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As an organization, PCSM is a small group, and our mission tells all that we are a “mathematics leadership organization dedicated to developing and supporting effective leaders who will promote and sustain maximum achievement in mathematics for each student in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” Some ways in which we have been doing this during the past year have been by keeping abreast of the developments with the Common Core State Standards Initiative, being a key player in supporting the movement to initiate mathematics specialists and a Pennsylvania state certification for mathematics specialists, partnering with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Lab (REL Mid-Atlantic) in presenting workshops on Response to Intervention (RtI), and designing a powerful program for our fall Annual Conference on November 10-11. And, of course, through all of what we do, students and obtaining excellence and equity for each of our students has been a primary focus. more . . .

The initiation of Mathematics Specialists was a strong recommendation of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (NMP). For a long time the idea of mathematics specialists and the certification for a mathematics specialist has been bounced around in Pennsylvania. Early this summer, Past-President Jane Wilburne was part of a Pennsylvania team that attended a national conference on mathematics specialists and a state certification for this position. This conference was for state teams that were looking at or considering establishing the position of mathematics specialist. Jane Wilburne and Pauline Chow also met with Senator Piccola, his chief assistant, and legal counselor to discuss the need for mathematics specialists, focusing on research that shows mathematics specialists have a significant impact on student achievement and noting the future need for legislative support. A Google Group was established for Pennsylvania educators to comment on the draft of the proposal ( http://groups.google.com/group/mathematics-specialist-certificate-in-pennsylvania-group) more...

Mathematics Praxis II - Professional Development

The Math Forum at Drexel University is providing an incredible opportunity for on-line professional development courses that will prepare teachers to pass the Mathematics Praxis II.

Thanks to funding from the PA Department of Education, there is no charge to you to participate in this high quality, supportive program. For each of these courses, they will provide you with the textbook and technology needed for the course, including a graphing calculator and Geometer's Sketchpad®. Continuing Professional Credit will be awarded for each completed course as you prepare for the Mathematics Praxis II exam of your choice. When you have completed the five courses (four for the middle level Praxis II), they will pay your registration fees for the Praxis II.

Common Core State Standards Initiative Adopted by the Pennsylvania State Board Of Education

On July 1, 2010, the State Board of Education unanimously adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. In view of this the contents of the Standards Aligned System (SAS) will be adapted to show the connection to the CCSS. Although there is strong alignment between the Keystone exams and CCSS other content and assessment will require some adjustment. Find the latest update here.

2011 Conference