Program
Math (MATH)
The Math SCASS works on mathematics standards, curricula, instruction, assessment, and the common core.
The Math SCASS focuses on the following areas:
- Resources for high quality content-based professional development, including ways of using Illustrative Mathematics, the Progressions, and videos.
- Identifying needed resources for high quality, content-based professional development that are not currently available, and work on securing or producing these resources.
- Two Workshops for state Math and/or professional development leaders to identify what professional development for the Common Core should look like, with a special one-day add-on for SCASS members.
- Serve state mathematical needs, especially in connection to the Common Core; identify other areas of need as states work on implementing the Common Core.
Math Collaborative Advisors: Bill McCallum, Linda Plattner and Ellen Whitesides
In addition to founding the Institute for Mathematics and Education at the University of Arizona, Bill McCallum was one of the lead writers for the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics. Bill is a University Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and the head of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Arizona. Ellen is currently working on projects that are related to the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics at the Institute for Mathematics & Education at the University of Arizona. In this position, she spearheads professional development efforts related to the Common Core in Mathematics as well as projects related to the PARCC assessment consortium and the Illustrative Mathematics Project.
After twelve years as a middle school mathematics teacher, Linda focused her energy on writing, facilitating, and implementing mathematics standards. She spent six years at the Council for Basic Education, first as a team member and then as the lead for its Standards and Curriculum team. Ten years ago she created Strategic Teaching to continue the same kind of work. Since founding Strategic Teaching she facilitated new mathematics standards for Washington State, facilitated standards implementation in Cleveland Unified School District, and provided support to several of the Council of Chief State School Officers and Achieve's standards-related projects. She currently serves as Executive Director for Illustrative Mathematics, which is housed at the University of Arizona and chaired by Dr. William McCallum, a lead writer for the Common Core Standards for Mathematics. This project seeks to clarify the meaning of the standards and to help teach to those standards by creating "illustrations" composed of tasks, student work, commentary, and links to teaching examples.
2013-14 State Members:
Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming
2013-14 Associate Members:
NEA, Pearson, and Scholastic