Available on the Department of Education website now are the 2013 released tests for Math 3, Math 4, and Math 5. In order to preserve the integrity of the test item bank, some items on these forms, as administered in spring 2013, were replaced with items of similar content. To access these tests, visit:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/released_tests/index.shtml
Don’t forget that there will be no spring 2014 V2CTM Conference this year since we are hosting the Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference at JMU on March 14-15. You can view the program and register for the VCTM conference at http://vctm.org
Nearly 100 teachers and administrators enjoyed the Fall 2013 V2CTM Conference held on November 7, 2013 at Clymore Elementary School. Dr. Jennifer Suh from George Mason University presented a thought-provoking opening session including a discussion of the Five Strands of Mathematics Proficiency which was followed up by three breakout sessions presented by Zig Siegfried from James Madison University, Katy Ulrich from Virginia Tech, and Pat Gabriel from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
At the business meeting, President Jenny Gibson led a discussion of the spring VCTM conference to be held at JMU, March 14-15, and hosted by V2CTM. Jenny announced that there would be no spring V2CTM meeting due to the VCTM conference. Numerous door prizes were presented thanks to Kara Velez’s efforts.
White Hill Catering’s Italian dinner was enjoyed by all.
Click here to register for the Fall 2013 V2CTM Conference to be held on November 7, 2013 at Clymore Elementary School in Fort Defiance. To find out the details of the conference, download the newsletter: ReflectionFall2013
The Fall conference features four experienced and well known Virginia mathematics educators: Jennifer Suh from GMU, Zig Siegfried from JMU, Katy Ulrich from Virginia Tech, and Pat Gabriel from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
At the business meeting, led by President Jenny Gibson, there will be a discussion of the spring VCTM conference to be held at JMU, March 14-15, and hosted by V2CTM.
You can’t beat all of this and a catered Italian dinner by White Hill Catering for only $5!
Please complete your registration prior to November 1.
The 2013 Fall Meeting will be held on November 7 at Clymore Elementary School in Fort Defiance. There will be several speakers with statewide recogntion–the full program will be posted soon.
Approximately 85 educators enjoyed a very good evening of mathematics education on April 25 at the annual Spring V2CTM Meeting at Pleasant Valley Elementary School as detailed in the pictures below:
A packed house enjoyed LouAnn Lovin’s session for K-2 teachers.
Likewise, Eric Imbrescia’s 3-5 presentation was appreciated by a room full of teachers.
Husband/wife team of Alexis and John Stevens shared the importance of proportional reasoning in a session with 6th – 12th teachers.
Door prizes a’plenty were handed out thanks to Kara Velez with help from Jean Sterner.
The meeting included a delicious catered dinner provided by White Hill Catering.
The Spring V2CTM Conference will be held on Thursday, April 25, at Pleasant Valley Elementary School. Registration begins at 5:00 and the business meeting (including door prizes!) starts at 5:30. The catered dinner is at 5:50 and is followed by three breakout sessions presented by some excellent local math educators: LouAnn Lovin, Eric Imbrescia, and Alexis & John Stevens.
To register for the April 25 conference, click here. All online registration needs to be completed by April 18 so we can have an accurate dinner count.
Click here to view the Spring 2013 V2CTM Reflection newsletter which has all of the details about the meeting plus other information of interest to local teachers.
You can get a lot of ideas from NCTM for Pi Day (3/14/13) by clicking here.
Michael Bolling passed along some disappointing news from the Virginia General Assembly’s January 2013 session.
You may remember that the Virginia Board of Education provided the Governor and General Assembly with a report at the end of November that included recommendations for changes to the Standards of Quality or SOQ (this is a section of the Code of Virginia – Virginia Law), which mandate minimum staffing ratios and other elements of the foundational educational program all Virginia school divisions must provide.
The board’s recommended SOQ revisions included:
· One reading specialist for every 1,000 K-12 students and one mathematics specialist for every 1,000 K-8 students;
· One educational data coordinator for every 1,000 K-12 students;
· One full-time assistant principal for every 400 K-12 students and one full-time principal for all elementary schools; and
· Inclusion of the state’s Early Intervention Reading Initiative and Algebra Readiness Initiative in the SOQ funding model.
The board’s recommendation for one mathematics specialist for every 1,000 K-8 students was not included in the Governor’s budget, and we are not currently aware of any legislation addressing this topic.
