CoMath Update for November 11, 2023

It was so great to spend a week in Washington, D.C. for math conferences and I was delighted to bump into so many Colorado educators! I saw or met folks from Jeffco, Glenwood Springs, DPS, Greeley, and CU Boulder, and at this week's CML meeting I realized how many more I would have seen had I been able to attend the NCSM Conference. If you want very brief recaps of the things I attended, I wrote those up for my blog (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7).

Colorado Academic Accelerator Grant Program - Request for Stakeholder Engagement

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) seeks input from a variety of stakeholders across Colorado to help develop the new Colorado Academic Accelerator Program grant. The CO-AAP grant is authorized by the “Math In Pre-kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade” law (C.R.S. 22-2-146.6), which was passed in 2023 to support student learning in STEM in community learning centers during out-of-school time programs.

The CO-AAP grant competition is expected to launch by December 15, 2023. Applications will be due February 15, 2024. CDE will award approximately $24 million in state funds over the three-year grant period. For more information, visit the CDE CO-AAP webpage.

To help inform the CO-AAP grant program, you can complete this stakeholder survey or attend one of the following focus groups. Click the focus groups link to register for the times that work for you.

Math Interventions - Request for Stakeholder Engagement

CDE is developing materials for K-12 mathematics interventions and has selected Growing Minds LLC, an educational service provider from southwest Colorado, to lead and manage this project. Growing Minds is organizing stakeholder meetings and an input survey to help them/us determine what Colorado's greatest areas of needs are for math interventions.

PAEMST

Do you know an excellent K-6 teacher of math, science, computer science, or STEM? Nominate them for a PAEMST award! The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are the highest honors bestowed by the United States government specifically for math and other STEM fields. The awards were established by Congress in 1983 and awardees receive a certificate signed by the President of the United States; an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for ceremonies, professional development, and networking; and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation. Nominations this year for K-6 educators close on January 8, 2024.

CCTM

The Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics (CCTM) is continuing its Teaching for Thinking book study with sessions on December 7 and December 12. Visit the book study web page for details and links to register for a book study date.

Save the Date! CCTM will be holding its next in-person event on June 13-14, 2024. Many details to come!

CML

The Colorado Math Leaders (CML) will continue with their book study with Chapter 2 of Productive Math Struggle at 5 pm on Thursday, November 30th. The next regular meeting of CML will be at 12:30 on Tuesday, December 5.

Colorado Math Awards Mini-Grants

Each year since 1985, thousands of students across the country voluntarily take a 25-question, 40-minute multiple-choice exam in middle school mathematics offered by American Mathematics Competitions, a program of the Mathematical Association of America. The AMC 8 exam, open to any student in grade 8 or below, is designed to develop students’ problem-solving skills and interest in mathematics.

The AMC 8 exam is hosted locally by middle schools and other educational organizations with physical premises for on-site test-taking. The exam can be given to students anytime during the week of January 18-24. The AMC 8 website describes the exam in more detail, and provides registration information, a teacher’s manual, and other resources for hosting the AMC 8 exam.

Top Colorado students in the AMC 8 exam and other national math contests will be honored by Colorado Math Awards (CMA) at a reception and program at the University of Denver on Tuesday, May 7th, 2024.

To encourage greater participation in the AMC 8 exam by middle schools and other testing sites that primarily serve rural, Black, or Indigenous students and students of color, CMA is offering a limited number of $200 grants to help defray the costs of registration and other resources for teachers and students. Preference will be given to those schools and testing sites that have not administered the AMC 8 exam before. These mini-grants are partially funded by Equity Learning, a nonprofit organization founded by Colorado students, committed to building opportunities, bolstering communities, and bridging gaps for youth and beyond.

To learn more about Colorado Math Awards and the AMC 8 mini-grant offer, visit the new CMA website at coloradomathawards.org. Please share this announcement with others who may be interested.

Computer Science Standards Feedback

CDE is seeking public feedback about the draft of Colorado's academic standards for computer science. Feedback can be submitted until January 5, 2024.

Upcoming NCTM Events

At NCTM's annual meeting, they announced some events to watch for in 2024:

January 22-23, 2024: Interactive Institute - Helping Your Students Thrive: Tools for Effective Instruction in Nashville, TN
February 7-9, 2024: Regional Conference in Seattle, WA
April 10-13, 2024: Virtual Conference
June 17-19, 2024: Joint Math and Literacy Conference for K-5 co-hosted by NCTM and NCTE in New Orleans, LA (details forthcoming, but sounds very interesting!)

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