Math

Date each entry and put the newest entry at the top of the list.
Notes from 10/27/08 Discussed three main goals for this school year and brainstormed ideas to address each goal. Next meeting will be spent working on the goals in small groups

1. Parent Communication [Eshleman, Remphrey, Landry] - inform parents in 5th grade orientation with long range plans for courses -- matrix, power point, presentation-- to provide question/answer time - algebra is building block - survey kids, parents in advanced track (do they like the pace? do they feel they are correctly paced?) - math teacher goes with Bruce to 5th grade orientation, PTO meetings for MS & ES to talk and answer questions - develop video or powerpoint to show and make available on website - make info go to all math so we all are saying the same thing

2. Retention Materials [Sudimak, Grawe, Bunting] - revisit basic skills (especially during calculator portion of curriculum) -- how should this look? - summer review packet - course specific - accountability? - when to give to students? end of year? Aug. 1st? - course basic skills 'exams' quarterly -- done as worksheets or small packets once per MP? - Prentice Hall - materials should help improve students' ability to recognize if answers make sense - basic skills needs to be consistent across department

3. Course Data  [Stump, Kerr, Woodland] - Changes for 6th into 7th grade Alg? (HS is seeing lots of trouble with these kids) - Prereq's for 8th grade classes - Teach or create packet of study skills for advanced kids - math always easy so don't know what to do with challenge - put unit in 3B of Algebra 1 prep skills (Ch. 1 - 4) - breakdown of course 1 - course 2a requirements. Elem. teacher recs a course 1 class but does not know what a course 1 class 'looks' like. - look at students who moved math classes this school year--is there a trend in their data? - levels of course 1 - out of saxon math in elem and mainstreamed in 6th grade but never make up material they missed (and are lacking basic math facts) - communication to elem teachers about what courses are like and expectations - wish list of skills for incoming sixth graders (could be itemized in summer packet if created)

Notes from 9/29/08 1.	Middle School Longitudinal Analysis a.	Honors Algebra? 2.	How to teach Study Skills a.	School-wide math website—how/what/where to study 3.	Need for Manual/PPT for recs and placements 4.	Summer Packets as requirement? 5.	3AB a.	change sequence to follow units rather than chapters b.	compact 1st 2 chapters 6.	Algebra Hybrid course in 8th grade for 7th grade (Alg) B students a.	Concerns over waivers into 7th gr. Alg b.	Could algebra hybrid consist of 1.5 years Pre-Alg/1.5 years Alg?