Math Newsletter April 2024

Desmos continues to add more and more free math activities for K-12 math classrooms! If you haven't check them out in awhile, definitely see what is new!

Not sure where to start? Look into the K-5 Math Routines and Most-Loved Grades 6-12 Lessons.

As many of you are gearing up for the PSSA Math & Keystone Algebra Exams, you may want to access the released test items on the SAS Assessment Center. Follow these steps and watch the video below to learn more:

• Navigate to https://pdesas.org/
• Create and log into your SAS Account.
• Click Assessment, then Assessment Center
• Under Build an Assessment, click Start a New Search
• Use the filters on the left for your grade level, subject, and standards.

You can also access the released test item files using the following links:

• Grades 3-8 Math
• Keystone Algebra

The 2024 Polypad Art and Music Contest launched a few weeks ago, but there’s still plenty of time for students of all ages to enter! Final submissions aren’t due until May 17.

Share the details of the contest with your students and tap into their creativity and originality through math, music, and computing. Students from around the world are encouraged to submit their artwork for a chance to win a prize.

In this contest, students will use the world’s most comprehensive free virtual math manipulatives to create a work of art, compose a piece of music, compute with logic gates, or bring models of mathematical concepts to life.

This year's Math 24 Competition at RIU6 is going to be held on May 9. Students should be practicing Single Digit, Double Digit, and Variable cards in preparation.

Registration info will be sent out soon!

Combined Test/Answer Booklets Coming This Spring

Starting in the Spring of 2024, the Math PSSA Grades 3-8 and the Algebra Keystone will have combined test and answer booklets. Students ARE permitted to write in the test/answer booklet. They may underline, circle, and lightly highlight important information. Students should not use a dark marker when highlighting. There is one caution – students should not cross out the bubbles for answer choices as they eliminate incorrect options. Students may cross out the answer text (words and numbers) but not the actual bubbles, as the machine will read the cross out as a stray mark.

No More Red Stickers!

The transition to combined test/answer booklets for PSSA Mathematics presented an opportunity to reformat the non-calculator section that was previously in the test booklets. The non-calculator section in the new booklets will not need to be sealed with a red sticker upon student compleƟon. Instead, the section will include a colored border that will be highly visible to both students and test administrators and will alert both to any intentional or unintentional access of the completed section. ⭐Click Here to Read More About These Changes⭐

23/24 Updated Math Reference/Formula Sheets for Math PSSA & Keystone Exams

***We also have an updated Keystone Algebra formula sheet that now includes the perimeter of a rectangle formula***

⭐Click Here to read more about the specific changes and for links to the updated documents⭐

All Learners Network is hosting a Free Virtual Workshop titled "Proactive Instructional Design in the Math Classroom" on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 from 3:30 - 4:30pm.

Consider a math classroom learning environment where all students are meaningfully engaged in grade-level learning. Students are working independently or in small groups, engaging in math learning opportunities that provide both struggle and stretch for all students and seamlessly move throughout the learning space to access manipulatives and tools to construct meaning. This type of learning environment requires proactive design of our instruction. In this one-hour workshop, we will explore the key components of instructional design that proactively considers entry points for all students, rather than reactively providing accommodations halfway through the lesson. This includes analyzing the learning goals of the lesson, anticipating the variability of our students, and implementing instructional strategies that provide options for all learners.

"In Math-Ish, Boaler shares new neuroscientific research on how embracing the concept of “math-ish”—a theory of mathematics as it exists in the real world—changes the way we think about mathematics, data, and ourselves. When we can see the value of diversity among people and multi-faceted approaches to learning math, we are free to truly flourish."

Jo Boaler is offering two free book talks on May 8 and May 9. Click here to read more and register!

Make Math Moments is on a mission to provide an opportunity for all mathematics educators around the world to access professional learning opportunities that will elevate their teaching practice and promote an equitable learning experience for all students. We strive to provide all educators with the opportunity to spark their learning through the Making Math Moments That Matter Podcast as a means to inspire the exploration of new pedagogical practices and to seek out opportunities to deepen their own mathematical content knowledge.

The goal of the podcast is to help more mathematics educators to create a classroom culture where students don’t want to stop exploring mathematics when the bell rings by interviewing featured guests such as Jo Boaler, Peter Liljedahl, Sunil Singh, Dan Meyer, Nicki Newton, John Hattie, inviting mathematics teachers on to the show to engage in “Mentoring Moment” episodes where we coach them through a current math classroom struggle, or to simply riff on a specific big idea, tool or strategy for simply.