NCTM’s Viewpoint on the Common Standards Initiative
NCTM continues to receive questions about the college- and career-readiness standards developed through the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA). NCTM supports the overall goals of this initiative. The most recent version of the college and career readiness standards is compatible with the Standards that NCTM has been developing and disseminating since 1989.  Learn more…

 

2009 NCTM Board of Directors Election Results
The following individuals have been elected to serve three-year terms on the NCTM Board of Directors:

• Anne M. Collins, Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Debbie Duvall, Elk Island Public Schools, Edmonton, Alberta
• Matthew R. Larson, Lincoln Public Schools, Lincoln, Nebraska
• Kimberly Mueller, Florence L. Walther School, Lumberton, New Jersey

The new members’ terms of service (2010–2013) will begin at the conclusion of the NCTM Annual Meeting in San Diego in April 2010. The Board of Directors makes decisions about Council actions, policies, and programs.

Student Explorations in Mathematics Adds Teacher Notes 
In the current issue, Student Explorations in Mathematics (SEM) introduces supplemental notes for teachers. From now on, each SEM activity will be posted with a companion teacher’s version that includes a Teacher Notes section intended to supply teachers with tips, instructional strategies, and a solution key that facilitate the use of each activity in the classroom.

Try Product-Ku!
November’s Solve It! in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School (MTMS) presents a problem that provides a twist on the popular Sudoku puzzles. Challenge your students with the problem, which appears on page 195 in the issue, and submit their most interesting work for publication in the journal. Try It…

Navigations Series Now Bundled as a Set 
The Navigations books, composing NCTM’s most popular and best-selling series, are now available as a full set. This bundle includes all 35 books for prekindergarten through grade 12 in the Navigations Series. Purchase the entire series or select from four grade-band sets (Prekindergarten-Grade 2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12) and get the books geared for your selected grade level.

The books in the Navigations Series translate the five strands of the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics into action and illustrate the growth and connectedness of content areas across grade levels. Each book comes with a CD-ROM that includes printable activity pages, student activities, articles, and interactive applets.

 

 Make Homework Work for Your Students
Consider the needs of your students before assigning homework. A few tips may help:

• Assign only what’s necessary.
• Focus on both practice and review.
• Give constructive feedback.

      Learn more…

San Diego—2010 Annual Meeting Site
Registration is now open for the 2010 Annual Meeting in San Diego, April 21–24. Whether you’re a first-year teacher, a teacher of teachers, or have been teaching for decades, there will be something in San Diego for you! At the annual meeting, you’ll have many opportunities to expand or refresh your teaching strategies and collaborate with some of the best minds in the mathematics education field. Register by March 12 and save up to 25%.

Professional Development E-Workshops
Join mathematics educators around the globe for interactive E-Workshops. The winter 2010 schedule is now posted and includes new offerings and a variety of options for all grade-bands. 

Apply Now: 2010 Toyota International Teacher Program in Costa Rica
This fully funded professional development program for U.S. educators will take place June 18–July 3, 2010. Deadline to apply is January 6, 2010. Full-time classroom teachers and librarians of all subjects for grades 6–12 are eligible to apply. Learn more…

NCATE Redesigned for Excellence
NCATE's recent redesign of accreditation is geared to move schools of education beyond adequacy to excellence. In the latest issue of Quality Teaching NCATE's president, James Cibulka, writes in the cover article that teacher education institutions can leverage change as an opportunity for educator preparation. He challenges the schools to build new models of preparation to meet the needs of 21st-century learners, and his article also includes a summary of changes in the major components of the accreditation process under the NCATE redesign.

WWC Webinar: Using Data to Improve Student Achievement
The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) will host a webinar to discuss the recommendations from its latest practice guide, Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making. The webinar will be held on Thursday, December 17, from 3–4 p.m. EST. Register before December 11.  Learn more...

 

 The Legislative Update is a twice-monthly summary to keep you abreast of major education policy developments affecting math education. 

The Capitol Report is a digest of what’s happening on Capitol Hill, at the Department of Education, and the work of education organizations that affects teachers, administrators, and school districts.

                                                    View archived issues of Summing Up.