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CoMath Update for September 14, 2020

CCTM Webinar on Thursday with Vicki Hand and the Co-Attend Team

CCTM welcomes Vicki Hand of CU Boulder and the Co-Attend Team this Thursday, September 17 from 4:30 - 6:00 pm MT for a webinar titled Expanding What You Notice: Seeing Students, Mathematics, and Sociopolitical Histories in the Classroom. What you pay attention to in your classroom (or the way you “notice” moments of classroom life) guides your instructional practice. Expanding what you notice about students, their sociopolitical histories and mathematics can support you in knowing how to enact more equitable and just mathematics teaching. In this PD, Dr. Hand and the Co-Attend Team will build on Dr. Robert Berry’s framework for equitable teaching practices and describe noticing practices that support equitable and just mathematics classrooms.

Taking Action Book Study

CCTM is inviting all teachers of mathematics to join in a free, year-long PD opportunity focused on NCTM's Taking Action series of books. This is such a huge opportunity for teachers across the state to engage in a monthly deep dive into each of the eight effective math teaching practices. Participants can choose to read either the K-5, 6-8, or 9-12 book, all of which have a similar structure and main points but grade-level appropriate examples. The book study will have both synchronous and asynchronous discussions, and participants can join in the live discussions on their choice of Tuesday afternoons, Thursday evenings, or Saturday mornings. All of this flexibility is to help engage as many teachers as possible throughout the school year. Read more and register now on the CCTM website!

RISE Education Fund

Last week, Governor Polis announced a new 32.7 million dollar grant opportunity called the Response, Innovation, and Student Equity (RISE) Education Fund to help Colorado address the challenges that students are facing due to the economic, social, and health impacts of COVID-19. School districts, public schools, public institutions of higher education, and other education-related entities can apply for RISE Education awards between $250,000 and $4,000,000 depending on the size of the applicant, number of children served, and quality of the application. Funds are anticipated to be awarded in two rounds: 1st grant application deadline of October 17, 2020 at 5 pm MT, and a 2nd grant application deadline of December 19, 2020 at 5 pm MT. Grant awards will be announced by January 22, 2021 and funds are available for use by September 30, 2022.

To ensure the fund reaches a diversity of geographies across the state, the Gates Family Foundation (GFF) is partnering with the Colorado Governor’s Office and Gary Community Investments (GCI) to provide resources and design support and assistance to those interested in applying for the second grant deadline of December 19, 2020.  This support is intended to help applicants score high on the RISE Education Fund criteria by giving them more time to develop their initiatives, build capacity through small planning grants, and work with strategic design partners to strengthen their applications. You can find the full application for Planning and Design Support here. Please submit completed applications to info@gatesfamilyfoundation.org by September 30, 2020 by 5pm for review. If you are interested in supporting applicants as a Design Partner, please complete this survey by September 25, 2020 by 5pm.

***Raymond's Note***: If you or your district is thinking about a math-related application to this grant, let me know ASAP! Even if you're just interested, I may be able to connect you with other districts or people in higher education who might want to take this on with you.

Setting the Standard Podcast and Webinars

CDE's Office of Standards and Instructional Support has a podcast and a new webinar series to keep you informed about teaching, instruction, policy, and more. The podcast aims to publish a new episode each week while webinars can be joined live on the first and third Friday of each month between 11:30 and 12:30 pm.

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