By all accounts, this year's Transition Math Project (TMP) Summer Math Institute was a success. Seeing local teams work long days to collaboratively refine their project plans was a reminder of just how important this work is to Washington educators. The institute's approach was pretty simple: Invite cross-sector teams representing all regions of Washington to spend four intense days with a mix of experts in the beautiful Eastern foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains. However, the results were rich: Over 20 concurrent and plenary sessions led by national, regional and local experts and a raft of new connections and ideas! It was TMP's intention to create an event that allowed for idea sharing, partnership development and project planning.

As the TMP-II logo and caption (Building math capacity by supporting teachers and developing partnerships) convey, this second phase effort is fundamentally about supporting the development and ensuring the dissemination of innovative, standards-based model materials across the state, and across all sectors. Further, the logo and caption represent TMP's commitment to ensuring that local projects have the resources to create lasting partnerships and products to implement the College Readiness Standards in effective, useful ways.

Institute participants were able to connect to the work of the UT-Austin's Charles A. Dana Center with sessions on assessment and instruction led by Susan Hudson Hull and Uri Treisman. Marshall Cates, of the Early Assessment Program, brought valuable examples of the work underway in California, and Mary Kennedy, of Michigan State University, shared her latest research on professional development.

Notwithstanding the natural setting, technology was an intentional part of the Institute. Participants toured Agile Mind's dynamic, web-based suite of comprehensive instruction, assessment, and reporting tools with the help of Mark Stephenson. In addition, two featured plenary presenters -- Lucy Michal of the El Paso Collaborative and David Foster of the Silicon Valley Initiative -- presented via Elluminate Live!, a web-based distance learning tool. The session on building and sustaining partnerships went smoothly and connected to the central theme of the Institute.

Special thanks goes to the Institute's concurrent session presenters who either shared key aspects of their local efforts or presented on promising work related to the Institute’s themes. TMP thanks Janet Ray,
Ron Donovan, Katy Absten, Cathy Gangnes, David Lippman, Steve Quinn, Joanne Munroe, Sandy Christie, Glenda Blankenship, Ken Limon, Terrie Geaudreau, Laura Moore-Mueller, Brian Bansenauer, David Whittaker and Jim Brady.

A closing session on outreach and communication, led by the Partnership for Learning's Melissa Heaton, seemed well placed as teams prepared to head back to their local areas to communicate their plans and progress with partners and constituents.

To view the raft of resources presented on and shared at the Institute, click the resources page.