COMET • Vol. 20, No. 02 – 1 June 2019

 

ARTICLES & ANNOUNCEMENTS (NATIONAL FOCUS)

(1) Early Math Symposium Provides Both In-Person and Virtual Participation Options

The 2019 Early Math Symposium will be held on 21 June 2019 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at California State University, East Bay. A free live broadcast will be available for the first 1500 registrants, while in-person registration is limited to 200 participants. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be served on site for a $25 hospitality fee.

Organized by the California Department of Education and the California Early Math Project, the symposium will include three keynote presentations and three breakout sessions. For more information and to register for either the in-person event or the online broadcast, visit http://bit.ly/EarlyMathSymposium2019

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Related information:

California’s Early Math Initiative

At the March 2019 State Board of Education meeting, an overview was given of the Statewide Early Math Initiative, for which the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools (FCSS) serves as the resource lead. FCSS’s role includes the development, identification, and distribution of early math resources; professional learning and coaching for educators; and providing mathematical learning opportunities for children. The California Early Math Project (sponsor of the symposium above) is one of the partners in this effort. To read more, please download the related agenda item from the SBE meeting: http://bit.ly/CSBE-Mar2019-3 To peruse the Early Math Project’s website and the resources it contains for young children (infant through grade 3), please visit https://www.earlymathca.org/

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(2) Mathematics, Science, Technology, and STEM/STEAM Conferences for 2019-20 

A number of excellent professional learning opportunities are on the horizon for 2019-20. These multi-day conferences offer a wide variety of sessions and exhibits. Visit the links below to explore what these conferences offer for educators at all levels:

– California Mathematics Council (CMC) South 2019 Conference – November 15-16, Palm Springs, http://www.cmc-south.org/

– CMC North 2019 Conference – December 6-8, Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, https://www.cmc-math.org/cmc-north-conference

– CMC Central 2020 Symposium – Hold the date: March 13-14 (Pi Day); Bakersfield

– California STEAM Symposium 2019 – December 8-10, Anaheim Convention Center, https://www.stemcalifornia.org/ (Early bird registration ends June 28.) Note: Speaker proposals are now being accepted: http://bit.ly/CA-STEAM2019-Present The submission deadline is July 8.

– National Science Teachers Association 2019 STEM Forum & Expo – July 24-26, San Francisco, http://bit.ly/NSTA-STEM-Reg (Advance deadline ends June 3.)

– California Science Education 2019 Conference – October 18-20, San Jose, https://conference.cascience.org/

– Computer Using Educators (CUE) Spring 2020 Conference – March 19-21, Palm Springs, http://spring.cue.org/

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(3) Free Online CSET Mathematics Subtest III Course Begins on June 18

The Mathematics and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI) at Fresno State is offering a free, online, interactive course reviewing the content assessed on CSET Mathematics: Subtest III that begins on Tuesday, June 18, at 5 p.m. PDT. Classes (all of which are recorded and available for participants for further review) will be offered on Tuesdays and Fridays from 3-6 p.m. through July 23.

In addition, free online CSET science content review workshops will be held during June and July. The schedule for these workshops is available on the MSTI website at http://bit.ly/MSTI-CSET-Summer2019, which also contains information about registering for both the mathematics and science reviews.

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(4) CSU EduCorps Launches a New Teacher Recruitment and Preparation Toolkit Website

Source: Ken Futernick, Director, CSU EduCorps

The California State University (CSU) EduCorps website (https://www2.calstate.edu/educorps) contains a wide variety of resources for those interested in teaching as a profession. Earlier this month, the Teacher Recruitment and Preparation Toolkit website was launched. It contains a searchable database of over 160 strategies, programs, and reports related to the recruitment of teachers, with a special emphasis on recruiting for diversity (see http://diversitytools.csu-eppsp.org/recruitment-view). Resources can be searched by keyword and filtered by population and/or type of resource. 

New recruitment strategies are welcomed. To submit, please visit http://diversitytools.csu-eppsp.org/form/recruitment-strategies-form

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Related research:

Recruiting Teachers in High-Need STEM Fields: A Survey of Current Majors and Recent STEM Graduates

Source: American Physical Society

URL: http://bit.ly/APS-RecruitingSTEM-Tchrs

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(5) Governor Newsom’s Revised Budget Includes Support for STEM Teachers

URL (May Revision): www.ebudget.ca.gov/FullBudgetSummary.pdf

On May 9, Governor Gavin Newsom released his revised budget for fiscal year 2019-20. The robust allocation for education spending drew praise from the state’s educators, including State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. “Our Governor just announced the largest-ever investment in K–12 schools, with 45 percent of all proposed increased spending to benefit our schools. We applaud this commitment to public education, especially by adding funding to assist students with the greatest needs. The revision also makes significant investments in the recruitment and retention of qualified teachers, and supporting the financial burdens they face,” Thurmond said.

The governor’s budget includes the following proposals pertaining to STEM education (excerpts from the May Revision document, pp. 19-21, emphasis added):

K-12 Funding Priorities…

To recruit and retain qualified teachers in school districts with high rates of under‑prepared teachers, the May Revision includes $89.8 million one-time non-Proposition 98 General Fund to provide an estimated 4,500 loan assumptions (repayments) of up to $20,000 for newly credentialed teachers to work in high-need schools for at least four years. Funds will be prioritized for teachers in hard-to-hire subject matter areas (special education and STEM) and school sites with the highest rates of non‑credentialed or waiver teachers…

Additionally, the May Revision includes $44.8 million one-time non-Proposition 98 General Fund to provide training and resources for classroom educators, including teachers and paraprofessionals, to build capacity around inclusive practices, social emotional learning, computer science, and restorative practices as well as subject matter competency, including STEM. Training and resources developed will be incorporated into the statewide system of support…

Computer Science

It is a priority of the Administration that all students in the K-12 public school system are able to access computer science education to provide them with the skills they need to succeed. In an important step toward this goal, the State Board of Education adopted California’s first set of Computer Science Content Standards for K-12 schools in September 2018. It is anticipated that the Board will adopt an implementation plan for these new standards in May 2019. The Administration will consider the recommendations included in the implementation plan, data on student access to technology and STEM education throughout the state, as well as input from experts.

In the year ahead, the Administration will develop a comprehensive plan to achieve the goal of providing access to computer science education for all students for consideration as part of next year’s budget. In addition to STEM and computer science training for teachers, the May Revision …includes $15 million one-time non-Proposition 98 General Fund for broadband infrastructure… To provide cohesive statewide organization in implementing the new computer science standards and developing a comprehensive plan to promote computer science for all California students, the May Revision includes $1 million one-time non-Proposition 98 General Fund, available over four years, to the State Board of Education to establish a state Computer Science Coordinator…

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(6) California STEM-Related Bills

Please see below for several STEM-related bills currently progressing through the California State Legislature:

AB 182 – The bill would require the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) to convene a working group to determine (by 31 January 2021) whether developing a single subject computer science credential is warranted and, if so, the requirements of the credential.

AB 578 would establish the STEM Professional Teaching Pathway Act of 2019. Excerpt: “The projected shortage of 33,000 teachers in mathematics, science, and computer science in California over the next decade cannot be met with current recruitment and preparation approaches… The California STEM Teaching Pathway is hereby established for purposes of recruiting, preparing, supporting, and retaining qualified STEM professionals, including military veterans, and current teachers as mathematics, science, engineering, and computer science teachers in California… The sum of $27,000,000 is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the State Department of Education on a one-time basis for the 2019–20 fiscal year for allocation… to establish the California STEM Teaching Pathway…”

Of this $27 million, one-third would be used to recruit and support the preparation of teachers for each of the following:

(a) Designated subject credentials authorizing the teaching of engineering and either single subject credentials or supplementary authorization authorizing the teaching of computer science.

(b) Single subject credentials or supplementary authorization authorizing the teaching of science.

(c) Single subject credentials or supplementary authorization authorizing the teaching of math

AB 1410 – This bill would establish the Computer Science Access Initiative, to provide grants to Local Education Agencies to increase the number of teachers authorized and trained to teach computer science. This would include supporting Single Subject Credential holders to add Supplementary Authorizations in Computer Science, as well as for Multiple Subject and Education Specialist Credential holders to receive professional development (PD) to be able to teach computer science at the elementary level. The PD must be aligned to the State Board of Education-approved Computer Science Content Standards. (The bill received strong support in the Assembly and was ordered to the Senate on May 29.)

AB 1623 – This bill would establish the Golden State Teacher Grant Program to provide one-time grant funds of $20,000 to each student enrolled on or after 1 January 2020 in a professional preparation program leading to a preliminary teaching credential, if the student commits to working in a high-need field (currently engineering, mathematics, science, technology, bilingual education, and special education) for four years within five years of receiving a teaching credential. Recipients would have to repay $5000 for each year that specified obligations are not met. (Like AB 1410, this bill received strong support in the Assembly and was ordered to the Senate on May 29.)

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(7) California Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan Receives State Approval

URL (SBE Agenda): https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ag/ag/yr19/agenda201905.asp

At its meeting on 8 May 2019, the State Board of Education (SBE) unanimously approved the California Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan (CSSIP) pending final approval by the SBE Executive Director of any revisions proposed by the SBE and technical edits.

The plan presented to the SBE may be downloaded from http://bit.ly/CDE-CompSci-ImplPlan The CSSIP webpage is hosted on the California Department of Education’s website at www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/cs/cssip.asp

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Related articles:

“California Moves to Get More K-12 Students into Computer Science Classes” by Diana Lambert

Source: EdSource – 8 May 2019

URL: http://bit.ly/EdSource-CompSci-May2019

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(8) Timeline and Application for Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee for 2021 Revision of the California Mathematics Framework Approved

The timeline and the Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee (CFCC) application form for the 2021 revision of the Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve both received unanimous approval by the California State Board of Education at its meeting on 9 May 2019.

To download this agenda item, visit http://bit.ly/CDE-BE-2021Math To view the approved Mathematics Framework revision timeline, which includes dates for the recruitment, appointment, and work of the CFCC, as well as the review and action dates for the revised Mathematics Framework, please visit www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/mathfwrevtimeline2021.asp

To serve on the CFCC, which “provides input on the initial draft of the revised framework in accordance with guidelines approved by the State Board of Education,” please visit http://bit.ly/Appl-MathFW2021 for more information and the online application. The deadline to apply is 15 August 2019.

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(9) Update on Academic Preparation of California State University Students

URL: http://bit.ly/BOT-CEP-Min

At its meeting on 21 May 2019, the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees (BOT) approved the minutes of the 19 March 2019 presentation of the Board’s Committee on Educational Policy (CEP), which included an update on the academic preparation of CSU students. (Videos of the CEP presentations are available at https://youtu.be/RGvlNCFBw4U and https://youtu.be/7hhe12zV3qQ) The following are a few excerpts of the approved minutes:

Loren J. Blanchard, executive vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, introduced the information item by saying that…CSU understands that the level of academic preparation is an important variable for student success. As a result, the CSU is working with PK-12 partners to ensure a greater percentage of CSU-bound students are academically prepared for college.

Dr. Blanchard acknowledged the number of public comments about the proposed requirement for four years of mathematics/quantitative reasoning during this consultative period. There are a broad number of stakeholders engaged in this proposal and he greatly appreciated the comments.

Dr. Blanchard invited James T. Minor, assistant vice chancellor and senior strategist, to explain about the impact of Executive Order 1110 and to share initial data on how this policy has improved outcomes for students who entered the CSU last fall…

Effective fall 2018, the CSU refined its assessment and placement protocol—there are now four placement categories instead of two [(“ready” or “not ready”)]. Students required to attend Early Start will now earn college credit while strengthening their skills; and today no CSU student is required to take a stand-alone developmental education course. Instead, they are offered college-level courses designed by faculty that embed support for students or offer additional instruction in coordination with the primary course…

Focusing on mathematics/quantitative reasoning outcomes, the number of students who passed a lower-division mathematics course in fall 2018—following Executive Order 1110 implementation—is an eightfold increase from the previous year. Five percent of these students in last year’s cohort passed a college-level mathematics course in their first term compared to 46 percent a year later. It is also important to note that many of these college-level courses redesigned by faculty fulfilled the general education requirement for mathematics and quantitative reasoning…

After the presentation, trustees expressed appreciation for this presentation and acknowledged the work on the part of faculty and leadership that was required to make the changes that led to the positive outcomes. Trustees also noted that in their campus visits they have seen the new courses/mathematics labs and found the faculty dedication to student success was impressive.

Several trustees expressed concerns regarding the potential fourth year of mathematics/ quantitative reasoning requirement. Concerns that were raised included the possible negative impact on students and a lack of information and awareness among parents of students from historically underserved communities. Trustee Steinhauser, who is superintendent of Long Beach Unified School District, talked about the requirement of adding a year of mathematics/ quantitative reasoning and how successful it has been for students in his district. Trustee Abrego recommended that representative(s) from the Ed Trust West and Campaign for College Opportunity — who addressed the committee in public comment expressing their concerns on the potential negative impacts of a fourth year of quantitative reasoning — be provided an opportunity to share their data with the Board [at its July 2019 meeting].

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(10) “Many College Students Struggle to Pass Remedial Math — Do they need to?”

Source: PBS News Hour – 14 May 2019

URL: http://bit.ly/PBS-RemedialMath2019

The 14 May 2019 broadcast of PBS Newshour included a timely segment in light of colleges’ movement away from offering remedial coursework coupled with an effort among high schools and higher education to provide mathematics coursework that students find engaging and personally relevant.

The report opens with the following: “Colleges created remedial education classes to ensure students were sufficiently prepared for more advanced material. But increasingly, there’s a sense that remedial courses are hurting the prospects of the students they are intended to help. As a result, some California colleges and high schools are rethinking their approach to teaching math, with encouraging results…”

The report profiled instructors of community college and high school courses designed to be motivating and personally relevant to students. A focus of the report is the course “Introduction to Data Science” (IDS), which was designed to engage students while “folding algebra and geometry into the story line.” California Mathematics Project Executive Director Kyndall Brown was one of those interviewed for the segment.

To view the broadcast or read the transcript, please visit the website above. For more information about IDS, visit https://www.mobilizingcs.org/

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(11) Update on Proposed Fourth Year of High School Math/Quantitative Reasoning Requirement for California State University Admission

URL: http://bit.ly/CalState-4YrHS-Math-QR

The agenda for the 15 May 2019 meeting of the Academic Preparation and Education Programs (APEP) Committee of the California State University (CSU) Academic Senate included the following under the Chair’s Report:

“[Executive Vice Chancellor Loren] Blanchard has informed the [CSU] Board of Trustees that the quantitative reasoning requirements for first year admission will be an agenda topic at the July [2019] board meeting, instead of May. The memo has been distributed to APEP.

1. Although the requirement will be a ‘4 year’ requirement, and not also a ‘4th year’ requirement, the message to the BOT includes the sentence: ‘The strong recommendation will be for this additional quantitative reasoning course to be completed during the senior year.’”

The next item on the May 15 agenda was a report from Assistant Vice Chancellor Marquita Grenot-Scheyer: “Update on a potential CSU 4th Year Quantitative Reasoning Admission Requirement.” In her PowerPoint presentation file, AVC Grenot-Scheyer provided background and context, described how K-12 capacity is being built in support of the proposal, shared a summary of organizations consulted, described how equity would be ensured, and shared a proposed Board of Trustees (BOT) timeline (proposal to be introduced in July 2019 at the BOT meeting, with a Title 5 change vote occurring in November 2019 and implementation in August 2026).

Preliminary recommendations in the working proposal were also shared:

• Retain existing 3 years of area “c – mathematics” requirement including Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II (or equivalent integrated pathway)
• Add an additional year of “g – college preparatory elective” that could be fulfilled by a course from “c – mathematics,” “d – laboratory science,” or a quantitative reasoning course from the “g – college preparatory elective”
• Strongly Recommend that the additional quantitative reasoning course to be completed during the senior year of high school

(For current A-G requirements, please visit http://bit.ly/A-G_UC-CSU)

AVC Grenot-Scheyer’s presentation file is available at http://bit.ly/4YrMathQR-PPT-MGS

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Related article:

“A 4th Year of High School Math for CSU Admissions? Just the Idea Triggers Debate” by Larry Gordon

Source: EdSource – 10 April 2019

URL: http://bit.ly/EdSource-4thYrMath-CSU

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(12) Searchable Data Dashboards for Number of Teaching Credentials Produced During 2013-2018 by Type and Approved Subject Matter Preparation Programs

URL: https://www.ctc.ca.gov/commission/reports/default

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) recently updated its California Educator Supply pages (data dashboards) with fiscal year 2017-18 figures for Career Technical Education and Designated Subjects Adult Education teaching credentials, among others. Visit https://www.ctc.ca.gov/commission/reports/data/edu-supl-des-subj to view 5-year trends in number of credentials granted, as well as to search by subject area such as Engineering and Architecture, Health Science and Medical Technology, and Industrial Technologies.

To view the number of Multiple Subject, Single Subject (by area such as mathematics, biology, or physics), and Education Specialist credentials issued by CTC over the period 2013-2018, visit https://www.ctc.ca.gov/commission/reports/data/edu-supl-creds Data can be filtered by credential type, educational segment (e.g., CSU, UC), fiscal year, and/or institution name.

Sample data includes the following: There was a steady decrease in the number of Single Subject credentials in Foundational-Level Mathematics (FLM) issued by the state between 2013 and 2017 (n = 600 in 2013-14 to n = 448 in 2016-17), with a modest increase in 2017-18 (n = 490).

A searchable data dashboard for CTC-approved subject matter preparation programs (waives the CSET subject matter competency requirement) is available at https://www.ctc.ca.gov/commission/reports/data/app-sub-matt-prog Again searching on FLM credentials, for example, the dashboard indicates that there are only six institutions (five CSUs and one UC) with approved subject matter preparation programs for the FLM.

[A side note regarding the CTC: At its April 11 meeting, the Commission unanimously elected a new chair, Tine Sloan, to replace Linda Darling-Hammond, who was appointed by Governor Newsome to serve as president of the State Board of Education. Commissioner Sloan has served on the CTC for 11 years as the ex officio representative of the University of California system.]

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(13) CTC Seeks Single Subject Assessors in Mathematics to Score CalTPA (Teaching Performance Assessment)

Source: PSD e-News – 31 May 2019

Training and calibration to score the California Model Teaching Performance Assessment (CalTPA) will involve a combination of at-home preparation and in-person training sessions offered in Northern and Southern California. Scoring will be completed online through a secure portal. Assessors will be paid for their time in training, calibration and scoring. For more information about assessor qualifications and to apply, visit http://bit.ly/CTC-CalTPA-Math-Assessors

(14) Alliance of Four FIRST Robotics Teams from California Victorious in International Competition

Last month, more than 15,000 students from around the world traveled to Houston, Texas, for the annual FIRST Robotics Championship. The 4-day event was attended by more than 33,000 people.

A highly impressive alliance of four teams from California — Atascadero, Burlingame, El Segundo, and Madera — won the FIRST Robotics Competition and world championship honors. The winning teams were feted with hometown parades and other celebrations in their honor. On May 22, Governor Gavin Newsom congratulated the teams at the Capitol. Visit the “related articles” websites below for local coverage.

Looking ahead to next year’s competition, Business Wire reports that “FIRST also unveiled FIRST® RISESM, a unified season theme for all four FIRST programs that is powered by Star Wars: Force for Change, a philanthropic initiative from Lucasfilm and parent company Disney. The 2019-2020 season will be themed around building sustainable cities for the future, inspiring citizens of the galaxy to work together, strengthening and protecting the Force that binds us, and creating a place where collaboration and collective wisdom can elevate new ideas and foster growth. The reveal video was narrated by Mark Hamill: http://bit.ly/FIRST-RISE2020”

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Related Articles:

(a) “High School Robotics Teams Showcase Skills at State Capitol” by Mark Anderson

URL: http://bit.ly/GovNewsom-RoboticsChamps

(b) “Greybots Earn 3rd World Championship” by Connor Allen

URL: https://atascaderonews.com/article/greybots-earn-3rd-world-championship

(c) “Iron Panthers Win World Championships” by James Lowdon

URL: https://theburlingameb.org/1990/news/iron-panthers-win-world-championships/

(d) “Madera’s World Champs get the Spotlight they Deserve” by Dennis Valera

URL: http://bit.ly/MaderaRoboticsWorldChamps

(e) “This El Segundo High School ‘Bots’ Team just Won a World Championship” by Kirsten Farmer

URL: http://bit.ly/DailyBreeze-ElSegundoRoboticsChampions

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ARTICLES & ANNOUNCEMENTS (NATIONAL FOCUS)

(1) Pre-to-3: New ‘Baby PISA’ Study to include U.S. 5-Year-Olds” by Linda Jacobson

Source: Education Dive – 8 March 2019

URL: http://bit.ly/EarlyLearningMattersBrochure

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which coordinates PISA (Program for International Student Assessment), [will] release initial results from the International Early Learning and Child Well-Being Study (IELS)[next year].

What some are referring to as “baby PISA” will include a sample of 3,000 5-year-olds each in the U.S., England, and Estonia. In addition to gathering data on children’s characteristics (e.g., gender, parents’ socioeconomic level, and family makeup), the study will also collect data on children’s “home environment” and on the schools where they attend kindergarten. Researchers will measure children’s skills in literacy, numeracy and self-regulation…

“Early educators and school leaders will be able to learn more about both the cognitive and non-cognitive competencies U.S. children bring with them to primary school and how they compare with the skill profiles of 5-year-olds in other countries,” Peggy Carr, Associate Commissioner for Assessment at the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), said in an email. (NCES conducts PISA in the U.S.)

To learn more about this study, visit http://bit.ly/EarlyLearningMattersBrochure

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(2) NAEP Mathematics Framework Public Comment Period Ends June 7

URL: https://www.naepframeworkupdate.org/about

From the website above:

The National Assessment Governing Board is currently leading updates to the Mathematics and Reading Assessment Frameworks for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card. WestEd is a key partner in these efforts and has convened panels of subject-matter experts, practitioners, and other stakeholders to develop recommendations for improvement.

An updated draft of the Mathematics Assessment Framework is available to the general public for additional feedback until June 7. The resulting updates to the frameworks will be reflected in the administration of the 2025 Mathematics and Reading NAEP.

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The following questions are driving the 2025 NAEP Mathematics Framework Update:

1. How should NAEP assess what students are learning?
2. How should NAEP assess problem-solving?
3. How should NAEP take better advantage of digitally-based assessments?
4. What guidelines will help to make NAEP as fair as possible?
5. What new research should be cited and incorporated?

To hear a podcast regarding the revision, please visit https://www.naepframeworkupdate.org/outreach-events

To access the draft document and provide feedback, please visit http://bit.ly/NAEP-MathFW

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(3) “Girls Outshine Boys on Federal Exam of Tech, Engineering Skills” by Benjamin Herold

Source: EdWeek – 30 April 2019

URL: http://bit.ly/EdWeek-2018NAEP-TEL

The country’s 8th graders improved their scores on a national technology and engineering exam, with girls significantly outpacing boys and most gains seen among higher-performing students.

Overall, scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL) in 2018 were two points higher than when the National Center for Education Statistics first administered the exam in 2014. The share of students scoring proficient or above rose from 43 percent to 46 percent…

The TEL exam is administered every four years. Between January and March of 2018, 15,400 8th graders in about 600 schools took the assessment, which is given on laptop computers.

The test uses a mix of multiple-choice questions and scenario-based performance tasks… The goal is to gauge not just students’ technical skills, but their ability to work well with others to solve real-world problems.

It was on those skills that girls dramatically outperformed boys, outscoring them by nearly 8 points on practices related to “communicating and collaborating.” Boys were particularly poor, for example, at properly crediting other people for their work and ideas…

For all 8th graders, scores on content related to developing, maintaining, and troubleshooting new technologies were up 3 points. Scores on content related to understanding the effects of technology on society were up an average of 2 points. So were scores related to students’ ability to solve problems with technology.

One factor that may have contributed to the improvements: meaningful changes since 2014 in the technology- and engineering-related learning experiences students are having, both in and out of school…

To read more, please visit the article’s webpage at http://bit.ly/EdWeek-2018NAEP-TEL

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(4) U.S. Students Excel in Computer Science, Outscoring China, India, and Russia, Stanford Study Says

Source: The Mercury News – 1 April 2019

URL: http://bit.ly/MercuryNews-US-CS

The average undergraduate senior studying computer science in America ranked higher than about 80 percent of final-year students tested in China, India and Russia, the team found. The difference in scores among students in those three countries was small and not statistically significant.

The trend also held for students from top-ranking institutions in each country, with students in the U.S. outperforming about 80 percent of elite students from the other three countries. The study identified elite schools in the U.S. as those with average ACT/SAT scores of 1,250 out of 1,600 or higher, which produce about 20 percent of computer science graduates.

The top Chinese, Indian and Russian students scored comparably with U.S. students from regular institutions, according to the research…

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(5) Call for Manuscripts: Social Justice and Equity in Mathematics Teaching and Learning

Source: Dennis Kombe – dkombe@csumb.edu

You are invited to submit a paper proposal on social justice and equity in mathematics teaching and learning for a special issue of the Investigations in Mathematics Learning journal, a publication of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning (https://www.rcml-math.org/investigations).

The purpose of this special issue is to expand and deepen our understandings of how socially just and equitable pedagogies connect directly with student school mathematics experiences. We are seeking paper proposals from a variety of methodologies and frames that relate to a range of active, dynamic questions around equity and social justice, which could include but are not limited to:

– Becoming critically self-reflexive mathematics educators and researchers,

– Preparing mathematics teacher advocates,

– Critical perspectives on mathematics teaching and learning,

– Student positioning in mathematics teaching and learning, and

– Generative mathematics teaching and learning environments.

The deadline for paper submissions is 15 September 2019; this special issue is tentatively scheduled for publication in Fall 2020.

Please see the full Call for Manuscripts for details: http://bit.ly/IML-SJEMTL Paper proposals can be submitted to imlsocialjusticeissue@gmail.com. The editors welcome query emails on the suitability of topics or approaches at this email address as well.

Call for Reviewers: The editorial team would like to invite your participation as a reviewer for this special issue of IML. If interested, please use the following link to submit your information: http://bit.ly/IML-Reviewer This information will assist the editors in assigning papers to the various reviewers.

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(6) Learning by the Book: Comparing Math Achievement Growth by Textbook in Six Common Core States

Source: Center for Education Policy Research, Harvard University – March 2019

URL: https://cepr.harvard.edu/curriculum

Learning by the Book is the first multi-state (California, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Washington) effort to measure textbook efficacy after the implementation of the Common Core. The study found no difference in the average fourth- and fifth-grade math achievement gains of schools using different elementary math textbooks. At current levels of curriculum usage and professional development, textbook choice alone does not seem to improve student achievement.

Visit http://bit.ly/LearningByTheBook to read this 40-page report.

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STEM Snippets

(1) Crazy for Physics on Instagram

Source: Localish (ABC) -5 February 2019

URL: http://bit.ly/abc-PhysicsIsFun

“The @physicsfun Instagram account has no pictures of pretty people, places, or food… instead it’s just videos of physics experiments… but the account has one million followers! The account is run by a Fresno State professor [Ray Hall] who used to be a physics researcher but is now dedicated to teaching, both in his lecture halls and now to millions of people on the internet. Notes kvpr.org, ‘He has almost as many [followers] as the astronaut Scott Kelly, and even more than celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.’”

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(2) “Mathematicians Edge Closer to Solving a ‘Million Dollar’ Math Problem” by Rafi Letzter 

URL: https://www.space.com/riemann-hypothesis-big-step-math.html 

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(3) “Ex-NFL Player John Urschel Gave up the Game for a Ph.D.–and a Life–in Math” by Sean Gregory

Source: TIME – 27 May 2019

URL: http://time.com/5590227/john-urschel-football-math-phd-interview/

Related opinion piece:

“Math Teachers Should be more Like Football Coaches” by John Urschel

Source: New York Times – 11 May 2019

URL: http://bit.ly/NYTimes-JohnUrschel-OpEd

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(4) Numerical Cognition in Honeybees Enables Addition and Subtraction

Source: Science Advances – 6 February 2019

URL: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/2/eaav0961

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COMET is supported by a grant from the California Mathematics Project.

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Carol Fry Bohlin, Ph.D.

Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator (M.A. in Education-C&I)
Director, Mathematics and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI)
Reporter/Editor, California Online Mathematics Education Times (COMET)
California State University, Fresno
5005 N. Maple Ave. M/S ED 2
Fresno, CA 93740-8025 

Email: carolb@csufresno.edu

Twitter: @STEM_Fresno