Michigan Focal Points

1. Michigan Focal Points Detroit Area Council of Teachers of Mathematics 2008 Annual Conference

2. What does a good mathematics curriculum look like? • According to NCTM, a curriculum is more than collections of activities or a checklist of expectations. A curriculum must be: • Coherent • Well articulated across the grades • Focused on important mathematics

3. What does a good mathematics curriculum look like? • “A coherent curriculum effectively organizes and integrates important mathematical ideas”. • “…mathematical ideas are linked to and build on one another so that students’ understanding and knowledge deepens and their ability to apply mathematics expands”. NCTM

4. What does a good mathematics curriculum look like? • A curriculum well articulated across the grades “gives teachers guidance regarding important ideas or major themes, which receive special attention at different points in time.”

5. What does a good mathematics curriculum look like? • A curriculum must be focused on important mathematics. • “When instruction focuses on a small number of key areas of emphasis, students gain extended experience with core concepts and skills. Such experience can facilitate deep understanding, mathematical fluency, and an ability to generalize”.

6. What is a Focal Point? • NCTM developed Curriculum Focal Points which are recommended content emphases for each grade level.

7. What is a Focal Point? • A focal point had to pass three rigorous tests: • Is it mathematically important, both for further study in mathematics and for use in applications in and outside of school? (Focused on important mathematics) • Does it “fit” with what is known about learning mathematics? (Coherent) • Does it connect logically with the mathematics in earlier and later grade levels? (Well articulated across the grades)

8. Focal Points vs. GLCE • Our GLCEs are the endpoints for learning whereas curriculum focal points are areas of instructional focus that “help students learn content that gives them a foundation for increasing their understanding as they encounter richer and more challenging mathematics”.

9. Focal Points vs. GLCE Focal Points Curriculum Expectations

10. Focal Points vs. GLCE • In Michigan we aligned our GLCEs under the NCTM Focal Points to come up with Michigan Focal Points

11. The Michigan Focal Points and the MEAP • The MEAP needs to reflect the curricular emphasis implied by the GLCE. • Current factors necessitating changes in MEAP design: • Subject tests given on the same day instead of over a 2-week window for test security reasons means a shortened test • Future core scheduled to be incorporated

12. The Michigan Focal Points and the MEAP • The solution is to change core and extended designations • Each test needs to have no more than 20 core expectations which are tested with 2 items each • NASL stay NASL • All others are considered extended which will be tested with one item and sampled

13. The Michigan Focal Points and the MEAP • To be considered core an expectation must be linked to a focal point so both the assessment and the curriculum will emphasize the same mathematical concepts.

14. Instructional Implications • Help to design instruction around the question, “What are the most important ideas at my grade level?” • Prioritize uses of activities, assessments and other published materials • Support rich, deep appropriate mathematics for every student

15. Instructional Implications • “It is essential that these focal points be addressed in contexts that promote problem solving, reasoning, communication, making connections, and designing and analyzing representations.”

16. For more information on Michigan Focal points: Ruth Anne Hodges hodgesr3@michigan.gov For more information on MEAP: Kyle Ward wardk2@michigan.gov