An opportunity for an Elementary School in Maine.
Applications close 15 October 2021
Through generous support by Susan and Richard Bates a Maine elementary school will be selected to partner with the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA) during the 2021-2022 school year to engage in critical school wide-conversations and professional learning opportunities. This partnership will work toward building a whole school culture committed to increasing numeracy learning outcomes for all students. We look forward to building partnerships throughout the school and co-creating numeracy learning strategies that are culturally relevant, hands-on, and exciting for students.Partnership Focus:
Through the partnership, an MMSA mathematics specialist will work alongside you and your teachers as they strive to create learning environments in which students are flexible, resourceful, and reflective problem solvers who apply numeracy concepts with deep understanding and within authentic contexts. Numeracy involves both having number sense and being computationally fluent. Computational fluency can be an obstacle for many students, but it doesn’t need to be that way! By shifting away from memorization of discrete math facts to understanding the math relationships between these number combinations, students can bring their own understanding to the table, become better problem solvers, and develop the flexibility needed to become truly fluent.
If selected, MMSA will partner to support and facilitate:
- Ongoing discussion with the school-based leadership team to inform, plan and reflect on ongoing professional learning opportunities.
- School-wide professional learning processes, using a numeracy lens, while integrating Standards for Mathematical Practice (persistence, problem-solving, seeing structure, using and creating math representations) and the teaching practices (promoting rich discourse, eliciting evidence of thinking, supporting the use and connections between different math representations).
- Coaching support focused on student-centered learning goals and the use of formative assessment to inform instructional planning. We will work closely with educators to identify, gather, and analyze student and teacher outcome data to document learning and growth. Coaching will take place in-person and virtually and we can flexibly schedule team coaching sessions.
- Culturally responsive evaluation of teacher and student outcomes of the partnership to inform school improvement.
Who should apply:
- Schools with 1-3 teachers per grade level in K-5 or comparably structured elementary school in Maine.
- Ability to dedicate 24 contact hours of embedded professional learning time within the school calendar. This can be in full-day or half-day increments. Professional learning sessions can be facilitated in-person, virtually, or in a hybrid format based on a school’s preferred mode of delivery.
- Demonstrated need for growth in numeracy-related concepts.
- Demonstrated need for monetary support [not currently receiving funds for Tier 3 programming, or have minimal dedicated funds to support math professional learning]
How to Apply:
Use this link to apply (https://airtable.com/shrb3TBD7gVNsQ1CM). The application includes the following components:- School Name
- School District
- Administrator Name, Email Address
- What do you find compelling about the Focus on Numeracy Partnership and why would you like to participate?
- What school-wide goals do you have around mathematics learning and teaching?
- Please describe the systems currently in place to support professional learning opportunities (i.e. common planning time for grade level or vertical teaming, flexible scheduling, instructional coach, in-service days, etc.).
- School-data
- % Free and reduced lunch
- Mathematics proficiency, such as
- MEA at proficiency or above (last 3 years of MEA EmpowerME) ;
- Grade 3-5 2021 spring NWEA or historical data; and/or
- Other schoolwide formative or summative assessments
- Current funding amount and sources for math professional learning
- What other 2021-2022 initiatives are planned for your district that might compete with math professional learning?
- What further questions do you have about the Focus on Numeracy Partnership?
