STEM/CTE

Science and Engineering Practices

The Michigan Science Standard Performance Expectations (PE’s) are made up of three parts including the Science and Engineering Practices (SEP’s), Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI’s) and the Cross Cutting Concepts (CCC’s). The Science and Engineering Practices are the instructional shifts for science instruction in the classroom. The Science and Engineering Practices are similar to the Mathematical Practices and the ELA Practices.

Appendix F: NRC Framework: Science and Engineering Practices

K-12 Science and Engineering Practices Progression Document

Asking Questions and Defining Problems: Students should be able to ask each other questions about what they are reading or observing. Students should also be able to ask questions about investigations or explanations of their peers. Students should also ask questions to help further define the problem.
Developing and Using Models: Models start as concrete pictorial models and physical scale models to more abstract representations of relevant relationships. Modeling is an instructional strategy that can transform a classroom from a traditional classroom to a 3 dimensional science classroom.
Planning and Carrying out Investigations: Students should have the opportunity to plan and carry out several different types of investigations throughout their classroom experiences. The investigations should range from teacher structured (in order to expose students to an idea) to student created (designed to answer a student question).
Analyzing and Interpreting Data: Students should be able to organize and interpret data to make sense of patterns and relationships. Once data has been displayed in an understandable way, students can use this as evidence.
Using Mathematical and Computational Thinking: Mathematical computations and thinking can help bring together science and engineering. Engineers use the mathematics to connect to scientific theories and scientists can use the mathematics to connect to the powerful technologies of engineers.
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions: The goal of science is to construct theories that explanation the real world and the phenomena around us. Students can use observations and data as evidence for their explanations.
Engaging in Argument from Evidence: Students should engage in argument to defend the explanations that they have constructed and use evidence to present their argument.
Obtaining, evaluating and communicating Information: Students need to be able to read and write scientific information. They will also need to present their findings, explanation or argument, based on the information that they have found.

Learn more about the Michigan Science Standards and the Science and Engineering Practices at our upcoming Professional Learning opportunity at the saginaw ISD Transitions Center. Registration form.

Megan Coonan - STEM Consultant

Student Ranking and College Admissions

In a recent ASCD Education Update article by Sarah McKibben titled “Stepping Out of Rank,” they referenced a hot topic in both the K-12 and postsecondary worlds: student ranking. This has become an issue largely because of the competitive nature of college admissions and scholarships. However, more and more locations that they are no longer reporting rank in the traditional sense. In fact, according to the author, “a 2016 analysis from the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), fewer than half of U.S. high schools still report class rank.” Instead, one option is to do as colleges and universities do with the Summa Cum Laude, Magna, etc. It acknowledges the groups of students that are excelling rather than pitting people against each other solely for the sake of a GPA rank. The old system necessitated creation of weighted GPAs because some students might take “easier” classes to get the guaranteed A whereas someone else might challenge themselves more but score the A-. Jeremy Branch, from Penn State University admissions said, "Rank can make a top-flight kid, with an A average and who's challenged himself with all sorts of honors and AP classes, look middle of the road to admissions counselors." There is no good way to remedy that situation as weighting GPAs has their flaws as well. Schools that have moved away from ranking can actually provide the information from their student information systems when requested or required, but they don’t have to make it a regular part of the school culture. The ranking issue is one that is playing out across the country as schools either drop it or make it optional. It would seem that the fairest system is the college-like system mentioned above that recognizes student academic achievement based upon GPA ranges. That way, all students can push themselves, and each other, to their greatest potential.

Lucas Peless; Great Lakes Bay Early College Director

Recent Most 11.3.17 (STEM/CTE)

Math in the Mail Partners with the Girl Scouts

One of the great aspects of Math in the Mail is the partnerships that are formed with community organizations. One such recent collaboration has been with Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan.

The first two kits of the 2017-18 year have been designed by two members of Girls Scouts Heart of Michigan, Isabel Kutz and Paige Terry, for their Silver Projects. The Girl Scout Silver Project requires the Scout to choose a project that will take at least fifty hours of work and have a positive impact on their community. Isabel designed the Math in the Mail kit based on Eric Carle’s 1,2,3 to the Zoo book. Paige designed the kit based on Anno’s Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno. Both kits focus on preschool counting and quantifying skills.

Each Scout researched the foundational math skills addressed in her kit, then searched for the best book and counter options. She wrote the activities in the Tools for Talking cards included in the kits, and presented her ideas to the committee that decides what components will be included in the Math in the Mail kits. Each Scout also reached out to other community organizations in the Great Lakes Bay Region to invite them to be kit partners. Each Scout set up the assembly line to create 1,500 kits and then worked the entire assembly day from start to finish. She also found resources to be shared on the Math in the Mail social media pages, and her kit’s resource page.

Kudos to Isabel and Paige for their initiative, effort, and positive impact!

Lindy Bryce, Math in the Mail Coordinator

Number Talks Build Numerical Reasoning: NCTM by Sherry D. Parrish

What is a Number Talk? A number talk is a “brief daily practice where students mentally solve computation problems and talk about their strategies, as a way to dramatically transform teaching and learning….in mathematics classrooms”.

Number talks are an instructional routine for 5-15 minutes per day separate from the daily lesson. They help students to understand that there can be many ways to solve a mathematics problem. This routine also helps students develop flexibility and confidence when working with numbers. Students begin to trust and defend their own reasoning, which will help them to build autonomy. Number talks helps to build a classroom community of mathematicians.

The key components of a Number Talk are:

Classroom environment and community
Classroom discussion
The role of the teacher
The role of mental math
Purposeful computation problems

1. Classroom Community: In order to have successful number talk routines, it is essential to create a risk free learning environment for all students. Students should be comfortable in offering responses for discussion, questioning themselves and their peers and investigating new strategies. The teacher should model of culture of acceptance of all responses by considering all of them without offering a verbal cue as to whether they are correct or incorrect.

2. Classroom Discussion: Number talks are grounded in communication.There are several benefits to sharing and discussing computation strategies. These include; to clarify thinking, investigate and apply mathematical relationships, build a repertoire of efficient strategies, make decisions about choosing efficient strategies for specific problems, and consider and test other strategies to see if they are mathematically logical. These conversations may help to lead students to thinking about and trying new strategies. The classroom can also make a group decision about which strategy works the best and then decide if it can be generalized to be used in other situations.

3. Role of the Teacher: During number talks, the role of the teacher shifts from being the sole authority to impart information and confirm correct answers to the role of the facilitator that is a questioner, listener and learner. As a facilitator, the teacher will guide the students to ponder and discuss examples that build your purposes. Teachers need to change the question from “what answer did you get?” to “how did you solve the problem?” This helps to move the emphasis from just having the correct answer to sharing relationships and strategies with their classmates.

4. Role of Mental Math: Mental math is a key component of number talks because it encourages students students to build on relationships to solve problems instead of relying on procedures. Mental math helps students to use number relationships to develop efficient, flexible strategies with accuracy. Mental math also helps to strengthen a student’s understanding of place value. Teachers can write mental math problems horizontally to encourage students to focus on the whole rather than try to solve the problem using a procedure.

5. Purposeful Computation Problems: Teachers can craft problems that encourage students to focus on number relationships. The “just right” problem should be carefully designed before the number talk to align them to the strategies that the teacher wants the students to practice.

Number talks are a strategy that can be used with students in grades K-12. Even high school students can benefit from a carefully crafted computation problem that they solve mentally using different strategies. They are a useful tool for developing a strong number sense in students and building that foundation as students work through these problems. Number talks are a tool that can make a significant difference for your students.

Megan Coonan; Math & Science Consultant

What is Mi STAR?

Mi STAR is the Michigan Science Teaching and Assessment Reform project for middle school science that is being led by a team from Michigan Technological University. The project is being funded by a grant through the Herbert and Grace A Dow Foundation to create a middle school science curriculum that is aligned to the ner Michigan Science Standards. They are working to create a 3 dimensional curriculum that is designed around a “unit challenge” which is a real world problem that the students work to find the best solution for. The units are created based on 21st century themes including built environment, water and earth in space, energy, food, sustainability and health. The units are also Michigan centric.

There are six units currently available, 2 for grades 6, 7 and 8.

These include:

6th Grade

6.1: Water on the Move

6.6: Interactions Within Ecosystems

7th Grade

7.1: Off the Energy Grid

7.3: Life Cycle of Building Materials

8th Grade

8.6: Natural Hazards

8.7: Climate Change

Mi STAR Teacher Professional Learning Pathway: Teachers that are interested in gaining access to the Mi STAR units. When teachers sign up for a face to face session, they will be sent an invitation to access the online Mi STAR Curriculum Primer. Teachers should complete this online learning before they attend their first face to face session. After their first day of professional learning, the teacher will complete a Unit Primer form to request the unit they are interested in teaching. The unit primer is an online tool to help teachers to prepare to teach the Mi STAR unit. When teachers have completed the first two modules, they will be given access to the unit. PLC meetings for the teachers will be set up on a regular basis to help support classroom teachers as they work their way through the implementation of a Mi STAR unit.

Our next Mi STAR teacher training will be held on February 9, 2018 (Day 1) and April 25, 2018 (Day 2) at the Saginaw ISD Transitions Center. Please contact myself mcoonan@sisd.cc or Alison at acicnel@sisd.cc if you are interested in more information.

Megan Coonan - Math & Science Consultant

Hartley OEC and "The E in STEM"

Here at the Hartley Outdoor Education Center we are constantly searching for new and exciting ways to improve our STEM offerings and better align our curriculum with state guidelines. Our staff is always on the lookout for innovative resources that provide creative, hands-on activities that allow us to diversify and offer cross-curriculum STEM opportunities that aid us in bolstering our STEM offerings.

One such resource is the Scholastic magazine Teacher. One of the best issues we have found is the Spring 2017 issue; “The E in STEM”. This issue provides some great hands-on activities that show how you can integrate engineering activities in a cross-curriculum manner. While each activity may not be perfectly suited for our specific lessons, they can provide a great inspirational point to build from.

Eric Rutherford - Hartley OEC Director

Take a Safari Through Early Childhood Math Skills!

Math in the early years can be an adventure! It’s a safari in which children seek out and discover math “animals” such as subitizing, counting, spatial relationships, shapes, comparing/sorting, measuring and patterns. They develop problem-solving skills as they hunt for the solutions to challenges presented in their play each day.

Numbers are in every part of a preschool child’s world! When a child knows about numbers, they:

· Count by saying numbers in a certain order

· Match each number with one of the items being counted

· Figure out how many objects are in a group

· Group things together and try to figure out the total

· Make smaller groups of things from a larger group of things (sorting & comparing)

· Make equal groups of things (often seen when sharing)

· Compare groups and use words like “less”, “more”, or “fewer”

· Understand first, second, third, etc. (order)

· Try to write numbers

Counting involves number sequence, one number name is given to one object, and the last number named when counting a set of objects tells how many are in the set. Working with a ten frame is a way for a young child to visually and physically make groups up to ten. There are many ways to fill a ten frame, and many variations of games to make the process fun.

Subitizing is like counting, but instead of a child counting each item in a group, they recognize the number by the shape of the group. The most common example of this skill can be seen when someone rolls a die and can tell the number they rolled almost instantly (without counting each pip). Research has shown that recognizing groups of one, two and three is a skill that we are born with!

First, second, third, and so on refers to order. These are called ordinal numbers. Most young children understand first, but have a harder time with second, third, and the other ordinal numbers. Understanding this will come with time, and using these words when speaking with children helps them to understand how to use them.

Numerals (Numbers) should be displayed so children can begin to understand what they represent. Pointing them out in daily routines helps young children “put a face with the name”. However, parents and teachers should remember that knowing the names for numbers and knowing their numerical meanings are not the same skill.

Adding happens with sets of objects during the preschool years. Getting more of something and then finding out how many they have all together is a way for preschool age children to add.

An introduction to numbers and counting is a crucial part of each child’s foundational math skills and begins their “math safari” - but it doesn’t have to be something that causes stress for the child or the parent. There are many ways to incorporate these skills into daily family life. Math in the Mail not only provides resources for this in the kits (free to those who qualify!), but also on its Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter platforms. Children enrolled in Math in the Mail this year will begin their math safari with the 1,2,3 to the Zoo kit, which was designed by Girl Scout, Isabel Kutz, for her Silver Project!

Lindsay Bryce - Math in the Mail Coordinator

Timed Tests and Math Anxiety

Research Suggests Timed Tests Cause Math Anxiety By: Jo Boaler

Timed tests have been a common practice in many classrooms and schools throughout the country. Teachers and administrators use timed tests with the very best of intentions to assess fact fluency. However, recent neuroscience research suggests that timed tests can cause math anxiety in students across all achievement levels. Early math anxiety can lead to low achievement in math, avoidance of math and negative experiences with math throughout their lives. Research is showing that students are experiencing higher levels of stress when they are being timed on a basic facts test as opposed to performing the same exact math without being timed. Research is also showing that even students that can perform proficient on a timed test can experience math anxiety which in turn can lead to a negative mindset surrounding mathematics.

When students are recalling basic facts, they are stored in their working memory. Brain research has shown that the more that can be held in the working memory, the more academic potential a student has. However, when a person is stressed, it blocks retrieval from their working memory. Interestingly enough, researchers have found that students with a high working memory are affected more than the students with lower working memory. Therefore, the students that have the greater potential to excel in mathematics can be more greatly affected by math anxiety which will lead to these students underachieving and then questioning their math ability.

Not only do timed tests affect how students feel about themselves and math, they also send a very strong message about what is important in math. Students begin to believe that math is a subject where students are expected to know math rather than to learn about math. These ideas really block a student’s growth mindset and interferes with their future math performance. Students come to believe that memorizing math facts is the most important thing they will do in math class. Students also began to believe that to be good in math, they need to be fast. As students continue through the grades, they begin to believe that if they are slower and deeper processors of the math that they are not “good” at math and eventually turn away from higher level math courses which would lead to math professions.

The Common Core State Standards do have fluency expectations for each grade level. It is expected that students will become automatic with their facts, however, it is much better for them to build a conceptual understanding of numbers and a foundational number sense to help them become more automatic with their facts. Students with number sense are flexible with numbers, able to decompose and regroup numbers easily.

Number talks is one strategy that can be used to build number sense for students. In a number talk, teachers give students a problem that they need to solve. For example, 25 + 18 = or 12 X 32 = . Students are given a chance to solve the problem as many different ways as they can. Then students are given the opportunity to share the different ways they solved the problem. Students will begin to find more than one way to solve a problem and the students will learn from each other and all of the ways they are solving the problem. This discussion can be so very powerful and should only take about tn minutes. Students that work to solve problems during number talks start to become more and more automatic with their facts as they work through solving problems.

I started looking into timed tests and math anxiety last year because fluency was a topic I was genuinely interested in but also because of my daughter. My daughter was in third grade last year, at the height of timed tests. She is a high performing student in school and things usually come fairly easily to her. One day she came home with a test all marked up and had 0 correct. It was the x2 family so I was really surprised that she didn’t get any of them correct. I asked her what happened? I said you know your 2’s facts. She said “I know! I don’t know what happened!! 2’s facts are just doubles and I learned those in first grade but as soon as she passed out the paper and started the timer, I couldn’t think of anything!” The rest of the year in Math was terrible for both of us. She hated it and thought she wasn’t any good at it and I was trying desperately to rebuild the confidence that was being destroyed by the timed tests she was continuing to take and continuing to do very poorly on. At this same time, I was working with third graders in another district on their fact fluency and I was seeing huge gains after we worked hard at rebuilding their number sense. I started reading the research and found that my daughter was a classic example of the students that were cited in the research. High performing, struggled with the timing aspect and began to have very low confidence in her math abilities. Luckily, I was able to work with her and use number talks and conceptual understanding to rebuild some of her confidence. I am hopeful that this year in math will be different for her and she will be able to see herself as successful in Mathematics.

Megan Coonan - Math Consultant

September 4, 2017

GLBEC Now Offers Lunch Program for Students

It is common knowledge that a student who is hungry is a student who is less likely to concentrate, perform at peak performance, or participate as widely in classroom activities. The National School Lunch Program has long sought to remedy these issues on k-12 campuses nationwide. However, there formerly was an exception in place for Early Colleges throughout the state with regards to providing students with affordable meals on campus. Part of this stemmed from the cost differential between what a typical college student pays for their meals and what a typical high school student in a regular high school pays. Anywhere from a $5-6 difference is common making it very difficult for programs to offer meals for their students. Unfortunately, Great Lakes Bay Early College students used to be in this same boat. But no longer! Beginning on August 21, when our new cohort of students began, GLBEC embarked upon a new chapter in its long partnership with Saginaw Valley State University. With the support and blessing of MDE’s School Nutrition office, we are now making lunch available for all students in our program. Students eat in the Marketplace Cafeteria on SVSU campus alongside their college peers. We still have to follow the nutritional guidelines and meal components and students don’t get to eat unlimited, but the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Since Early Colleges, by design, target low-income, first-generation students to provide them support as they transition from high school to college, not having meals was a distinct disadvantage to those that needed it most. We are grateful for the hard work of those that met repeatedly to iron out this new approach to providing food to our neediest students.

Lucas Peless - Great Lakes Bay Early College Director

August 28, 2017

A Great Math Read

Putting Practices into Action By Susan O’Connell and John SanGiovanni

This book is a great read for classroom teachers of Mathematics in all grade levels. The book walks through each of the Mathematical Practices and explains what these practices. The descriptions of each of the practices are written in a very teacher friendly way. However, that is not the best part of this book. The book also includes activities for each of the practices that can be easily incorporated into the classroom in any grade K-12.

What does it mean to be “Mathematically Proficient?” “Putting Practices into Action outlines the following guidelines for mathematically proficient students. They are able to blend their content knowledge with the ability to apply this knowledge to solve problems. They can communicate their math ideas. Mathematically proficient students are able to justify solutions and model math concepts. They can also reason to make sense of mathematics.

Mathematical Practice #1: Make sense or problems and persevere in solving them.

Some of the ways students can use this practice include; explaining the problem to themselves and organize the information, monitor their work and change their plan if it isn’t working out, and check to see if the answer is correct and makes sense. Students are also able to evaluate what worked and what didn’t work.

Classroom Activities:

Focus the Question:

Provide students with a piece of data for the week. Ex. picture graph of colors of jellybeans in a bag, list of the cost of snacks at the fair, a circle graph of favorite sports, a list of heights of students, etc.. Each day pose a different problem which students must use some form of the data. Have partners share their ideas. Teachers can then facilitate a discussion where students will share their thinking.

Open Ended Questions
1. Examples:
  1. Ten children went to the movies. How many were girls? How many were boys? Explain your answer. Could there be other answers
  2. Molly has 6 coins in her piggy bank. She has more than 85 cents but less than $1.10. What coins could she have? Explain your answers.
  3. Three children are sharing a pizza. How might they share it? What fraction of the pizza could each child get? Justify your answers.

Mathematical Practice #2: Reason abstractly and quantitative

Students use Math Practice #2 by making understandable representations of the problem. Students are also careful and think about the units involved, while also paying attention to the meaning of the numbers. Students are also able to use properties of operations or objects. The meaning behind this practice is to “contextualize the numbers to words and decontextualize the words to numbers.”

Classroom Activities:

Number Webs

Number webs encourage students to be flexible with numbers. Students use a graphic organizer with a number in the center. Older students can use decimals or fractions. Then students brainstorm all of the ways to make the number.
Headline Stories: The headline is the equation for a word problem or number story. Here are some examples on how to use headlines.
- Post it: Create a bulletin board with many different examples of problems for the same equation.
- Book it: Create a class book with different problems for the equation
- Reverse it: Present students with a word problem and have students write the equation. Have them tell you what each number represents
- Match it: Provide students with 2 sets of index cards- one set with different equations on each card and the other set with problems that correspond to the equations. Have students work with partners to match the equation with the problem.
- Question It: Tell students the answer and have them come up with the problem and the equation.

Mathematical Practice #3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

Students are engaging in Math Practice #3 if they are able to justify their answer and defend their process for finding their answer. Students are also able to judge the reasonableness of others answers and strategies.

Classroom Activities:

Eliminate it!

Students are presented with 4 math concepts and asked to decide on the one that should be eliminated based on a mathematical fact or reason. Students are expected to share what they would eliminate and state why they would eliminate it. There may be more than one way to eliminate an item. An example could be add, subtract, multiply or join.

Agree or Disagree

The teacher poses a math statement, asking students to agree or disagree with the statement. Students must include math data or reasoning to support the decision. An example could be: Jim has 12 pencils and Annie has 8. Jim has more than Annie.

My 2 Cents

Provide students with an argument that has flawed or incomplete logic. An example could be :Jenny has 2 bags of candy with 4 pieces in each bag. Ali has 3 bags of candy with 2 pieces in each bag. Who has more candy?

Mathematical Practice #4: Model with Mathematics

Students that are able to model math ideas and problems in varied ways and to analyze models to draw conclusions and solve problems when they are proficient with Mathematical Practice #4.

How do we get there?

Give students lots of experience constructing math models.
Provide manipulatives and paper and pencil.
Challenge students to think about the math and determine a way to represent it.
Have students create their own models and then share with a partner to see how their models are the same or different.
Examples: 3 + 1, 27-15, 23 + 57, 3 ¼, 4.5, 40 % of 30, 3n-36

Mathematical Practice #5: Use appropriate tools strategically.

Students that are proficient with Math practice #6 are able to decide when to use tools appropriately and accurately and be able to select when to use the tools.

Classroom Activities:

Number Partners

Put a list of numbers on the board. Ask students to give you a number partner to one of the numbers on the board to make the number you have decided upon. For example: Give students the number 10 and then list different numbers 0-10 on the board. Have students pick one number and then give the number partner to get to 10 or any other number including bigger numbers (250), decimals and fractions.

In my head??

Students are given a problem and before solving must decide whether they will calculate in their heads, on paper or with a calculator. Then students meet together and discuss how they solved it

Mathematical Practice #6: Attend to precision

Students that are mathematically proficient in math practice #6 are able to calculate accurately and perform math tasks with precision. They are also able to communicate their thinking precisely.

Classroom Activities:

Vocabulary Word Wall:

The word wall can be an instructional tools built with students. It should include a diagram, or an example to illustrate the meaning. Teachers should help students refer back to the word as needed throughout instruction.

Vocabulary Sort and Label

As students explore words, give them words to sort to identify similarities and differences between math concepts as they explore the list of words.

Vocabulary Mystery Word

Give each pair of students a set of word cards One partner pulls a card. Their mission is to describe the mystery word without actually saying the word. The partner tries to figure out what the mystery word is. The partner continues to give clues until the word is figured out.

Mathematical Practice #7: Look for and make use of structure

Students that are proficient in Math practice #7 are able to understand the structure of mathematics and are able to use properties to explore and simplify math computations. These students are able to see the flexibility of numbers, understand properties and recognize patterns and functions.

Classroom Activities:

Exploring Patterns and Functions:

On the board write a number pattern, covering each number with a sticky note so students cannot see the numbers. Remove one sticky note to reveal a number. Ask students to predict what the covered numbers might be and describe the patterns they suspect is under the sticky notes. Students can predict what they think the pattern is and then reveal a number under a sticky note and decide if any predictions can be eliminated.

Patterns in Hundreds Chart and Multiplication Chart

On a hundreds chart, can students explain the vertical and horizontal pattern? Do they see diagonal patterns? On a multiplication chart, can students explain vertical and horizontal patterns? Do they see diagonal patterns? Can they find patterns that explore equivalent fractions or proportions

Mathematical Practice #8: Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

Students that are proficient in Math Practice #8 notice patterns and are able to discover shortcuts and generalizations.

Classroom Activities:

1. Organizing and displaying data to discover rules:

Extend patterns
- Number of cars 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
- Number of wheels 4 - 8 - 12 - 16 - 20

Students see the repeated pattern. Can they come up with a formula to make finding the answer easier?

2. Extend the pattern to find generalizations

Show 3 or 4 steps of a pattern. Give students hands on materials to explore and extend the patterns. Have the students tell you what comes next and why. Have them record the data on a table. For older students, have them graph the data and discuss what they observe.
Student investigations
- Provide students with opportunities for investigations. Some critical components of these investigations are:
- Opportunities for all students to gather data with partners or teams
- Creating compilations of class data
- Observing compiled ata and discussing insights

Megan Coon; Math Consultant

August 28, 2017

3 Year Old + 1 caregiver + 6 Math in the Mail Kits = Strong STEM Learning for Life!

Have you heard about one of the newest ways to have fun while preparing for kindergarten? Math in the Mail focuses on developing mathematical skills in three-year-olds by providing the tools needed in the home environment for parents, guardians, and other caregivers. Research has shown that children build their foundation of math skills in the earliest years of life, so Math in the Mail is designed to make learning those foundational math skills a positive and engaging experience.

Children from Arenac, Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Isabella, Midland, and Saginaw counties can be enrolled in the program. Qualifying families receive a free kit in the mail, six times per year, which contain materials, resources, and instructions for several age-appropriate math activities. A subscription option is also available for families who do not qualify for the free program or who live outside the targeted region.

To enroll, families should visit www.mathinthemail.org, or call 989-399-7415. Enrollment is ongoing.

To qualify for the FREE program, families must

· Live in Arenac, Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Isabella, Midland or Saginaw county

· Have a three year old child in the household

· Have a household income that is at or below 250% of the federal poverty line and submit proof of that income

Math in the Mail is part of a region-wide focus to better prepare our students for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) experiences and STEM careers.

This initiative is funded by Dow Corning and Hemlock Semiconductor through the Dow Corning Foundation, and represents a collaboration between the Bay-Arenac ISD, Clare-Gladwin RESD, Gratiot-Isabella RESD, Midland ESA, and the Saginaw ISD. Many community partners, such as Head Start and WIC programs, have also been supporting Math in the Mail by referring families for the program.

Math in the Mail also partners with Great Lakes Bay Region organizations and businesses to help bring valuable resources to the families receiving the kits. Two of the ways that “kit partners” can be involved: providing supplemental resources in the kits; and by utilizing their employees as volunteers to assemble the kits. Partners for the 2016-17 kits included Mid Michigan Waste Authority, The Castle Museum of Saginaw, PNC Bank Grow Up Great, The Great Start Collaborative of Saginaw County and Consumers Energy, The Public Libraries of Saginaw, SVSU Math and Science Center, Bay County Historical Museum, Midland Center for the Arts, Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum, Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum, Saginaw Career Complex, Saginaw ISD Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds program, MSU Extension, Musico Lessons, Hartley Outdoor Education Center, Chippewa Nature Center, and Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge.

While the Math in the Mail kits are designed for preschool age children, anyone can follow Math in the Mail on social media to gain information and ideas that will help them strengthen their child’s preschool math skills.

Lindsay Bryce; Math in the Mail Coordinator

College and Career Readiness

With all the noise surrounding National efforts to increase the number of youngsters attending college, it’s nice to see what Saginaw County has done in response to the movement. Two things stand out locally: The College and Career Advisors and the Great Lakes Bay Early College.

The College and Career Advisors program is an initiative and partnership between the Saginaw Community Foundation, the Saginaw ISD, and the local school districts. The premise is this. Students need someone who can walk them through all the nuances of applying for college. The first thing some people think about is that this is the job of the high school guidance counselor. While that is technically true. Consider that in 2013-2014, Michigan’s student to school counselor ratio was 732 to 1. The recommendation is 250 to 1. The reality is that our wonderful counselors can’t do it all for all students. So, this innovative idea was pitched several years ago and has grown every year to enable a half-time or full-time College and Career Advisor in every high school in the district. These passionate individuals plan FAFSA nights, work one on one with students and their families, stay abreast of college deadlines and policy changes, and help students see the possibility that attending college is attainable.

The Great Lakes Bay Early College is a local initiative that began in 2011. This year marks the 7th cohort that takes a different approach to finishing high school. While their residency stays with the home school, they attend high school and college classes at either Saginaw Valley State University or Delta College (or both in some cases). The goals of any early college should be to enable those students who are historically underrepresented i.e. low-income, First Generation, demographic, etc. the opportunity to be intensely supported in the transition from high school to college classes to attain either an associate’s degree or 60 credits along with their high school diploma, and a state recognized MEMCA (Michigan Early Middle College Association) certificate. They have weekly mentor meetings, attend regular college classes so are fully immersed in the college experience, and have the opportunities at both high school and college afforded to them. Naysayers have long questioned (since 2002 when the Early College movement began) whether this was an effective vehicle to help students with college attainment. However, the data is impressive. “Michael Nakkula, a researcher following cohorts of early-college students, concludes: “When anticipating their college experience, students at [the schools] shifted from hope to belief in their capacity to succeed, and finally from belief to knowing that they can succeed.””

Together, these programs are offering additional supports to Saginaw County students as they transition from high school to their post-secondary lives.

Lucas Peless - Great Lakes Bay Early College Director

Report abuse