ECST Mathematics Department
Newsletter
February 5 - February 9, 2024
Newsletter
February 5 - February 9, 2024
The ECST Mathematics Department goal for the 2023-2024 school year is to improve the modeling and reasoning conceptual categories reported on standardized assessments by implementing new strategies learned and developed during professional development and professional learning communities.
ACTIONABLE ITEMs
NJGPA Practice Assessment: Each building has been distributed its individual testing ticket for their students. Remember that students need to log out of their computers and log into TestNav. They should NOT log into TestNav while signed into their personal accounts. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask a neighbor or me, and we can help! 😊 If students are kicked out of the application, give the test a couple of seconds, tell the student to refresh the assessment, and I will unlock them back in. If this is your first time assessing the students, this will be a fantastic trial run of what the actual assessment will look like in March.
Payne Tech: Monday - 2/5/2024 Period 3 & 5.
Newark Tech: Tuesday - 2/6/2024 Period 3 & 5.
West Caldwell Tech: Friday - 2/9/24 Period 3 & 4 or 8 & 9.
This is a friendly reminder that this month's department meeting is Wednesday, February 14th @ Payne Tech. 3:30PM - 4:30PM.
Black History Month Activity Spreadsheet
2024 ECST Math Department – Black History Month Activities
Pick one of the following lessons or activities to be included in your class instruction. Indicate your selected choice on the Google spreadsheet. I copied the spreadsheet from last year so your selections from last year will appear. If you select the same activity as last year, be mindful to change the dates.
1. Students complete an activity/activities to create a bulletin board inside the classroom.
a. 2 Truths and a Lie – using black mathematicians and scientists (from last year).
i. One of the statements (2 truths & 1 lie) must be a math related statement.
b. Facts, information & math word problems from “Bulletin Board Famous Black Americans” (see attachment 1B)
2. Students complete the 10 Algebra (& one Geometry) worksheet activities & then display on a bulletin board inside the classroom. (see attachments numbered 01 through 10)
3. Include the “March on Washington” lesson plan in your instruction. Display student work in the classroom. (see attachments beginning with 3)
4. Include the “Equality Inequalities” lesson plan in your instruction. Display student work in the classroom. (see attachment beginning with 4)
Looking for fresh ideas for Black History Month activities? Check out these sites:
• We Are Teachers: Fresh Ideas For Black History Month
• NEA: Black History Month Lesson Resources
Notes:
Instead of decorating a door, maybe they can decorate a Google slide. A focus on digital projects could be combined to create a slide presentation on Prezi or Peardeck. What about using Powtoon or TextingStory? Get creative. Share your ideas with your team members.
REMINDERS & IMPORTANT NOTES
The Assessment Information and Strategies website has been updated with some new videos! Take a look and share with your students :)
Celebrating Pi Day in 2024 presents a bit of a challenge as the NJGPA assessment will be administered to the 11th grade students between March 11 - 15. Looking for suggestions how to celebrate on an off day. Should we celebrate the week before? the week after? Be prepared to discuss at the February 14th department meeting.
JANUARY 16 - 26 - Q2 Benchmark Assessments
FEBRUARY 14 - Department Meeting @ Payne Tech
FEBRUARY 16 - 23 - WINTER BREAK
MARCH 11 - 15 (Makeups - March 18 - 20) - NJGPA (11th grade only)
WED., MARCH 20 - MARCH DEPARTMENT MEETING
APRIL 1 - 5 - SPRING BREAK
WED., APRIL 17 - APRIL DEPARTMENT MEETING
WED., APRIL 24 - SAT School Day (11th grade only)
On Wednesday (10/4), the NJ state board of education approved the new math standards (NJSLS-M). Moving forward, a change to the standards will be highlighted each week in the newsletter.
Educators from across the state worked collaboratively to develop the proposed revisions over the past year. The following link takes you to the proposed revisions.
You can also view the NJDOE presentation on the proposed revisions delivered at the State Board of Education on April 5, 2023 as well as at regional meetings:
2023 NJSLS-Math Crosswalk Document HS Only (UPDATED!)
PROFESSIONAL/INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES WORTH SHARING
Click on this link and I promise you will LOVE THIS!!!
For those of us hoping for a quiet, back-to-normal kind of year, the research coming out of 2023 might disappoint. A rising tide of teenage mental health issues sent researchers scurrying for answers, and the sudden ascendance of AI posed a new threat to codes of academic conduct and caused some educators to forecast the end of teaching as we know it (we’re here to dispel that myth).
Check out this awesome FREE High School Math Modeling webpage that is ran by a group of doctoral students at Montclair State University with a passion for mathematical modeling. Their mission is to help others learn how to implement this practice in our everyday classroom. Some are on Desmos Classroom which many of us are familiar with already!
Varsity Tutors SAT Problem of the Day
Number 2 SAT Question of the Day
SAT Suite Sample Math Questions
Also..... College Board Official SAT Student Guide 2023-2024 (Please see guidance if you prefer paper copies of this student guide.)