Defined Professional Learning Opportunities

The CSDE, in partnership with Defined, will offer two introductory professional learning opportunities in February. Defined Learning and Defined Careers are two of the three components of the Defined ecosystem available to all CT districts at no cost.

Defined Learning

This immersive and collaborative professional learning session is designed to introduce teachers and curriculum leads to Defined Learning’sstandards-based resources and best practices for implementation. The session will be held February 27th from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM EST at 165 Capital Avenue, Hartford. This session is designed for educators who are new to Defined Learning.

To learn more about the Defined Learning, watch this short video.

Click here for more information and to register.

Defined Careers

This immersive and collaborative professional learning experience brings together school counselors and educators to deepen their understanding of how to utilize Defined Careers in the classroom, in advisory, and for career guidance. The Defined Careers resources are aligned to 16 Career Clusters and 79 Career Pathways to provide broad exposure for students.  The session will be held February 28th from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM EST at 165 Capital Avenue, Hartford.

To learn more about the Defined Careers, watch this short video.

Click here for more information and to register.

All inquiries can be sent to Cheryl Tokarski at Cheryl.Tokarski@ct.gov

Superintendents of Connecticut Schools received the following communication from the Commissioner of Education on Thursday, January 11, 2024:

Financial Literacy 

In response to Public Act 23-21 (An Act Concerning Financial Literacy Instruction), the CSDE has reviewed endorsements appropriate for teaching financial literacy courses. In an effort to provide flexibility to districts, it has been determined that these courses may be taught under any of the following endorsements: 

• 010 Business Education 
• 026 Social Studies/Economics  
• 029 Mathematics  
• 045 Family Consumer Science 
• 089 Marketing Education 
• 104 Cooperative Work Education  

Also, a new EDS assignment code has been created for districts to properly identify educators teaching these classes: Financial Literacy/Personal Finance (90120). 

Additional Financial Literacy Course Guidance will be forthcoming from the CSDE Academic Office. 

The Financial Literacy Guidance is going to be in a format of a “Course Kit” which will guide the implementation of a FinLit Course or accumulation of the credit in flexible learning models. The CSDE hopes to release the artifact to the field at the end of January.

We thank you for your patience as we work to bring you tools to help successfully equip your students with the skills they need to be prepared for Learning, Life, and Work Beyond School.  Please feel free to contact Suzanne.loud@ct.gov with any questions.

We are pleased to announce that registration is OPEN for the 2024 ATOMIC Conference

Please join us on

March 25, 2024
7:00 am – 4:00 pm

Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

CLICK HERE FOR CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Non-Member or Member Renewal Price

$140 (includes 1-year ATOMIC membership)

Member Price

$115 

Pre-Service Educator Price

$40

Continental breakfast, coffee all day and buffet lunch are included with registration as well as parking! The parking has been updated from last year to include two garages and no need to visit a teller.

Legends of Learning is hosting a fluency contest for students in grades K-8. Please see the attached flyer for additional information and to get involved.

CT – Legends of Learning Math Fluency Proposal.pdf Updated

A two-day conference is planned in Chicago this March. See the attached flyer for additional details and registration information.

High School Math Reform Conference Flyer

Kenya Overton, as part of her doctoral journey, is working with a professor in the Neag School of Education at UConn who is conducting a study on STEM teacher turnover within Connecticut. They are seeking math or science teachers with at least 10 years of experience in the profession and self-identify as Black or African American.

With funding from the National Science Foundation,they are studying STEM teacher movement and attrition in Connecticut. From data gathered by the CT State Department of Education, they uncovered dramatic variation in science and math teacher movement based on individuals’ race and gender. However, that information is very limited and they can only speculate about the underlying stories that explain this phenomenon. Consequently, they wish to conduct interviews with science and math teachers who could share their perspectives with us.They are particularly interested to learn from Black teachers who have been in the profession for approximately ten years. The plan is as follows:

• For those who agree to participate in this study, they will arrange for three interviews for which each participant will receive an average of $200 per session. The first interview will be an individual interview scheduled at a time convenient to the participant in early 2024. This interview will be approximately 75 minutes in duration and could take place either in-person or virtually. The second interview would involve three to four STEM teachers in a focus group and will require about 90 minutes. Once again, depending on participant preferences, the focus group could be in-person or virtual. This would be scheduled in late spring. The third and final interview would take place during summer and would be individually scheduled. We anticipate this interview would require 75 minutes.
• The goal for this study is to identify factors supportive of math and science teachers remaining in the teaching profession. They anticipate uncovering a range of personal, workplace, and institutional variables that contradict the common sad stories of teachers leaving their schools or departing the career. Knowing what traits, characteristics, and systems that promote math and science teacher retention would inform discussions about diversifying the STEM teaching profession and also enlighten schools and universities about approaches that could remedy long-standing shortages of math and science teachers.

If you are or know of any Black math or science teachers who might be interested in participating, I encourage you to pass this message along to them. Interested persons can email Kenya Overton at kenya.overton@uconn.edu or Dr. John Settlage at john.settlage@uconn.edu to provide their contact information. They will then follow-up with additional information about the study so they can make an informed decision about participating. 

Your assistance with promoting this study to potential participants is greatly appreciated. The challenges of diversifying the teaching workforce must attend to retention as much as to enticing new entrants into the profession. Your support assist in capturing the realities of STEM teacher turnover which will in turn inform practice and policy.

CCLM would like to invite you to register for our Winter Roundtable Event. Please see details below:

EVENT:  CCLM Winter 2024 Panel & Roundtable Event

WHEN:  Friday February 2, 2024 9:00-2:30

WHERE: Albertus Magnus College

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER

Discussion Focus: The Essential Conditions identified in the Equity in Mathematics Education: A Joint Position Statement for Connecticut which was fully endorsed by the State Board of Education September 6, 2023.

In collaboration with Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Research and Reform in Education, The Math Learning Center (MLC) is seeking district partners for a research project involving our newest edition of Bridges in Mathematics Third Edition. As you may have heard,the latest edition of Bridges in Mathematics is designed to promote deep understanding of mathematical concepts, proficiency with key skills, and the ability to solve complex problems. During Bridges instruction, students are actively engaged as capable mathematical sensemakers, drawing upon their knowledge bases to support learning. Bridges also supports teachers in delivering engaging, rigorous, standards-based instruction while incorporating equitable and effective teaching practices.

The goals of the research project are to:

• Examine short-term and long-term program impacts of Bridges on student learning
• Understand educator implementation of Bridges
• Refine professional learning experiences for Bridges educators 

Benefits of the project include:

• Bridges curriculum kits for participating K-5 classrooms at no cost 
• Professional learning workshops at no cost
• Stipends for teacher participating in research activities
• Opportunities to give input on data collection instruments
• Sharing of findings through reports or presentations

To be eligible, districts must:

• Serve a diverse student population
• Have at least 13 elementary schools
• Are not currently using Bridges or Number Corner

Interested districts can learn more about the research project by completing the form at bit.ly/B3Research_Interest or by contacting MLC’s Director of Research, Emily Saxton, at emilys@mathlearningcenter.org.

Grades 6 & 7 mathematics teachers are invited to join a free online workshop about Visual Access to Mathematics, a professional learning course with a focus on English learners/multilingual learners (Els/MLs). This will take place on Monday, December 4, 2023 from 3:15 – 4:45 pm. This workshop will provide a sneak peak into the Visual Access to Mathematics professional learning course that will be offered starting in 2024. For more details and information on how to register, see the attached flyer.

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Defined Learning

The CSDE, in partnership with Defined, is providing an immersive and collaborative professional learning opportunity to engage educators in Defined Learning on December 6th from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM EST at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy. Click here for more information and to register.

Defined Learning is one of three components of the Defined ecosystem available to all CT districts at no cost. This immersive and collaborative experience brings together educators to introduce the Defined Learning resources and discuss best practices to utilize them in the classroom. Please bring a personal electronic device such as a laptop. All inquiries can be sent to Cheryl Tokarski at Cheryl.Tokarski@ct.gov.

Defined Careers

The CSDE, in partnership with Defined, is providing an immersive and collaborative professional learning opportunity to engage educators in Defined Careers on December 7th from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM EST at Stamford Public Schools. Click here for more information and to register.

Defined Careers is one of three components of the Defined ecosystem available to all CT districts at no cost. This immersive and collaborative professional learning experience brings together school counselors and educators to deepen their understanding of how to utilize Defined Careers in the classroom, in advisory, and for career guidance. Please bring a personal electronic device such as a laptop. All inquiries can be sent to Cheryl Tokarski at Cheryl.Tokarski@ct.gov.