Math and STEM

G

Learning Services Coordinator

Amanda Jones

#1 Go-Devil Road; Gurdon, AR 71743

870-353-4454 x 136

jonesa@go-devils.net

STEM

Welcome

Welcome to the STEM section of the website. Here you will find information about our math curriculum, initiatives, and related professional development. You will also find information about our STEM opportunities across the district.

Math Overview

Collaborating with Solution Tree personnel and specialists from the Dawson Educational Cooperative, teachers and Interventionists unpack the essential standards and link those to instructional activities. These teams of teachers use data (e.g., Common Formative Assessments; NWEA MAP Assessment; ACT Aspire) to gauge student understanding and improvement. Personnel use targeted interventions in order to address the gaps based on the assessment data.

Math Curriculum

The district uses Great Minds' Eureka Math curriculum in Grades K - 8 and in Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Precalculus.

Collaborating with Solution Tree personnel and specialists from the Dawson Educational Cooperative, local teachers identify the essential standards based on the Arkansas Math Standards. These are addressed through instructional activities and measured using Common Formative Assessments (CFAs).

Additional supplementary supports (e.g., remediation, Math Club) take place at each campus per the needs assessment, data review, and decisions of the campus' guiding coalition.

ADE:DESE STEM Mathematics

As part of the STEM Unit’s vision to transform Arkansas to lead the nation in student-focused and career-minded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, the state mathematics team supports the development of numerate students who reason and problem solve with mathematics.

Quantitative literacy, or numeracy, is the ability to use numbers and solve problems in real life and is a critical skill to function in the 21st century society.

A strong foundation in mathematics is the center of STEM education and provides a way to describe and reason about models of real-world phenomena.

Arkansas Mathematics Standards, Courses, and Resources

The Arkansas Mathematics Standards and Courses, adopted by the State Board of Education, represent the work of educators from across the state. These standards include student performance expectations, which are what all students should know and be able to do. Review these guidelines here.

More math resources for educators are available here.

What is the AR Math QuEST?

QuEST- Quantitative Essentials for Students & Teachers

This is a two-year, state-initiated professional development opportunity for exemplary teaching and learning based on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Teaching Practices and the Standards for Mathematical Practice.

This QuEST seeks to:

  • Facilitate a journey for ambitious teaching that promotes equity and engagement of all students in meaningful mathematics learning experiences of reasoning and problem solving for the 21st century.

  • Empower educators to help students develop positive identities as doers of mathematics to increase student achievement.

  • Foster research and evidence-based pedagogical content knowledge.

Arkansas Science Standards, Courses, and Resources

The Arkansas K-12 Science Standards, adopted by the State Board of Education, represent the work of educators from across the state. These standards include student performance expectations which are what all students should know and be able to do. Review these guidelines here.

More science resources for educators are available here.

Education Accelerated by Service and Technology (EAST) Initiative

The EAST (Education Accelerated by Service and TechnologyInitiative is an educational non-profit that oversees and trains for a school program, EAST, that operates primarily in the United States. It is unique for offering students and teachers unprofessional technology and software for use in a loosely structured, self-driven environment.

EAST is education accelerated by service and technology. We inspire change. We transform schools and communities by empowering people with technology, by encouraging critical thinking and creative problem-solving, and by engaging them in positive, real-world experiences. We advocate lifelong learning and community service. Through EAST, participants become positive agents of change to improve the world around them.

In addition to establishing unique environments in schools and offering technical support, EAST also provides powerful technology training both to students and educators, including professional development focusing on integrating technology into any classroom, regardless of subject.

The EAST philosophy, taken from the EAST project website, is as follows: "To further this, EAST program instructors (known idiomatically as facilitators) maintain a curriculum designed to allow students to familiarize themselves with technology (granted through partnerships with leading technology firms, such as ESRIIntergraphMicrosoftDellSoftImageAdobe SystemsMacromedia and Avid among many others) while at the same time helping their community and/or school. Major technology groups used in EAST programs include software for Geographic Information Systemscomputer animationcomputer modeling, and video editing, as well as GPS utilities and CAD."

Reproduced from the EAST website: "As a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the EAST Initiative is supported by a dynamic collaboration of government, education, and business partnerships that share a common goal of striving to make a difference in the lives of children and their communities."

Learn more about EAST Initiative on their website.