ECST Mathematics Department
Newsletter
September 2026
Building Bright Futures Through Mathematics!
Embedded Files
The goal of the ECST Mathematics Department for the 2025 - 2026 school year is to enhance student performance in the Modeling and Reasoning conceptual categories, as reflected in standardized assessments. This will be achieved by applying innovative strategies developed and refined through professional development sessions and collaborative efforts in professional learning communities.
ACTIONABLE ITEMs
Check out the 99 new items released by the state to help us better target and support student performance on the NJGPA and NJSLA assessments this school year. Looks like we might be seeing the Desmos and TI-84 calculator on the new assessment!
The teachers listed on the left will be responsible for leading lesson plan submissions for the month of October. Their lesson plans will be completed by this week, allowing you to co-author, adapt, and differentiate them for your own classrooms. Lesson plans are due by October 3rd.
Side note: Mr. Jag is leading Algebra I for October. Since his course is listed in PowerSchool as Honors Algebra I, his lesson plan may appear under the Honors Algebra I tab. This is not an issue—simply open that section, co-author his lesson plan, and adjust it to meet the needs of your students. For other math courses, keep this in mind.
Diagnostic Assessments
Diagnostic Assessments
As discussed in our department meeting, diagnostic assessments for Seniors have been emailed to you. The MAP assessment will be administered to all 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students. For additional details, please refer to the agenda from our September 17th department meeting, which is available in the header section of our Mathematics Department website.
From the NJDOE....
Using Multiple Measures to Determine Student Starting Points
Using multiple measures of a student’s starting point not only allows better targets to be set but provides useful information to help drive instruction. Information that a teacher typically gathers from students at the beginning of the year should be used to get a rough sense of their starting points.1 This includes but is not limited to current grades and test scores, prior year grades and test scores, and markers of future success such as homework completion, class participation, and academic independence, etc.. Diagnostic pre-assessments, when utilized, provide maximum benefit to teachers and students when they are used in conjunction with other measures and in situations where they:
• Are used to evaluate a set of skills;
• Are high quality and vertically aligned; and
• Are normally used by the teacher for instructional purposes.
Hispanic Heritage Month Resources
Hispanic Heritage Month Resources
For a list of suggested activities and resources to include in your planning to celebrate HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, click HERE.
Algebra I + Geometry NJ Released Items
Algebra I + Geometry NJ Released Items
It is strongly encouraged that you incorporate released problems from the New Jersey Digital Item Library to help students prepare for the upcoming NJGPA + NJSLA assessment in March and May. These resources closely align with what students will encounter on the test and provide excellent review opportunities. I've included two links below that I believe will be incredibly valuable for both you and your students.
NJSLA + NJGPA Mathematics Evidence Statements: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18M5r1jk4P729fTpAlWAzrw1gE6tken233I-Yk0U712M/edit?gid=896127764#gid=896127764
Mr. Jag's Recommended ALG I Task Items: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18Hcot8oPW8mGM9KM2NZXQ-yimJFIOQRQ?usp=drive_link
More Algebra I + Geometry Released Items
More Algebra I + Geometry Released Items
Linked below, you will find the Modeling and Reasoning problems to our Google Drive folder. Pick those that work best for your ALG I + GEO classes!
Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Gh_ic5m3XezsDpqphI4GWLQTlHIQ-hBK?usp=share_link
Pacing Guides + Common Assessments
9th Grade Teachers
Monthly common assessments are released once a month on IXL.
Please adhere to our pacing guides below that have been created by our educators in the department.
Algebra I Pacing Guide:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rer_ahhvGi5Qn8uogUBBTjCqIXfAIRPj1WrHwvLwkxg/edit?gid=0#gid=0
Geometry Pacing Guide:
10th Grade Teachers
Continue administering the common monthly assessments that are labeled in IXL.
Although this pacing guide is designed for our 9th graders on the A/B Day schedule, please feel free to reference the Geometry pacing guide to support differentiation in your instruction.
Geometry Link:
11th Grade Teachers
Students will be taking the NJGPA Readiness Assessment every two weeks. Please follow the schedule outlined in the pacing guide below, even if you are teaching an 11th-grade class other than Algebra II.
Algebra II Pacing Guide:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17iepqDAh1JHZ8xmj08bDHOqUN7Y-h1eK6uXmFUItkZI/edit?gid=0#gid=0
REMINDERS & IMPORTANT NOTES
A reminder of resources I have shared in early September...
For both new and veteran members of the Mathematics Department, this folder of posters and bulletin board cutouts may be helpful for decorating your classroom walls and boards. The collection has grown over the years. ECST Math Dept Posters
September: Algebra I + Geometry Common Assessment in IXL
September 19th: NJGPA Common Assessment #1
September 18th: 30th: MAP Assessment for 9th, 10th + 11th Grade Students
September 25th : Back to School Night
October 15th : Mathematics Department Meeting @ Payne Tech
November 5th : Math Department Professional Development @ Payne Tech 1:30PM - 3:30PM
PROFESSIONAL/INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES WORTH SHARING
Student Self Portraits on Desmos
Student Self Portraits on Desmos
Have students upload a picture of themselves to trace with functions to create a self portrait. Once it is complete, they should remove the picture to reveal their work. If you would like to see a really good example... CLICK HERE.
My Set Of BTC Thin Slicing Curriculum Tasks
My Set Of BTC Thin Slicing Curriculum Tasks
Click on this link and I promise you will LOVE THIS!!!
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