“Serving Our Strongest Students”

CAIS Math Day 2008

Please type your answers below and e-mail your completed form as an attachment to CAIS organizer Chris Davies at by TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2008.

Please try to be as expansive as possible. The more we share, the more we will take from this day!

(Teachers from the same school should feel free to collaborate on a single questionnaire.)

We hope to share all the completed questionnaires as soon as possible. Depending on how much data we receive, we might post answers online, burn answers to a CD, and/or transfer via flashdrive. Please bring a flashdrive (portable memory stick) to Math Day if possible.

1) Please tell the group about YOURSELF.
Name: Patricia Jacobsen
School: Sacramento Country Day School
Town: Sacramento
Enrollment: 140+
Grades you teach: 9, 10, some 8th & some 11
Courses you teach: Geometry, Algebra II, Japanese, (I sometimes teach Honors Geometry)
Name: Zach Matley
School: Sacramento Country Day School
Town: Sacramento
Enrollment: 140+
Grades you teach: 10 and 12, with a few 9th and 11th graders.
Courses you teach: Algebra II Honors, Calculus (non AP), Computer Science
2) Does your school have TRACKING? (or courses offered at “honors” level, or some sort of structured differentiation in the courses?) Explain: We have honors Geometry, honors Algebra II, and Honors Pre-cal
If you offer advanced classes, briefly describe how they differ from the regular classes? Use different book, move much faster, harder work, smaller classes, higher expectations
If you offer advanced classes, do you think they benefit the strongest students? What about the rest of the students? We think they benefit the strongest students. Having the other students in “normal” classes is also somewhat beneficial.
3) What types of CONTENT ENRICHMENT do you provide for the strongest students? Mention additional problems, projects, extra credit assignments, websites, software, etc. by course (please include as many specifics as you can):
Geometry: Several hands-on projects/labs & use of Geometers’ Sketchpad
Algebra 2: Lectures on topics beyond the textbook and curriculum, for instance fractals, basic topology, proof that sqrt(2) is irrational, etc.
Pre-calculus: Several application labs & problem sets which require integration of several skills
4) To what extent are CHALLENGE PROBLEMS (non-routine, math-contest, synthesis type problems that students have not been shown explicitly how to solve) part of the standard curriculum (as opposed to extra credit)? Some teachers here give several “thinking” problems or problem sets that the students are required to solve or attempt on their own. The grade is counted as a “lab” grade—a substantial part of their over-all grade. The questions require the use skills from previous topics learned in addition to the mastery of the new material.
Are students graded on their ability to solve such problems, and if so, how is that done? Students at our school are usually graded on process not just correct answers. If a student has a logical thought process and is able to carry that through the problem, s/he will get most points awarded.
5) How do you modify your ASSESSMENT for strong students? Do you grade the strongest students differently or have different standards? Yes, I think we do.
Do you let strong students skip routine assignments in order to work on advanced assignments?
No. The stronger mathematicians are in their own sections, usually, so their course is designed without a lot of “routine” work. Most of their work is challenging rather than routine drills.
Do your strongest students have difficulty communicating their thinking in oral and/or written form (they can just DO the math in their head)? How do you help them to improve? No, most of them are able to talk about and write about math—that’s one of our goals at the school. They have to be able to use math language to discuss what’s going on in the problems. Our quizzes and tests require students to use the vocabulary as well as the math.
Do you deduct points if answers are correct but the reasoning is not sufficiently communicated?
Yes. We usually award full credit only for good process and correct answer. If one of those elements is missing, it’s partial credit.
6) What other types of PEDAGOGICAL ADJUSTMENTS do you make to serve strong students (Use of class time, differentiated learning, amount of collaborative learning, modified teaching styles, etc.)
7) Does your school allow 9th-12th graders to ACCELERATE in to math courses above their grade level? Yes.
Does your school schedule make this acceleration difficult? Yes, sometimes it’s difficult, but almost always possible.
Does your school allow 5th-8th graders to accelerate above age level? How do you weigh the maturity/social issues? Yes. I’m not sure because I’ve only had 8th graders in a 9th grade class and it wasn’t a problem.
How is this acceleration accomplished?
Do you receive much parental pressure to allow students to accelerate beyond their age cohort? No. If anything, it’s the students who want to move ahead. Several of them like to take pre-calc over the summer after sophomore year so they can take calc in their junior year and AP calc in their senior year.
8) Do you have any SUMMER math offerings on your campus that serve to enrich strong students?
We sometimes offer review classes, but it’s not
Do you give credit to students who take acceleration/enrichment courses from outside programs?
Only if it’s through a college or another accredited school and it was an entire course.
9) What math COURSES does your school offer for students who have completed Precalculus?
AP Calculus AB & BC
Are there students who run out of math courses to take? What do they do?
Not yet….
But there is one junior in AP Calculus BC who will run out next year.
10) Does your school have a MATH TEAM?
NO.
How much participation is there (in absolute and/or percentage terms)?
How often are math competitions held on campus?
How often does the team travel to compete?
Do you offer any incentives/extra credit for participating in math team events?
What other things do you do to get your strongest students to participate?
Are your present day mathletes as strong as they were in the past?
11) Do you have a PEER TUTORING program where your strong students can work as math tutors? Describe: Yes, we have a peer tutoring program, but it’s been difficult to keep it going because we have so few students. The tutoring always competes with other after-school activities (sports & band).
12) Do you track (or can you guess) what percent or numbers of your GRADUATES go on to major in mathematical fields? In science? No.
Do you know if any of your strongest math graduates went on to teach math? I don’t know.
13) What other SUGGESTIONS do you have for serving our strongest students?