Goals for Tonight’s Presentation

• Review of the Math Pathways• Background on changes in math standards and curriculum in recent years• Why Math Pathways and what were the criteria used in their development?• What are the Math Pathways?• What have we learned?• Teacher and student experiences in Math

• Answer Important Questions• How are students initially placed on a Pathway?

• What data is used?• How do students change Pathways?• What is the process to Request Advancement to another Pathway?• What are the high school Math Pathways?

Math in Transition 2013-15

Important Transitions

• New Common Core State Standards

• Adoption of Big Ideas Curriculum in MS and HS

• Implementation of Math Pathways

• New Instructional Coaching Model

Outcomes

• Math curriculum is now aligned with CCSS

• Teachers teaching at a more rigorous level

• Better Instruction = Better Student Success

• Higher Expectations for ALL students

Why We Created Math Pathways

• Clearly define data-driven benchmarks for initial placement

• Provide clear communication about best placement practices

• Support and monitor the implementation of Common Core

• Build a stronger foundation to ensure all students have success in Math

• Prepared for college and careers

District Math Pathways TeamJeff D’Ambrosio—Principal, TFMS

Kirk Dunckel—Principal, CKMS

Rhonda Schmidt—Assistant Principal/Math Coordinator, MSHS

Holli Dexheimer—Math Department Chair, MSHS

Chris Blake—6th Grade Math Teacher CKMS

Carolyn Phelps—8th Grade Math Teacher/Instructional Coach, TFMS

George Warren—7th Grade Math Teacher, TFMS

Alison Means—7th Grade Math Teacher, CKMS

Johanna Lasher—6th Math Teacher, TFMS

Chris Ratcliffe - Counselor, CKMS

Gayle Smith— Assessment Program Specialist

Betsy Sorenson—Elementary Math Specialist

Julie Gardunia—5th Grade Teacher, NBE

Susan Corder- Dist. Admin. Assistant

District Administrators—Jeff Hogan, Ruth Moen, Dan Schlotfeldt,

Criteria for Math Pathway Development

• Class placement and progression from Middle School to High School must

be clearly documented and communicated

• Allow flexibility for changes in student’s skill and developmental readiness

• Consistent, agreed upon placement practices at all middle schools

• Use data to determine initial placement from 5th to 6th grade

• Ensure high achieving student placement is aligned with Highly Capable Program

• Create a process for parents/students to appeal placement decisions

How the Pathways Creation Process Worked

• Cross functional team kick off ( Fall 2014)• Ongoing meetings (Nov. through June 2015)

• Understanding requirements• Designing process• Problem solving• Data validation from previous year

• Parent/community feedback loop (March 2015)• Board Presentation (March 2015)• Middle School parent night (April 2015)• Communication to parents about placement (May 2015)• Appeals process completed and communicated (June 2015)

Outcomes of Collaborative Pathway Work

Pathway Guide for Educators and Parents to describe placement criteria and instructional progressions

Communication with all stakeholders

Appeal/advancement process

Core

Accelerated

Exceptional

Math Pathway Map

Math Pathways

Students who pursue the Core Pathway

through middle school and then

continue through Algebra 1, Geometry,

and Algebra 2 will have the opportunity

to complete Algebra 3 or Pre-Calculus

in high school and will be ready to

pursue college-level math courses after

graduation.

Math Pathways

Students who demonstrate readiness

for and pursue the Accelerated

Pathway through middle school and

complete Pre-Calculus in high school

will also be college-ready and will have

had an opportunity to complete at

least one additional higher level math

course such as Calculus or Statistics in

the senior year of high school.

Math Pathways

For those students who demonstrate

readiness for and pursue the

Exceptional Pathway through middle

school and complete Pre-Calculus as

sophomores, there is an opportunity to

take at least two additional higher

level math courses such as Calculus

and Statistics in the junior and senior

years of high school.

Middle School Mathematics Courses

Topics in the Middle School Mathematics Courses are aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

Instruction emphasizes the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practices that are integral to the coherence, focus and rigor necessary to develop students’ ability to make sense of problem situations.

• Courses include:

Sixth Grade Seventh Grade Eighth Grade

Common Core 6 Common Core 7 Common Core 8Common Core 6/7 Common Core 7/8 Algebra 1Common Core 7/8 Algebra 1 Geometry

Opportunities for

Advancement

Actual Placement of 6th grade students at CKMS and TFMS compared with SBAC results

PATHWAYNUMBER OF STUDENTS

Accelerated 131

Exceptional 36

TOTAL 167

5th Gr. SBAC Level 4 (exceeds standard)

179 ~12 Students possibly under placed

SVSD % of 6th grade students on each pathway

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Core Accelerated Exceptional

2014-15 2015-16

Issaquah SD and Snoqualmie Valley SD Comparison

2014-15 2015-16

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Core Accelerated Exceptional

% of 6th grade students in each pathway

Issaquah SD Snoqualmie Valley SD

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Core Accelerated Exceptional

% of 6th grade students in each pathway

Issaquah SD Snoqualmie Valley SD

What SVSD Teachers Believe about Math Pathway Experience

• 6th grade is a pivotal time for student growth

• Strong alignment of standards, curriculum, pacing and assessment at both middle schools • Teacher perception is that fewer than 1% of students were over or under

placed in grades 6-8

• 5th grade teachers are supportive of providing feedback on Mathematical Practices rather than recommending placement

Number of F’s in Math by Grade Level (all students)

Early Monitoring of Pathways and Student Performance

All 6th grade students were evaluated in the Fall (using internal at-risk indicators, grades, assessments, and attendance)

Key Take Aways

• Students in the Accelerated and Exceptional pathways were doing well (mostly A’s and B’s)

• Students who appealed, whether they were approved or denied, were doing well in their classes (mostly A’s and B’s)

• Early identification of all struggling students enables coordinated additional interventions plus their classroom experience

Student Social and Emotional Readiness

• Does my child have a natural affinity for math? Or, does my child have to work hard to understand math?

• Does my child want to accelerate? What are my child’s reasons?

• Does my child take ownership for his/her learning? Does my child do homework without teacher or parent prompting?

• Does my child turn work in on time without reminders?

• Does my child have good time management skills?

• Is my child organized?

Student Social and Emotional Readiness

• Can my child balance school work and extra-curricular activities while caring for physical and emotional health?

• Does my child use effective coping skills when frustrated?

• What additional demands for time might my child face in high school that might impact a decision to accelerate in middle school (work, sports, community involvement)?

• Does my child consistently score well on assignments and assessments without retakes or extraordinary effort?

• Does my child have excellent attendance?

• Is my child able to complete math homework and prepare for tests with minimal help outside of school?

Challenges with these transitions:

•Parent and community perceptions around math placement

• Staff changes – getting new teachers up-to-speed

• Still developing consistent practices through professional development with instructional coaches

The Bottom Line for Students…

Standards Shifting to Earlier Courses + More Rigor

As our students learn the Common Core State Standards throughout elementary school, we see fewer gaps

In turn, our population in the Accelerated and Exceptional Pathways will grow

Example of Standards Shifting with Algebra

5th to 6th Grade Placement for Next Year-2016-2017

Exceptional Pathway

• Domain Score (10 and above)

• No Screener Test

• Students and families are responsible for skipped content through on-line texts, tutors, Khan Academy, etc.

Accelerated Pathway• Domain Score (4 -9)• SBAC (4)/STAR (above standard)• No Screener Test

Continue to use combined CogAT and ITBS results

Criteria for 6th Grade Math Placement

• Most students will begin middle school math on the Core Pathway to establish a firm foundation in mathematical concepts and practices.

• Initial Placement:• CogAT (student aptitude)• ITBS-Math (student

achievement)

6th – 7TH Grade Transition: Opportunity for Acceleration

Most students will continue with the next math course in their Pathwaysequence. Students that demonstrate readiness for advancement willbe encouraged by their school to submit an advancement request.

SIXTH GRADE ACADEMIC READINESS TO ACCELERATE

*5th grade SBAC scores are used since 6th grade SBAC scores aren’t available until late June

Note that families can submit an Advancement Request even if all academic readiness criteria are not met.

Math Advancement Request Process

• Requests will be addressed in a formal process.

• Requests must be submitted within 10 working days of parent notification.

• Requests will be reviewed by a Multi-Disciplinary Advisory Team:• Math Instructional Coach• Middle School Principals• One Math Teacher from each Middle School• Middle School Counselor• Director of Secondary Education

• Parent Notification Letter sent home

Data Sources Used for Advancement Requests

• Initial placement data

•STAR Math

•SBAC Scores

•Unit Assessments

•Parent Input

•Common Core Mastery Screeners

•Mathematical Practices (teacher input)

Mathematical Practices—How students work and express what they know

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

4. Model with mathematics.

5. Use appropriate tools strategically.

6. Attend to precision.

7. Look for and make use of structure.

8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Summary of Last Year’s Appeals

2016-17 Preliminary 6th Grade Math Placement Projections

(before Advancement Requests)

PATHWAY NUMBER OF STUDENTS

Accelerated 139

Exceptional 55

TOTAL 194

Fourth grade SBAC Level 4 (exceeds standard)

180

*Actual this year is 167

8th to 9th Grade Math Transition

Changing

Math

Pathway

in High School

• Courses include:

Algebra 1

Geometry

Algebra 2

Algebra 3

Higher level math courses listed on the Mount Si High School

website

High School Mathematics Courses

Topics in the High School Mathematics Courses are aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

Instruction emphasizes the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practices that are integral to the coherence, focus and rigor necessary to develop students’ ability to make sense of problem situations.

Grade 10-12 Math

Pathways

Students are prepared for college admission requirements including the new SAT after Algebra 2.

Current Pathways TimelineSeptember 2015 - March 2016

• Ongoing professional development for teachers

• Monitoring student progress for appropriateness of placement

• Release time to review student progress this year and evaluate pathways

• Sub-committee work on revising benchmarks, pathway language, and “appeal process”

• Instructional coaching report to School Board and work happening with Math

• Release day for all members to review feedback, revise metrics, course descriptions, timeline

• Additional meeting to address concerns that surfaced around self-select

• April 2016 – June 2016

• Math Pathway update-Version 2.0 at School Board meeting

• April 22nd Fifth grade teacher Math Pathway update

• April 25th Parent math evening for current 5th grade families

• Placement letters

• Advancement requests accepted and notification of placement

In Summary:

Commitment of educators to support all students and improve instruction

Common multiple data points to evaluate student placement accurately

Consistent communication with all educators and parents

Predict increase achievement results

Flexibility factors in pathway movement

Special Appreciation

goes to the District

Math Pathways Team

for sharing their

time, expertise and

focus on student

learning and success.