| Girls Get IT! Newsletter |
Volume II Issue
II
September 2007 |
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| Explore ~
Educate ~
Empower |
Florida Adopts New Math
Standards or Grades K-12
On September 18,
2007 Florida's State Board of Education adopted a newly revised set of
mathematics standards. These new standards are considered
"world-class" because they have incorporated ideas from successful
math programs around the globe. The standards of Finland and
Singapore, two of the highest performers in math based on
international testing, were examined and integrated into Florida's
new standards.
To help revise the standards, the Florida Department
of Education (FDOE) sought information and advice from international
and national experts in math fields and from experts on the
development of educational standards. Feedback from Florida
teachers, school administrators, curriculum specialists and parents
was also taken into consideration and helped shape these new
standards.
The new Florida math standards are a blueprint for how
math will be taught from kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12).
The old standards were considered vague and have been replaced with
clarity, coherence and minimal redundancy. The new standards provide
specific detailed information on what should be learned at every
grade level and what should be learned for each major math subject
area in high school.
Todd Clark with the FDOE believes the new standards
will have a major impact for K - 12 mathematics teaching and
learning in Florida. "Providing clear content standards that
give our math teachers more time to teach to mastery and enable
conceptual understanding for a smaller number of important concepts
at each grade level is a major paradigm shift. Our biggest
challenge now is getting the word out and helping teachers realize
that more time is available for helping students move from concrete
examples to diagrams and models and to general algorithms and
abstract representations. This is not just 'covering' math
skills anymore. This is not just more time for practice," he
stated.
The new standards are now organized by grade level for
grades K-8, and the number of benchmarks have been reduced for these
grades. K-8 had average of 80 benchmarks per grade and now has less
than 20 per grade. The reduced number of benchmarks allows teachers
more time to develop creative ways to teach and students more time
to master content. The lower numbers of benchmarks also encourage
teachers to provide more hands-on lessons.
In grades 9-12 the standards have been organized into
bodies of knowledge instead of grade levels. The bodies of knowledge
include: algebra; geometry; calculus; discrete math; and
trigonometry. And, for the first time in Florida history,
financial literacy standards have also been
included.
The new standards have been implemented to help
improve Florida's math performance. Currently about half of high school graduates enrolled in Florida
community colleges have to take remedial math. The revised
standards aim to reduce this number and help students prepare
for the increasingly high-tech
workplace.
Parents and students can look forward to the new
Florida math standards being taught beginning in the 2008-2009
school year and will be tested as part of the Florida Comprehensive
Assessment Test (FCAT) math section starting in the 2010-11 school
year. For more information, Click
Here! |
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High-Achieving Students from Lower-Income Families are
Stuck in a Rut
 Recent studies
have concluded that even though the education community is
focusing on
bringing all students to academic proficiency, there is a risk of
leaving behind a group of kids with tremendous potential. This group
is very ambitious, but there is a great possibility that they are
being forgotten. The children from lower income families who don't
have the resources to further their education are being left in the
dust when it comes to a higher education. Civic Enterprises LLC, a
Washington-based research and public-policy group, and the
Lansdowne, Va. based Jack Kent Cooke Foundation were the pioneers in
encouraging researchers and policymakers to better understand why
high-achieving, lower income children fall behind, and second, how
to offer more help for these children to succeed.
A specific test called "Achievement Trap" analyzed
children who were from families with incomes below the national
median, but who also scored in the top quarter on standardized
tests. The findings were that these children begin school with
weaker academic skills which in-turn makes it difficult for them to
grow in their studies versus their peers from families who have
higher incomes.
In
addition to inhibiting these students to further their education,
students from lower income families are more likely to drop out of
high school therefore creating a wider spread of students who don't
attend college. The differences are drastic between the students who
are from economically fortunate families and those from the lower
income families.
However, not everything is bad news. 93% of the
higher-achieving students from lower income families graduate from
high school in four years. This goes against the 97% of high school
graduates that complete it in four years that are from higher income
families.
There are many recommendations that involve numerous
aspects that we, as educators, parents, and students, should pay
more attention to. For one, educators, researchers, and policymakers
must understand why this is happening to their students. Also,
federal, state, and local education officials should provide certain
incentives and policies that would enhance the proficiency
standards. Educators should also promote higher education
to the lower-income children to motivate them to want to be active
in school. For more information, Click
Here! |
The
Power of Greenovation
Schools around the nation are jumping on the
environmental bandwagon and "going green," as they say. By reducing waste and
conserving energy, students and  teachers can now do their part to
help preserve the environment while
incorporating science, math and engineering principles along the
way.
Greenovation provides many ways to make a school
environmentally friendly. At the University of Florida, even the
roofs are "going green." UF Students have created a rooftop
garden on top of one of their
amphitheaters. The green roof helps absorb storm water runoff,
reduces energy use and provides wildlife habitat. Though it may
seem too expensive for many schools, green roofs absorb enough
sunlight to substantially reduce the expense of air conditioning.
"Going green" doesn't have to be a huge undertaking. There are small
steps every school can take towards Greenovation.
One of the easiest and most effective ways for schools
to start "going green" is to reduce waste. Since most of the waste
generated in classrooms is paper, placing a recycling bin in each
classroom is a simple solution to this problem.
Teachers can
also do their part to reduce waste by conserving paper.
When making copies teachers should keep in mind that both sides of
the paper can and
should be used. Also, using more email and electronic
forms of communications is not only convenient, it saves paper as
well.
Schools and homes in all areas have the potential
to jump on the environmental bandwagon. For more information
about how your school or your
home can "go green" Click
Here! |
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To
visit GGIT! please click
here | |
 If you would
like to forward this newsletter
to a friend, Click
Here! |
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How to
Survive and Thrive in
Middle School Math!
Actress
Danica McKellar wants girls to know that numbers aren't nerdy
anymore!
Actress, mathematician, and now  writer, Danica
McKellar, best know for her role as Winnie Cooper on the 90's hit
series "The Wonder Years", has just penned the math help book "Math
Doesn't Suck". The book features approaches to math problems through
ways girls can relate to. Whether it is how many more lip
glosses you have than your friend or how much money you have left to
spend at the mall.
McKellar went through periods of both struggling and
excelling in math throughout her education and ultimately decided
she loved it so much in college, she made it her major. After
graduating with honors in the late 90's, she soon became the
first and only television actress to coauthor a groundbreaking
mathematical physics theorem. It was published in the Journal of
Physics and even bears her name!
McKellar says her reasons for publishing a book of her
own are due to those tricky middle school years when the math work
started getting harder. She got past it, and now wants to share her
helpful hints and tips with young girls who are in the same
situation. The book is not only jam packed with great ways to
understand the subject, but also true life stories of other "cool"
women in math, fun quizzes, and links to great tutoring websites. To
find out more about this book, which recently made the Los Angeles
Best Seller List, Click Here!
Danica recently appeared on the National Public
Radio's (NPR's) Talk of the Nation: Science Friday program with the
President of Harvey Mudd, Maria Klawe to discuss women and
mathematics. To listen to the podcast, Click
Here! |
Apple's Lineup of iPods Get Makeovers and Add a New
Touch-Screen Version to The Family.
Apple's revamped family of iPods are sure to top
Christmas lists this  holiday season and what you will
find under the tree will truly be quite impressive. The newly
reintroduced gadgets feature larger screens, smaller widths, and
fresh new colors that are sure to make a big splash with iPod lovers
everywhere.
Starting at just $79, you can wear a badge of musical
devotion with the clip on iPod Shuffle, letting you accessorize any
outfit with up to 240 songs. The iPod Nano, the best-selling iPod to
date, now lets you enjoy TV shows, movies, video podcasts, and more
on a larger, brighter display screen. Both the shuffle and Nano are
available in 5 refreshing colors: turquoise blue, sea foam green,
periwinkle, the original silver, and the RED shade, which supports
the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa.
The next step up following Nano is the original iPod,
which Apple renamed the iPod Classic. The Classic has a new, sleek
look and a version which features up to 160 gigabytes of
storage!
The
newest and most exciting feature of the lineup is the iPod Touch.
This revolutionary edition to the iPod family is identical to the
iPhone, minus the telephone capability.
You can find out more about any of the newly
refurbished models and even take a tour of the new touch model at
their website. Click
Here! | |
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Florida STEM Program Directory- Register your Program
Today!
The
online Florida STEM Program Directory lists organizations and
programs that focus on motivating girls to pursue education and
careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM). The
purpose of the directory is to help organizations and individuals
network, share resources and collaborate on STEM-related projects
for girls.
Organizations that serve young women and are
interested in bringing more STEM resources to them are also
encouraged to sign up!
The
Directory contains program descriptions, resources available within
each organization, program and/or organization needs, and contact
information. What
better way to promote your program, resources and find other
organizations in your area to collaborate with?
Having Your Program Listed in the Directory Has
Several Advantages:
- Anyone with internet access can
find out about your program.
- You can view other programs in your
area and across the state.
- Your organization can do a search
and compare needs and resources in your area and across the state.
- Your organization is eligible for a
mini-grant for innovative projects.
Don't wait - Sign up
today!
Here's How:
Use the following instructions to create a new user
account and then enter a program's information into the NGCP
program directory.
- Click
Here!!
- Click "Register New User"
which is located on the far left.
- Fill
out the form and click "Submit"
- On
the next page, click "New Program"
- Fill out the form and click
"Submit"
That's it! Your program will
be listed and can be searched by anyone with access to the internet.
It's that
easy!
Once a new program's information has been submitted
and approved, it will appear in the public
Directory for anyone to search.
What better way to highlight the great work in
STEM that you are doing in your
community!
Note: In order to be eligible for mini grant funding, your
program MUST be listed in the Program Directory. Once listed, you are
encouraged to submit a proposal for consideration of funding. For mini grant submission
guidelines, Click
Here! |
FSU'S Flying Circus of
Physics
No
elephants and acrobats here but lots of other just as exciting
acts!
The
physics department at Florida State University recently put on their
bi-yearly Flying Circus of Physics. The event aims to prove to
children of all ages that physics is Fun! With
hands-on science, multimedia events, demonstrations, a planetarium
presentation and a paper airplane contest, kids from around the
area experienced the exciting side of physics earlier this
month.
The
Circus of Physics featured science demonstrations that have
been proven popular with kids. "The Physics of Sports" exhibited the
science behind popular sporting events, while a planetarium show
revealed many mysteries of the universe. Hands-on demonstrations
allowed children to experience strange and stimulating physical
phenomena while answering the hundreds of "why?" questions that
inevitably resulted.
Other activities included tours and even a paper
airplane folding and flying contest that entertained children and
adults alike. For more information, Click
Here! | |
What is
Girls Get IT?
Florida Girls Get IT is a partnership
between Florida Distance Learning Consortium, Cisco Systems,
Inc., Florida's Community College and University system to
create gender equity in the areas of Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) & Information Technology
(IT).
Why does Florida need this
initiative?
To remain competitive,
Florida must offer a highly trained workforce. Nearly 75% of future
jobs in the United States will require the use of technology, yet
fewer than 33% of students in computer courses are female and women
comprise only 20% of IT professionals and 13% of
engineers.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Contact: Leah Cook,
Project Director
Phone:
850.922.3359
Fax: 850.922.3109
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Useful Links for Teachers,
Parents and Students
Teachers:
Busy Teachers
This website offers teachers many different
activities to do in their classrooms. Check it out! Click
Here!
Teachers' Domain
Enjoy what this website has to offer
including courses and collections that help teachers engage their
students learning experiences. Also, enhance and advance your
teaching skills! Click
Here!
Kinetic
City
An amazing collection of science experiments, games,
activities, challenges, and more! Click Here!
How Stuff Works
It's good to know how stuff works. Learn how anything
and everything works at this cool site! Click Here!
Parents:
This website is a great tool to use if you have preteen
or teenage children. There are links for meeting new people,
transitioning back into school, and even quick tips for parents.
There is also a link for different books and such that help
parents guide their children through middle and high
school. Click
Here!
Parenting
a Preteen concentrates on the age level between middle and high
school. The goal is to inform parents how to guide and not overpower
their child into becoming an adult. They say that it takes time,
patience, and commitment to achieving that goal. For more
information, Click
Here! |
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