Saturday, January 24, 2015

February/March 2015

In this issue:
  • Co-Presidents’ Message and Invitation 
  • How to win one of four FREE registrations to the NCTM National Conference in Boston in April 
  • Math Morsels are making us SBAC our lips! Informal after school meetings around the state to help us understand the SBAC that is soon to be given
  • Presidential Award Finalists 
  • Graduate Study on Effective Programs for Mathematically Talented Youth
  • CCSS Training on the TI-84C Dates in June---and get a free calculator by attending
  • The Talent Search of the Vermont State Mathematics Coalition continues
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Co-Presidents’ Message and Invitation

Hello, and Happy New Year!  Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to become more involved, volunteer, take on a leadership role, or strengthen your ties to the community of mathematics teachers in Vermont? If any of these are on your list, the VCTM Board is the perfect opportunity for you to follow through on those resolutions!  All VCTM members are eligible to serve on the VCTM Board of Directors. We currently have openings for the following positions:
    • NCTM Representative
    • Zone 4 Rep (see attached map)
    • Zone 5 Rep (see attached map)
    • Zone 6 Rep (see attached map)
    • Elementary Rep for Conference Program Committee
    • Middle School Rep for Conference Program Committee
    • Webmaster
Our next meeting is Tuesday, March 24th, 5:00-7:30pm in Montpelier. Would you like to join us? Dinner is provided and mileage is reimbursed—this is a great way to find out more about what the Board does.

In general, the Vermont Council of Teachers of Mathematics (VCTM) is trying to offer more as an organization.  We are looking for active and enthusiastic Board members to help share in the decision making, planning, and execution of that goal. We welcome you to attend the March 24th meeting to better inform you about what we do and how you can help make a difference in shaping the future of Vermont mathematics education.  

Please reply to Christine Latulippe (clatulip@norwich.edu) or Kate McCann (kmccann@u32.org) for more information if you are interested in attending the meeting and joining the board.

Happy 2015!
Christine Latulippe and Kate McCann
VCTM Co-Presidents 
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How to win one of four FREE registrations to the NCTM National Conference in Boston in April

Are you a VCTM member? Would you like to attend the NCTM Annual Meeting and Exposition in Boston this April and save $365?


VCTM will be giving away 4 free registrations for the NCTM annual meeting in a raffle for interested VCTM members. If anyone wants to join VCTM (or renew a lapsed membership) in time to enter the drawing, you need to do so by PayPal at www.vermontmath.org so that you will have your receipt immediately as proof of being a member. Your $15 VCTM membership could save you over $300 in registration fees if you are a lucky winner!  For more membeship information, contact Harvie Porter.

To enter, simply complete this brief online form this special NCTM registration giveaway. All entries must be received by 5:00pm EST on Monday 2/2/15. Winners will be notified by Friday 2/6/15.

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Math Morsels are making us SBAC our lips! 

Informal after school meetings around the state to help us understand and clarify the SBAC

This conversation will begin by looking at the SBAC summative assessment and what teachers and students should know about the new testing format.  We will also explore other resources offered by SBAC, such as the Digital Library of formative assessment practices and professional learning resources for educators. This conversation will emphasize SBAC as one part of a balanced assessment system that provides data for teachers to assess proficiency in mathematics.  Based on feedback from our first meetings, a portion of each Math Morsel event will be reserved for strategy and resource sharing.

Find the place and date that work best for you.

January 28, Rutland High School, 4-6 p.m.
February 3, Montpelier High School, 4-6 p.m.
February 4, North Country Career Center (Newport), 4:30-6:30 p.m.
February 5, Northwest Technical Center (St. Albans), 4-6 p.m.
February 10, Brattleboro Area Middle School, 4-6 p.m.
February 11, Burlington High School, 4-6 p.m.

Please RSVP here.

Refreshments provided by Vermont Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Please bring a friend.
Questions? Contact Lara White at lara.white@state.vt.us or (802)479-1364

Lara White, M.Ed.
Secondary Mathematics Program and School Effectiveness Coordinator
Vermont Agency of Education, 219 North Main Street, Barre, VT 05641

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Presidential Award Finalists 

Incredible as it might seem, the 2013 Presidential Award in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST) awards for 2013 have not yet been named (yes, this IS 2015), but the organization has named its K-8 finalists for 2014.  So while 2013 finalists Susan Abrams (Montpelier HS), Erin Danner (Woodstock HS), David Rome (Burlington HS), and Julie Martin (Mt. Abraham/CVU) eagerly await word from Washington, 2014 finalists have begun their wait as well.  Congratulations to Laura Botte Fretz (Edmunds Middle School, Burlington), Linda Gilbert (Dothan Brook School,White River Junction), and Thomas Young (Waitsfield Elementary School, Waitsfield). You can read more about the PAEMST luncheon that took place this fall in Montpelier, and find out more about PAEMST as they are now taking 2015 nominations.  The winners (one from math, one from science) each get a trip to DC for Recognition Week, a trip to the White House, and a $10,000 award.
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Graduate Study on Effective Programs for Mathematically Talented Youth

The following letter came to us recently:  
Hello- My name is Michael Poli. I am a doctoral student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and am currently conducting my dissertation's study on effective programs for mathematically talented youth. I am in need of mathematics instructors to participate in the study and would greatly appreciate the Detroit Area Council of Teachers of Mathematics being a valued contributor. Completion of a brief ten-minute survey is all that is asked of a participating teacher. I truly believe that through collaboration such as yours this study has the potential to greatly benefit our Nation's mathematics students, and optimistically anticipate your participation. At your request, I will be happy to provide my IRB and any additional information you may require. You can also contact me at my IUP email address: zbzq@iup.edu or find more information about me in my electronic portfolio (created as a graduation requirement) at www.drmichaelpoli.com.


Sincerest Thanks,
Mike Poli
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CCSS Training on the TI-84C Dates in June---and get a free calculator by attending

Implementing Common Core State Standards for Mathematics with the TI-84 Plus Family
Designed to give middle grades and high school educators strategies to excite and engage students using the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Mathematics, this workshop models rich tasks using in-depth discussions about task analysis, questioning strategies and essential TI-84 Plus technology skills to enhance student learning.


The dates to save are June 18 and 19, 2015 at North Country Union High School in Newport, VT. Each participating teacher will get the TI-84 plus C (C is for color) and the emulator software for this handheld.  Contact info is jmckenny@together.net for interested teachers.  


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The Talent Search of the Vermont State Mathematics Coalition continues

The third test is now posted on the web site www.vtmathcoalition.org and all talented math students are invited to participate.  

The Vermont State Mathematics Coalition has sponsored a statewide "Mathematics Talent Search Program" every year since 1993. The Talent Search is conducted in the following manner. Four times during the school year early October, mid November, early January, mid February) eight challenging math problems are posted on this website. Topics covered on the tests are from arithmetic, Geometry, algebra, and pre-calculus. Copies of the test are given to interested students at each of the schools. The students have four weeks to solve the eight problems and then each student submits his/her solutions to the director of the program for grading. If students are only able to solve one or two problems, they are still encouraged to submit their solutions. During the following two week period the tests are scored, statistics are gathered, results are returned to the students, and solutions and top scorers are posted on this website. At the end of the year the top students in the state are given prizes and are honored at a Coalition dinner along with their parents. High school students are also invited to attend a week-long Governor's Institute in Mathematical Sciences at the University of Vermont.