Wagstaff May 8 English Language Arts Instructional Updates Teacher Appreciation Day May 9 This year has been named “The Year of Instruction.” Early Release Day After many classroom visits, our Chief Academic Officer, Anne Botticelli developed the instructional priorities for May 10 classrooms in grades 3 through 12. Principals, assistant Superintendent’s Conference Day principals, and coaches were presented with the priorities May 11 during monthly meetings and charged with bringing the NYS Math Grade 7&8 Assessment Scoring priorities to teachers. Detailed below are the BPS (8:15- 3:30@BPDTC) Instructional Priorities and additional information as it was J. Wagstaff presented to district personnel: May 14 Pre-K Art Show BPS Instructional Priorities for ELA: City Hall @11:00am Instructional & Math 1. DISTRICT MATERIALS: Are District materials and Coaches Meeting curriculum being used effectively and with skilled fidelity? (8:15-3:30@#187) J. Wagstaff Students consistently use and/or respond to District-vetted materials, including texts, assignments and questions. May 15 Teachers follow District curriculum as intended (e.g. on Trauma Informed Care Gr. K-3 (8:15-3:30@BPDTC) track with District pacing and instructional guides from the N. Bycina District website; using rigorous questions, tasks, and assignments provided by District-vetted materials.) May 16 Balancing Language and Literacy – Module and/or lesson numbers from the materials are clearly Bilingual Teachers posted in the classroom each day. (8:15-3:30 @BPDTC) 2. ALL STUDENTS READ: Are all students reading anchor May 17 texts independently on a regular basis? Richmond Speaking Contest Students engage in daily accountable, independent reading (10:00@Roswell Park Hohn Auditorium) of grade-appropriate anchor texts and/or decodables. J. Romain May 2018 Teachers chunk readings and appropriately assign accountable tasks (e.g., annotations, prompts, summaries) May 18 Literacy Coaches Meeting as students read anchor texts silently. (8:15-3:30@BPDTC) J. Byrnes Students in grades 3-12 spend the majority of class reading, writing about, and discussing grade- and May 21 Grade 7 & 8 Mathematics League subject-appropriate texts. Awards Banquet 3. ALL STUDENTS WRITE: Are all students writing to Emerson @ 10:30am demonstrate deep understanding of the anchor text on a J. Wagstaff regular basis? Students have frequent opportunities to write independently May 23 in response to what they have read, allowing them to Social Studies PD with NYS demonstrate their independent understanding of the text. Education Department Students consistently respond to text-based questions, Buffalo History Museum 4:30-7:30 using evidence from the text to demonstrate their Social Studies CLTs understanding. Students respond to higher order thinking questions (HOT!) that target the depth of grade-level standards. May 22-25 June Earth Science Regents ​ Administration of Part D 4.DIFFERENTIATION: Do all students have the support they K. Baudo need to access grade-level content? May 23-25 Grade 4 & 8 State Science Test - One of the most important concepts behind differentiation is Performance Test Administration that students are working productively on skills that they K. Baudo need reinforced. When teachers use vetted resources, we know that the time is well spent. May 28 ​ Memorial Day ​ ​ The teacher deliberately checks for understanding Schools Closed throughout the lesson and adapts the lesson according to May 29-31 student understanding. June Earth Science Regents The teacher scaffolds instruction and tasks for various Administration of Part D (34) K Baudo students allowing students to access grade-level content * and demonstrate independent understanding without Grade 4 & 8 State Science Test - reducing the rigor of the standards. Performance Test Administration (120) K Baudo The teacher pre-teaches, re-teaches important skills and concepts through teacher-led small group instruction. The teacher differentiates activities for use in groups or in learning areas to provide targeted practice of previously taught skills/concepts. May 2018 Culturally & Linguistically Responsive Teaching by CLRT Committee (Kelly Baudo,Chair; Michele Agosto; Crystal Benton; Dalphne Bell; Michael Cambria; James Schwanz) In the Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching programs we emphasize knowing oneself and one's ancestry. It is essential for students to be able to relate to and see themselves in the information they are learning. As we look at the world of math, we can see it's all around us. Skills we learn in math are transferable to our daily activities and are the foundations of most decision we make. When one thinks of mathematicians the first names that may pop into your head are most likely Sir Isaac Newton Sr.
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