Announcements and Opportunities
Professional Learning Opportunities
Conferences
Save the dates! 2023 OPI Summer Institute: Exciting news! The OPI Summer Institute is scheduled for June 19-23, 2023, at Montana State University, in Bozeman, Montana. This is a week-long learning experience offers sessions in a wide variety of areas, including mathematics. This conference provides participants with the opportunity to come together and learn, while also collaborating with other Montana educators. More information to come regarding registration for this enriching learning experience.
Free Online Learning Opportunities
N2X STEM Professional Learning through Interactive Audio: N2X is offering their "N2X STEM Applications" module for free for Montana educators. This is one of the five interactive audio modules that they offer. Description of this module: What are all of the ways that STEM is applied in a student’s world? Here our interactive audio host, Dave Gamon, covers the many areas that STEM can interact in a student’s world including the “M” in STEM, applications in the STEM and non STEM classroom, how to work with Higher Education and Industry, both to inspire students in elementary and secondary classrooms as well as to promote a pathway for students to follow in pursuit of career goals. He also addresses STEM in remote learning situations and how to continue to engage students who are not in a traditional classroom. Finally, how to build your own STEM program by working with leadership in your district, school, etc. to develop vision, opportunities and pathways for your students and families. Use this link to register for this free professional learning opportunity. Participants can earn Montana Professional Development Units for this learning.
Math Community
Montana
MCTM: Montana Council of Teachers Of Mathematics
United States
NCTM: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Math Standards Review: Research and Review Phase
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen, with approval from the Montana Board of Public Education, has opened the Montana Mathematics Standards for review. The purpose of the standards review process is to assure that Montana public schools are setting high academic standards for all children of our state. The goal is to serve our Montana students and educators with the best-possible mathematics standards to guide instruction and prepare our students for their lives beyond the classroom.
We are currently in the Research and Review Phase of the Standards Review Process. We solicited applications for the Mathematics Standards Review Task Force, with the application period closing on February 10, 2023. We had a great response to the call for applications. Thank you to all who applied to participate in this important work.
Currently, we are in the process of reviewing applications for the Math Task Force with two teams of reviewers made up of members of major stakeholder organizations, respondents to the Mathematics Standards Review Interest Survey, and internal reviewers. The Task Force members will be chosen from applicants representing a variety of stakeholders who are involved with K-12 mathematics instruction across Montana. Thank you to all who are participating in application review, supporting our goal of forming excellent teams of educators to complete the revision and review process.
The Task Force includes both a Writing Team, as well as a Review Team. During the Revision phase of the standards review process, the Writing Team will use the research and data analysis provided by the Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) at WestEd to inform revision of our Montana Mathematics Content Standards. The Review Team will review the work of the Writing Team, and provide feedback that will inform the work of the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee during the Negotiated Rulemaking phase of the review process.
Thank you to all who have expressed interest in participating and/or have supported the review process through application review. If you have questions, please contact Sonja Whitford, OPI Mathematics Instructional Coordinator at sonja.whitford@mt.gov
Current Montana Mathematics Grade Level Standards
Mathematics Alternate Core Content Connectors
Alternate standards are not formally adopted by the OPI but are aligned to and used in the creation of the Montana's Multi-State Alternate Assessment:
Tech Directors: To access a machine readable version of the official Montana Content Standards for Mathematics, please visit the IMS Global CASE Network site. Create a free login, select Montana Office of Public Instruction, and view or download the standards. The CASE version of the standards can be uploaded to student information systems, curriculum mapping programs, and a variety of other uses. Learn more about the CASE Network CASE Network FAQ
Math Planning Resources
Selecting Instructional Materials that Incorporate Acceleration
Selecting Evidenced-Based Math Curriculum
The 2021 Summer Learning & Enrichment: State Guidance for District and School Leaders
- This Guide offers support as schools plan for summer 2021 learning opportunities to meet the most pressing needs of students and teachers in this uniquely challenging school year. The resources and considerations in this document are based on leading research and evidence-based, best practices for summer learning and closing learning gaps. It also includes guidance on how to use ESSER funding to integrate school and community resources to create innovative summer learning programs.
One Page Summary of the 2021 Summer Learning & Enrichment document.
Louisiana's Pre-K-High School Tutoring Strategy
- No longer are the days of remediation, catch-up, and cramming skills in isolation. Such strategies have proven ineffective and often detrimental to student learning. Accelerate is an equal-access, just-in-time tutoring model that is focused on identifying, celebrating, and building upon the assets students bring to the learning experience. An acceleration approach addresses unfinished learning in an equitable way. Acceleration means connecting unfinished learning in the context of new learning, integrating new information and the needed prior knowledge.
TNTP Learning Acceleration Guide
- The New Teacher Project’s (TNTP) Learning Acceleration Guide: Planning for Acceleration in the 2021-2022 School Year guides school leadership teams through the process of creating a student learning acceleration plan while helping teams tackle barriers that may affect the outcome of the plan.
EdReady Montana
- EdReady is a free Montana-based program through MTDA, ready to help schools with support for math programming in grades 5 to 12 identifying and addressing gaps and gains for fall, ACT Skill Prep, and providing supplemental class material for online/blended or face to face instruction.
Student Achievement Partners - Priority Math Standards
- This document provides guidance for the field about the content priorities by leveraging the structure and emphases of college- and career-ready mathematics standards.
Charles A Dana Center - Front mapping tool
- This google folder holds lost learning mapping outlines for grades 4- Algebra I math courses. This tool can be used to connect standards or concepts that may not have been taught to future grade level standards.
Coherence Mapping tool- grades K- Algebra II
- This spreadsheet is designed to help math teachers and leaders better understand the potential consequences of leaving gaps in their mathematics curriculum. It is a model of how many lessons and hours are needed to teach sequences of standards as defined by the Coherence Map. Created by Raymond Johnson, Mathematics Specialist, Colorado Department of Education.
Cognitively Demanding (Rich) Math Tasks
- This free digital resources contain Cognitively Demanding (Rich) Math Tasks to assist with engaging students in learning mathematics with technology online or face-to-face. This document was created by Hawaii Department of Education.
Upcoming Professional Development
Facilitated Math Courses: Check out our three-week, 9-15 renewal unit, facilitated math courses for all grade levels. Check out the 2022-2023 school year facilitated course schedule and sign up today on the Teacher Learning Hub!
Save the dates! 2023 OPI Summer Institute: Exciting news! The OPI Summer Institute is scheduled for June 19-23, 2023, at Montana State University, in Bozeman, Montana. This is a week-long learning experience offers sessions in a wide variety of areas, including mathematics. This conference provides participants with the opportunity to come together and learn, while also collaborating with other Montana educators. More information to come regarding registration for this enriching learning experience.
MCTM- Montana Council of Teachers of Mathematics is hosting MCubed in August 2023 in Butte in person, followed by collaborative series of learning sessions throughout the fall.
Check out our calendar of upcoming events- The Professional Learning Portal
Helpful Resources
Curriculum Selection Resources:
Free Online Educational Resources (OER):
Organizations:
Featured Math Teacher Learning Hub Courses
Looking for free, online professional learning? Take a look at the Teacher Learning Hub for a variety of excellent mathematics courses.
2022-2023 Calendar of Math Facilitated Courses. Mark your calendars today!
How Can Your School Use the Courses?
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Choose a course to take at your first math department or grade-level meeting. Use the course to center your discussion for the year!
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Check out the “Primary Claim Covered” for each course and select a course based on your Smarter Balanced Category report. While all courses cover all three claims, the Primary Claim is listed.
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Align your PIR day for time to discuss the course in person and for teachers to talk about implementation of new strategies learned during the course.
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Have teachers go through the list of courses during your first week of school and select which course is most relevant to them. Use the course as a topic of conversation for one-on-one teacher-principal meetings.
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Schools may use funds to provide stipends for teachers who complete the course outside of the contract day. This is a district level decision. (Note: teachers can not receive both a stipend and renewal units upon completion).
Self-Paced Highlights!
Indian Ed & Math Seamless Integration
This course is designed to help teachers of mathematics find authentic connections between Indigenous cultures and lifestyle and the mathematical practices. It also provides a planning tool that can be used to strategically align Indian Education for All and curriculum planning.
Multiplication Strategies: Multi-Digit Numbers
This course will provide educators with strategies for teaching multi-digit multiplication based on place value and properties. Teaching multiplication in a way that connects with the learning progressions and Montana content standards is essential. Participants will have multiple opportunities to learn, practice, and analyze the strategies for efficiency.
But What About Fact Fluency?
"My kids just don't know their math facts!" If you have said this before and want to learn how to best help students improve fact fluency, this course will be valuable to you!
Addition & Subtraction Strategies
Learn the various strategies for addition and subtraction based on place value, properties, and the inverse relationship.
Multiplication Strategies
"My kids just don't know their multiplication facts!" Have you ever found yourself say that statement? If so, this course is for you. The Montana Content Standards emphasize solving multiplication problems by using strategies based on place value and properties. This course will focus on how to build multiplication fact fluency with your students by building a conceptual understanding first to learn foundational and derived facts.
Family Resources
Looking to learn more about grade level expectations? Check out our Just for Families page.
Math Newsletter