CoMath Update for October 1, 2021

It's October! I've seen some of you during the last two nights of the CCTM Annual Conference and I expect I'll see more Saturday during the big day of sessions. If you haven't registered yet and want to attend, it's not too late. I'm editing and posting videos of the sessions so people can take in as much of the conference as they want.

This is another huge CoMath Update! Here's a preview:

• Announcing CoMath Curriculum Cohorts (New and potentially big!)
• October's CoMath Conversation
• Coherence Gap Spreadsheet update
• CML meeting and book study
• NCTM virtual conference and journal club
• NCSM's "Beyond the Conference"
• Four student math contests: Modeling, MATHCOUNTS, Math Madness, and IMAGINE MATH CLASS
• CDE job opening and webinar series

Announcing: CoMath Curriculum Cohorts

This is a big idea I've been kicking around for a while: What if there were networks of teachers, schools, and districts across the state organized by the curriculum materials they've adopted? Within these networks, they could share resources, assessment strategies, intervention ideas, and maybe even team up for purchasing things like PD and supplemental materials at bulk rates. And what if there was a cohort of schools currently undertaking a curriculum adoption process? What could they gain from sharing with one another? And how could all these people gain from having more access to me and my connections with professional developers, researchers, and curriculum designers?

Today I'm announcing CoMath Curriculum Cohorts, an idea that I hope takes off and gives us new ways to receive support and to support each other. But first, I need you to indicate your interest so I can see how big these cohorts might be and what particular interests you all have. So please, if you're at all interested, indicate using this form: https://forms.office.com/r/WQ7NLAG2Q2.

October CoMath Conversation: How do we provide quality math interventions for students?

Schools and teachers are eager to provide high-quality interventions to students who may be struggling in mathematics, and districts have used COVID relief dollars to add staff to provide these interventions. But what makes a good intervention? What materials are needed? What specialized training do the interventionists need? On October 14 from 3:30-4:45, we'll discuss these issues and share ideas about math interventions so more students get the help they need, when they need it. Register today!

Coherence Gap Spreadsheet

The Coherence Gap Spreadsheet has been updated to fix a conditional formatting issue that appeared when trying to use the spreadsheet in Google Sheets. (Thanks, Zach Leins, for pointing this out!) I'm happy to help anyone trying to use this spreadsheet or make sense of the results. Just ask!

Colorado Math Leaders

The next meeting of the Colorado Math Leaders will be Tuesday, October 12 from 12:30 to 2:30. We'll have another full agenda, including moving on with our book study of Choosing to See. If you haven't yet gotten your copy and want to study along with us, get it now!

NCTM Virtual Conference

NCTM is holding the 2021 Fall Virtual Conference from November 17-20. In addition to the conference, you can register for an all-day preconference workshop about differentiated instruction from Marian Small. For more information, see https://www.nctm.org/fallvirtual2021/. Early-bird registration rates are available through October 20.

MTLT Journal Club

Ever been in a book club? How about a journal club? NCTM is creating a journal club for readers of its journal, Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12. For their first meeting on Tuesday, October 12 from 6-7 pm MT, they'll be revisiting the 2016 article "Speaking Up and Speaking Out About Gender in Mathematics" by Laurie Rubel. To participate, RSVP by email no later than October 8, 2021. Both NCTM members and non-members are welcome.

NCTM Grants

NCTM has a number of grants with November 1 application deadlines. Want to do classroom research? Or connect math to other subjects? Or design innovative lessons? Develop teacher-leaders? Help pay for graduate work? All those things and more are covered by NCTM grants.

NCSM Beyond the Conference 2021

Math leaders may want to check out NCSM's "Beyond the Conference," a weekly series of webinars featuring high-profile presenters starting October 5th and continuing through December 14th.

COMAP Mathematical Contests in Modeling

COMAP is hosting the 24th International High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM) and the first-ever Middle Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MidMCM). The deadline to register for both contests is November 3, 2021. For more information, see https://www.comap.com/.

MATHCOUNTS

Early bird rates for the MATHCOUNTS Competition Series for students in Grades 6-8 continue through November 12 at $30 per competitor for schools. Schools and non-school groups can also register for free for the National Math Club and Math Video Challenge. See https://www.mathcounts.org/ for details.

Math Madness

AreteLabs and American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) are holding their 9th annual Math Madness competition starting the week of October 3rd. The competition is offered at three levels, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12. The first week is a practice round, and that is followed by four weeks of scrimmage rounds before 6 tournament bracket rounds that wrap up by the end of the calendar year. See the Math Madness website for details.

IMAGINE MATH CLASS Video Contest

As part of the National Math Festival, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute and NCTM are sponsoring a video competition for youth ages 13-18. Students can record and submit a video of 3 minutes or less between August 15 and October 15. For more details, see the National Math Festival website.

CDE Job Opening: Expanded Learning Opportunities Program Manager

The Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) Manager oversees and coordinates programs that focus on providing expanded learning time to address the needs of students as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Programs may include high impact tutoring, ESSER III state reserve grant funded programs for before/after/summer school, partnering with community--based organizations and the work of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers office. The position will be responsible for providing direct support to grantees for the successful implementation of their programs as well as grant and program administration, including the administrative budget, in accordance with the authorizing legislation, in coordination with the Director of Standards and Instructional Support (where you'd be working with me!), and the Chief Strategic Recovery Officer. For more details and to apply, head to the job posting.

Setting the Standard Webinar

On Wednesday, October 6 from 3:30 to 4:30, Monica Washington will host a webinar to help teachers explore the "why" behind the push for educational equity, as well as the impact of systemic racism and inequitable practices on education. Using concrete examples and strategies for building and sustaining equitable and transformative relationships with students, attendees will also have the opportunity to design or update one of their practices to make it more inclusive and transformative for all students. Monica is the 2014 Texas Teacher of the Year, a 2015 NEA Foundation Global Fellow, and the Leading Educator Ambassador for Equity for the Education Civil Rights Alliance. A decorated educator for over 22 years, she currently works as an instructional coach and solution designer. Register for the webinar at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtcuygqTkrGt2Ja_FAxEZbn_n1-W8weTE2.

Managing Your CoMath Subscription

Did you change email addresses this summer? Be sure to update your CoMath subscription!

• To subscribe, send an email to listserv@cdelist.cde.state.co.us with the single line "subscribe comath firstname lastname" in the body (without the quotes), replacing "firstname lastname" with your name.
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• See past CoMath Updates at https://www.cde.state.co.us/comath/updates.
• Email johnson_r@cde.state.co.us for email changes or other questions.