CoMath Update for August 22, 2022

I don't know exactly when summer ends for educators, but I know by this point in August, almost everyone refers to summer in the past tense. ("How was your summer? Did you have a good summer?") So while it doesn’t quite yet feel like fall, it's not summer anymore. It's back to school time! As usual, that means that the CoMath Update is overflowing with news. Here's a summary of what you can look forward to reading about below:

• News from Professional Organizations
  • Colorado Math Leaders Agenda for 2022-2023
  • NCTM Annual Meeting
• News from CDE
  • CDE Blended Learning Survey
  • Job Opening
  • Tutor Recruitment
• Student Competitions
  • Soifer Mathematical Olympiad
  • StellarXplorers
• Teaching Awards
  • PAEMST Nominations
  • Edyth May Fliffe Awards
• News from the U.S. DoE and National Academies
  • Foundations of Data Science for K-12
  • Supporting Recovery with Evidence-Based Practices
  • The Pathway to STEM Convergence Education
  • STEM Teacher Videos Needed
• Managing Your CoMath Subscription

News from Professional Organizations

Colorado Math Leaders Agenda for 2022-2023

The Colorado Math Leaders is gearing up for a great 2022-2023 school year. This year, almost all meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of each month: September 6, October 4, November 1, December 6, January 10, February 7, March 7, April 4, and May 2. For our first meeting on Tuesday, September 6, we'll meet informally for lunch at noon, then kick off the year with the formal meeting from 12:30 to 2:30.

Starting in October, every meeting will dedicate time to working on two big issues: high school math pathways and math interventions. To accommodate this (and as a courtesy to those who aren't interested in one or both of these issues), the agenda will look like this:

• 12:00 - 12:30 Lunch and informal conversation
• 12:30 - 1:30 HS Math Pathways study and work time
• 1:30 - 2:30 Main meeting time (welcome, share outs, math tasks, reports, etc.)
• 2:30 - 3:30 Math Interventions study and work time

Last week, members of the CML board joined leaders from higher education to apply for the Dana Center's next round of their Launch Years initiative. We're very hopeful that Colorado will be chosen as a participant, but even if it isn't CML will dedicate time this year to HS math pathways. On the interventions front, we've made contact with the people at CDE who most directly work across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 instruction. This should be an exciting year to be involved in CML! To join the CML email group to keep up with the latest news, register and join at https://groups.io/g/comathleaders.

NCTM Annual Meeting

The NCTM Annual Meeting & Exposition is in Los Angeles from September 28 to October 1, 2022.

News from CDE

CDE Blended Learning Survey

CDE's School Finance and Schools of Choice offices are seeking feedback on blended online learning, how it impacted teaching during the pandemic, and thoughts on how to improve the experience. Our blended learning initiative is an effort to examine what we've learned, how students were impacted, how education has evolved, and where we go from here. We are seeking feedback from all stakeholders: superintendents, educators, and other stakeholders all have valuable ideas and opinions that will be key to informing this initiative. Please complete and share the CDE Blended and Online Learning Summer 2022 Survey to let us know your thoughts.

Job Opening

Here's a job opening that's near and dear to me, literally! The position is Director of Standards and Instructional Support, which means you would supervise me and my wonderful colleagues at CDE. Act fast, as the position closes on August 25.

Tutor Recruitment

Many of CDE's tutoring grantees are working with Colorado Youth for a Change (CYC), an organization that helps recruit and place AmeriCorps tutors for many schools in Colorado. CYC has placed their first cohort for the fall and are still recruiting for placements this fall and into the spring term. If you're interested in helping them with their efforts, please see the program info and recruiting flyers available here.

Student Competitions

Soifer Mathematical Olympiad

The 38th Soifer (formerly Colorado) Mathematical Olympiad will be held this year on October 7, 2022, with an award ceremony to follow a week later on October 14. The event is free of charge and open to all Colorado students in Grades 5 through 12. It is an individual competition and calculators are allowed. For more information and to register, visit https://soifermathematicalolympiad.uccs.edu, and for questions, contact Sam Frank at sfrank@uccs.edu.

StellarXplorers

The StellarXplorers National Space Design Competition challenges teams of students to put their skills to the test in all-things space design. Open to students in grades 6-12, teams must solve orbit planning, satellite component, and launch vehicle selection scenarios presented in a series of online competition rounds. No prior experience is required! To learn more, visit the StellarXplorers website and see this story about Pueblo County 70's top-10 finish in this competition last year. Team registrations are accepted through October 17, 2022, and if you have questions about the competition, reach out to Rebecca Dalton at rdalton@stellarxplorers.org.

Teaching Awards

PAEMST Nominations

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the highest awards bestowed by the United States government specifically for K-12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teaching. The award recognizes those teachers that have both deep content knowledge of the subjects they teach and the ability to motivate and enable students to be successful in those areas. Recipients of the award receive a certificate signed by the President of the United States, a paid trip to Washington D.C. for recognition and professional development, and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.

The 2022-2023 award cycle will award teachers in Grades 7-12. To nominate a teacher (or to self-nominate), see the eligibility requirements and submit your nomination at the PAEMST website. Nomination cycles are a bit earlier on the calendar than they used to be, so please note: nominations are due January 9, 2023, and applications must be completed by February 6, 2023. Applicants are encouraged to attend one of the applicant webinars (currently scheduled between now and the end of October) to get a better understanding of the application and to get helpful tips from PAEMST alumni. Colorado has a proud history of recognizing Colorado math teachers with PAEMST awards, so please think about the excellent 7-12 teachers of math in your area and nominate them!

Edyth May Sliffe Awards

The Edyth May Sliffe Awards for Distinguished Mathematics Teaching in Middle School and High School are given annually to middle and high school teachers who have done outstanding work to motivate students in mathematics through participation in one of the MAA American Mathematics Competitions. This prestigious award is accompanied by a $500 stipend and recognition on the MAA website and social media. Award recipients also receive complimentary registration, housing, and travel expenses to MAA MathFest in Tampa, FL, from August 2-5, 2023. Nominees may include any middle or high school teacher who has administered the competition, mentored students, or encouraged students to participate in AMC. Nominations are due August 31, 2022 and to learn more about the nomination process and requirements, visit https://www.maa.org/math-competitions.

News from the U.S. DoE and National Academies

Foundations of Data Science for Students in Grades K-12

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene a hybrid public workshop on September 13-14, 2022. The workshop will focus on desired goals and outcomes of data science, tools and datasets we need to support students, and the integration of data science with other subjects. Register for the workshop here.

Supporting Recovery With Evidence-Based Practices

The Institute of Education Sciences (part of the U.S. Department of Education) has launched a new site, Evidence-Based Tools for Renewal and Recovery, to help states, districts, schools, and institutions of higher education in their use of evidence-based practices in this period of recovery and renewal to improve outcomes for all learners, especially those that education systems have historically underserved. The two newest resources support Out of School Time (OST) learning and Data Science.

The Pathway to STEM Convergence Education

The five-year Federal STEM Strategic Plan recommended that STEM education should move through a pathway where disciplines “converge” and that STEM teaching and learning move from disciplinary to transdisciplinary. Members of the Federal Coordination in STEM Education (FC-STEM) Convergence Interagency Working Group, led a session titled “Convergence Education: A Framework to Help K-12 STEAM Educators Teach about Real-World Transdisciplinary Problems and Phenomena” during the Smithsonian National Education Summit. This Smithsonian blog post further describes "convergence education." If you have an example of STEM convergence in your district, drop me a note to tell me about it! I'd like to hear more stories and have more stories to share when I get asked about this.

STEM Teacher Videos Needed

The NSF-funded STEM Teacher Leader Network is looking to showcase unique stories that illustrate the deep impact that STEM teacher leaders have had in the classroom and beyond. If you have an example of how you or your colleagues have made a difference as a STEM teacher or leader, share your idea in this short application by August 31, 2022. Selected applicants receive a $200 stipend and coaching to turn their story into a featured 3-minute video and then turn it into a short video that will be featured in a video showcase on STEMtlnet.org on November 15-17, 2022.