CoMath Conversations

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There are many ways to get involved as a mathematics educator in Colorado, including a listserv, several organizations for teachers and supervisors of mathematics, and events you can attend.

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CoMath Conversations

CoMath Conversations bring together mathematics teachers, educators, and other stakeholders about once a month to tackle some of the most challenging questions we face in math education.

September 2023 Conversation: How are we making sense of CMAS data?

The 2023 CMAS results in mathematics were mixed with some bright signs of progress as districts recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join September's CoMath Conversation to share and listen to other Colorado math educators as they make sense of their results and discuss possible implications for the 2023-2024 school year. The conversation will be held via Zoom on Thursday, September 14 from 4:00-5:00 pm and Zoom registration is required.

October 2023 Conversation: TBD

November 2023 Conversation: TBD

December Conversation: Let's celebrate 30 years of the CoMath listserv!

Past Conversations

November 2022 Conversation: What is the Launch Years Initiative and how do I get involved? In September, Colorado joined the Launch Years Initiative, an effort by the Charles A. Dana Center to bring together states to work on high school and postsecondary mathematics pathways. What does that mean for me and for my school? How do I get involved?

October 2022 Conversation: What did we learn at the NCSM and NCTM conferences? Colorado educators from around the state were seen in the halls and rooms of the NCSM and NCTM conferences in September. While it was great to see some familiar faces, the critical question is: What did we all learn? What can we share with those who weren't able to attend?

May 2022 Conversation: What happens when our desired math teaching strategies aren't what's promoted in other content areas? This topic has been lingering in my brain for at least a year! At various times, math teachers and leaders have reached out to me to ask, "We've gotten training about teaching practices that might work in other content areas, but it's not the best fit for mathematics. What should we do?" Let's talk about it! Join the conversation on Thursday, May 19 from 3:30 to 4:45 as we discuss the (mis)application of various teaching strategies and how to help each other understand when some approaches work better in math than others.

April 2022 Conversation: CoMath Curriculum Cohorts - Learning Fast to Implement Well. Schools that receive the ESSER curricula grants will participate in "curriculum cohorts," modeled as networked improvement communities. Together, we'll learn how to use practical measures to help learn and adapt while gaining from the experience and expertise of others using the same materials in other places. Join us on Thursday, April 14 from 3:30 to 4:45 to talk about the potential of these kinds of cohorts.

March 2022 Conversation: Building Stakeholder Support. When it's time for your school to select and adopt new mathematics curriculum materials, how do you get your stakeholders on board? How important is teacher involvement and support? How can you open the process to students, parents, board members, and the community? Join us on Thursday, March 17 from 3:30-4:45 on Zoom to continue the conversation.

February 2022 Conversation: Acceleration, Pathways, and Tracking in High School Math. Last month, we focused on middle school, so now let's move this conversation to high school. What are the latest debates and best practices for acceleration in high school mathematics? Is it all a big race to calculus, or is statistics now an equally worthy goal? What pathways are proposed in other states? For our February CoMath Conversation, we'll talk about what we're doing in our schools and learn from each other some of the promises and pitfalls of our math pathway designs. Register today to join the conversation on Thursday, February 17 from 3:30 to 4:45 pm.

January 2022 Conversation: Acceleration, Pathways, and Tracking in Middle School Math. What are the latest debates and best practices for acceleration in middle school mathematics? Should students be skipping a grade? Who should take Algebra 1 as an 8th grader? Who is helped and who is harmed by some of these practices? For our January CoMath Conversation, let's gather to share what each other are doing in our schools, and to gain some other perspectives about this practice. Because this tends to be such a lively conversation, we'll save the discussion of high school for a future CoMath Conversation. Join us on Thursday, January 20 from 3:30-4:45 by reserving your spot in Zoom.

December 2021 Conversation: What state-level efforts would help raise achievement in mathematics? Mathematics achievement has been particularly affected by the pandemic and there is a statewide need to make improvements. But how? For December's CoMath Conversation, we'll gather to see what other states are doing and most importantly, to hear your ideas. You can help seed the conversation by completing a short survey and then join the conversation on December 16 from 3:30 to 4:45.

November 2021 Conversation: How is accelerating learning working for you? When the school year began, the message to educators was "accelerate learning" through careful planning, just-in-time support, and tighter alignment to standards. Now that the school year is well underway, how is that plan working out? In November's CoMath Conversation, we'll discuss what is and isn't working in our accelerating learning plans, and share ideas for how we can overcome obstacles that might get in our way. Join us on Zoom for the conversation on Thursday, November 11 from 3:30 to 4:45.

October 2021 Conversation: How do we provide quality math interventions for students? Schools and teachers are eager to provide high-quality interventions to students who may be struggling in mathematics, and districts have used COVID relief dollars to add staff to provide these interventions. But what makes a good intervention? What materials are needed? What specialized training do the interventionists need? On October 14 from 3:30-4:45, we'll discuss these issues and share ideas about math interventions so more students get the help they need, when they need it.

September 2021 Conversation: How do we retain our math teachers? There was a rush this summer to hire math teachers, and a lot of positions around the state were left unfilled. So why were so many math teachers leaving, and what would have made them stay? It's more complicated than salary and benefits, as teachers consider job satisfaction, administrative support, professional learning and advancement opportunities, and relationships with colleagues and parents in their decisions to stay in their school or leave. On September 16 from 3:30 to 4:45, I'll facilitate a CoMath Conversation where I'll talk about what the research says and people can share what is and isn't working for them in their schools.

August 2021 Conversation: How do we teach math without a math teacher? With more than 75 districts looking to fill math teacher openings, this is a question some districts will ask themselves when the school year begins. On Thursday, Aug. 12 from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m., CDE mathematics specialist Raymond Johnson will host an online forum to discuss and share ideas for making the most of this unfortunate situation.

March 2021 Conversation: On Friday, March 26, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, I'll be hosting a "CoMath Conversation" to address current issues with high school mathematics. Specifically, the conversation will focus on the high percentage (30-40%?) of students who are estimated to be failing their HS math courses and the implications that has for interventions and credit recovery. The goal of the conversation is to generate ideas we can share to not only avoid a near-term, COVID-triggered math credit crisis, but to improve assessment, grading, and teaching practices in the long term. High school mathematics teachers, math and other instructional leaders, principals, and counselors are encouraged to attend.