Posted June 3, 2008

Training on Washington’s revised math standards and content will begin in June for more than 10,000 K-8 math teachers.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is sponsoring two four-day trainings, one in late June in Spokane and the other in Tacoma in late July-early August, during the agency’s Summer Institute. Some ESDs and districts are scheduling their own sessions, as well. OSPI is training and paying the 300 facilitators who will deliver all of the professional development sessions statewide, regardless of sponsor.

“The sessions for math teachers will last two to four days and will be interactive, with cooperative learning integrated throughout,” said Lexie Domaradzki, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning at OSPI. “The facilitators were recently trained and their feedback on the standards and on the professional development format was extremely positive.”

The state will also pay for related materials including copies of the 2008 Washington State K-8 Mathematics Standards. Any other costs, including for space and refreshments, will be picked up by the sponsors. In some cases, a nominal attendance fee may be charged.

Other sources that could help pay for educators’ clock hours, stipends, travel and lodging include:

• 2008-09 funding for 4th- and 5th-grade mathematics professional development provided by the 2007 Legislature
• Federal Title II K-12 professional development funds
• I-728 funding

“The mathematics standards training is not required,” said Domaradzki. “However, starting in the spring of 2010, math tests at all grade levels will assess whether students have learned the mathematics content contained in the new standards.”

The instructional materials review will also get under way this June. Following a competitive selection process, OSPI has tapped a team of about 50 educators from around the state to evaluate how well instructional materials align with the new standards. School districts that choose to adopt recommended instructional materials or supplement existing curricula to bring materials into alignment will be responsible for the cost of purchasing the materials. 

Professional development for mathematics standards in grades 9-12 will be scheduled later this year, following the adoption of the revised standards for those grades.

“We are confident that the 2008 Washington State Mathematics Standards will strongly support teaching and learning and better prepare our young people for graduation, college and the workforce,” said State Superintendent Terry Bergeson.

For more information on — and to register for — OSPI and ESD-sponsored trainings, call 360/725-6445 or visit the OSPI Web site (Events Manager search terms: Revised Mathematics Standards, Math, K-8).

For more information about district-sponsored sessions, please contact the Regional Mathematics Coordinator in your Educational Service District.

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