CAHSEE Lessons for Success CMC Conference Palm Springs 11708

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CAHSEE Lessons for Success CMC ConferencePalm
Springs ??11/7/08

• Ivan Cheng
  CSU Northridge
• Wendy Schroeder Nobel
  Middle School, LAUSD

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CAHSEE Lessons for SuccessWelcome
Introductions

• Please share your name and
  subjects that you teach

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The Background

• CAHSEE failure rate is high for some
• In March, 2007 19,158 12th graders took the
  CAHSEE after failing in 10th 11th
• They were also among the 14,104 who did not
  pass... and missed their graduation
• Grant funded project to address problem
• Los Angeles Valley College
• Los Angeles Unified School District
• California State University Northridge

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The Current Situation

• Students are unsuccessful in CAHSEE
• Despite taking up to 4 years of high school math
  classes
• Despite taking district review courses on
  Saturdays
• Despite completing HS graduation
  requirements
• Students lack confidence
• Students are mystified

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The Current Situation

• At your groups, identify some roadblocks that
  prevent your students from succeeding in math
• With the whole group, identify the top
  3 or 4 roadblocks that are
  barriers to success

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Barriers to Success

• Lack of number sense
• Poor attendance
• Intimidation factor low confidence level second
  guessing
• Based on 7th/8th standards while teaching algebra
• Large number of standards to cover
• Tests concrete concepts while teaching abstract
  ideas
• Low reading levels of students
• Vocabulary and language of tests
• Length of test
• Lack of test taking skills
• Multiple steps students dont know where to
  start
• Low motivation of students

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The Traditional Approach

• More review of basic skills
• More practice with CAHSEE prep books
• More materials, more Saturdays, more formulas to
  memorize, more, more, more

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The Traditional Approach

• Students who do not have a deep understanding of
  mathematics suspect that it is just a jumble of
  unrelated procedures and incomprehensible
  formulas.
• Mathematics Framework
• for California Public Schools (2005), p. 5

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Scrambled Numbers

• Locate numbers consecutively and circle them
• Lets try that again
• Whats different this time?
• How did it feel this time?

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A New Approach

• Focus on thinking instead of topics
• Lessons organized by themes
• You Can Do It (confidence building,
  demystifying CAHSEE)
• Language of Math (representing data)
• What Does It Mean? (interpreting data)
• Meaningful Relationships (patterns, rates,
  ratios)
• Things are Shaping Up (geometric relationships,
  ratios)
• Playing by the Rules (operations, rules,
  polynomials)
• Say It Again (multiple representations)
• Take a Chance (working with probability)
• Whats the Problem? (reasoning, problem
  solving)
• Practice Makes Perfect (error analysis,
  demystifying CAHSEE)
• Skills developed in context, not in isolation

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A New Approach

• Organization of lessons
• Two or three focus lessons using a variety of
  activities
• Conceptual understanding and computational
  fluency
• Key thinking processes linked across topics
• Skills threaded rather than isolated
• Frequent successful experiences to build
  confidence
• Multiple representations to show meaningful
  connections
• Using patterns and explorations to promote
  critical thinking
• Repackaging concepts creatively to build
  retention

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A New Approach

• Successful experiences to build confidence
• Multiple representations to show meaningful
  connections
• Patterns explorations to develop critical
  thinking
• Repackaged concepts to promote retention

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Building Confidence

• Example Lattice Fractions
• (from Brad Fulton, 2006)

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Multiple Representations

• Example Equivalent Fractions

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Multiple Representations

• Example Equivalent Fractions

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Multiple Representations

• Example My Favorite Flavor

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Patterns Explorations

• Example Using proportional reasoning
• Growing Pains

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Patterns Explorations

• Example Using proportional reasoning
• Growing Pains

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Patterns Explorations

• Example Using proportional reasoning
• Growing Pains
• On the Road

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Patterns Explorations

• Example Using proportional reasoning
• Growing Pains
• On the Road
• On the Job

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Patterns Explorations

• Example Using proportional reasoning
• Growing Pains
• On the Road
• On the Job
• Multiplication Magic

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Patterns Explorations

• Example Using proportional reasoning
• Growing Pains
• On the Road
• On the Job
• Multiplication Magic
• Four Squares

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Patterns Explorations

• Example Using proportional reasoning
• Growing Pains
• On the Road
• On the Job
• Multiplication Magic
• Four Squares
• Boxed Numbers

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Patterns Explorations

• Example Using proportional reasoning
• Growing Pains
• On the Road
• On the Job
• Multiplication Magic
• Four Squares
• Boxed Numbers
• Percents Practice

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Patterns Explorations

• Example Using proportional reasoning
• Growing Pains
• On the Road
• On the Job
• Multiplication Magic
• Four Squares
• Boxed Numbers
• Percents Practice
• Percent of a Day

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Patterns Explorations

• Example Using proportional reasoning
• Growing Pains
• On the Road
• On the Job
• Multiplication Magic
• Four Squares
• Boxed Numbers
• Percents Practice
• Percent of a Day
• Percents in Life

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Repackaging Concepts

• Example Convertibles

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Repackaging Concepts

• Example Boxed Binomial

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Repackaging Concepts

• Example Skateboard Problem

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Repackaging Concepts

• Example Skateboard Problem

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Thank You for AttendingCMC ConferencePalm
Springs ??11/7/08

• Ivan Cheng icheng_at_csun.edu
• Wendy Schroeder wks5126_at_lausd.net

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Materials PostedAlgebra Learning
Networkhttp//edutech.csun.edu/aln/

• Ivan Cheng icheng_at_csun.edu
• Wendy Schroeder wls5126_at_lausd.net