Transition Mathematics Project

Catchment Area, Region or District

Mathematics Across the Curriculum Project (MAC)

Lead Staff or Contact

Deann Leoni

Staff / Contact Title

Department of Mathematics,
Edmonds Community College

Address

n/a

Phone

425-640-1184

E-mail

dleoni@edcc.edu

Web Address

http://mac.edcc.edu/

Initiative /
Project Description

The overall goal of the Mathematics Across the Curriculum Project (MAC) is to assist students to become more quantitatively literate and see when and how mathematics can be used in their lives. The project provides support and training for faculty from various disciplines, especially faculty from disciplines not traditionally associated with mathematics, to incorporate mathematics or quantitative reasoning into their courses. We believe that faculty and students will become more interested in and more confident about using mathematics as they see its utility and benefits.

Catchment Area, Region or District

Washington State Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER)

Lead Staff or Contact

Maleah McPherson

Staff / Contact Title

Event and Contract Specialist
Pacific Science Center

Address

n/a

Phone

206-443-2886

E-mail

maleah_mcpherson@pacsci.org

Web Address

http://www.wastatelaser.org/

Initiative /
Project Description

Washington State Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) is a partnership program that started in 1999 with the National Science Resources Center, the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Battelle, Pacific Science Center and Educational Service Districts and lead school districts from across Washington State.
Washington State LASER is part of the National Science Resource Center's (NSRC) LASER Center funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Our program is centered on the use of NSRC's Strategic Planning Institute that has been offered to school districts across the country since 1989. The Strategic Planning Institutes lead school districts to implement an inquiry-based science curriculum. Many of these school districts have become models of successful implementation for the rest of the country. The curriculum implemented and the professional development used is based on the best research available regarding the qualities of a successful science education program.

Initiative, Project or Organization Name

Discovery-based Calculus 1 using Maple

Catchment Area, Region or District

Cascadia Community College

Lead Staff or Contact

David Whittaker

Staff / Contact Title

Founding Faculty

Address

18345 Campus Way NE
Bothell, WA 98011

Phone

(425) 352-8381

E-mail

dwhittaker@cascadia.ctc.edu

Web Address

www.cascadia.ctc.edu/Faculty/dwhittaker/

Initiative /
Project Description

This new calculus course asks students to explore the concepts of calculus numerically, graphically, and analytically using Maple software within a computer lab. It engages the students in thinking critically and learning actively, and supports a variety of learning styles. Students (both individually and collaboratively) are directed through carefully designed guided lessons in order to see for themselves how these concepts developed.

Initiative, Project or Organization Name

Green River Community College

Catchment Area, Region or District

Puget Sound

Lead Staff or Contact

Frank C. Wilson

Staff / Contact Title

Assistant to the Executive Vice President

Address

12401 SE 320th St
Auburn WA 98092-3699

Phone

(253) 833-9111 x4634

E-mail

fwilson@greenriver.edu

Web Address

http://www.greenriver.edu/

Initiative /
Project Description

Rochelle Mitchell from the GRCC Math Division rewrote the Entrance Exams for the college's developmental and college-level math courses. The rewritten exams closely align with the college's campus-wide learning outcomes and the Math Division's course-content learning outcomes. The Entrance Exams are used as a second assessment for students who feel misplaced by the COMPASS test. Sample Entrance Exams are published on the division's website.

Catchment Area, Region or District

The North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership (NCOSP)

Lead Staff or Contact

26 school districts, two education service districts, four community colleges, Washington State LASER, the Naval Undersea Museum, Washington State MESA, and Western Washington University

Staff / Contact Title

Carolyn Landel

Address

516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9155

Phone

(360) 650-6480

E-mail

Carolyn.Landel@wwu.edu

Web Address

http://www.ncosp.smate.wwu.edu/

Initiative /
Project Description

The North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership is a National Science Foundation funded project involving 26 school districts, two education service districts, four community colleges, Washington State LASER, the Naval Undersea Museum, Washington State MESA, and Western Washington University. The project involves close interaction of the partners to reform science education in grades 3-10 through teacher professional development, implementation of new curriculum materials, and development and support of learning communities in the schools. The partnership focuses on increasing the diversity of new teachers and improving the science teacher preparation program in the higher education institutions. This is done through innovative recruitment programs, the development and refinement of courses, and carefully planned interactions between the colleges and school districts.

Initiative, Project or Organization Name

Seattle Public Schools Core Team Initiative

Catchment Area, Region or District

Seattle Public Schools

Lead Staff or Contact

Rosalind R. Wise

Staff / Contact Title

K-12 Math Program Manager
Seattle Public Schools

Address

Seattle Public Schools
John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence
2445 3rd Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98134

Phone

(206) 252-0062

E-mail

rwise@seattleschools.org

Web Address

n/a

Initiative /
Project Description

The Seattle District Core Team is creating an assessment tool that will be administered as a pre and post for Fall and Spring Assessment('05 - '06) to students in Pre-Integrated, Integrated 1, Integrated 2 and perhaps Integrated 3 (at the discretion of the teacher). The goal of the assessment is not to assess mastery of all skills and concepts that are covered in these programs. Rather, the goals are (1) to assess retention of essential prerequisite skills necessary to be successful in these courses and consequently for post high school work and (2) to assess thinking skills using problem solving/WASL-like tasks that have high levels of cognitive demand so as to determine college readiness as define by the new College Readiness Standards.
The assessments will be aligned to TMP's College Readiness and Transition Standards. They will then be used to identify learning gaps that need to be addressed. Work is slated for completion in early Fall ('05) followed by work with the Digital Learning Commons to become trained in the use of their tools as a means of addressing the learning needs identified. This phase of the project promises to offer well aligned resources to meet students' needs.
Timeline: draft tools by August 15; finalize and administer in early September ('05).