In response to the No Child Left Behind Act, all of our students in grades 3-8 will be assessed this March in order to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts. Over the past eight months, the Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES Instructional Support Services division has partnered with Buffalo State College to deliver a professional development to local area math teachers. Currently, there are 43 teachers participating in the Middle Level Math Series for Grades 5/6. These teachers will have worked directly with Dr. Sue McMillen, a mathematics professor from Buffalo State College, for five full-day sessions focused on improving curriculum, instruction and assessment. This fall, the teachers analyzed the NYS math assessments to better understand their instructional implications and to create parallel assessments for use in their classrooms. Each participant experienced standards-based activities designed to build conceptual understanding and are working towards integrating more classroom manipulatives into their lessons. During our February session, we plan to share best practices designed to improve student achievement and integrate various technologies, including interactive math websites, into the classroom.
Dr. Susan McMillen has been involved in numerous projects that focus on improving student achievement in mathematics. Her passion as a teacher leader centers on her use of technology and manipulatives with a goal of teaching math for understanding. She was the principle investigator and project leader for IMARS (Improving Mathematics Achievement in Rural Schools) which involved several of our districts. She was a past editor for NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) journal, and a project director for I2T2 (Involving students in Inquiry-based activities using a variety of Technologies and other Tools). She was the primary teacher-leader for the CA BOCES Curriculum Camp Math Cohort this past August, where she worked with 35 math teachers in grades 3-12 along with staff specialists from the CA BOCES Instructional Support Services division.
“Our work with Dr. Sue McMillen has helped our teachers better understand the mathematics that they teach and our goal is to have our students benefit as well.”
Mary Morris, Staff Specialist for Instructional Support Services
Regional Math Coordinator
Dr. Susan McMillen has been involved in numerous projects that focus on improving student achievement in mathematics. Her passion as a teacher leader centers on her use of technology and manipulatives with a goal of teaching math for understanding. She was the principle investigator and project leader for IMARS (Improving Mathematics Achievement in Rural Schools) which involved several of our districts. She was a past editor for NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) journal, and a project director for I2T2 (Involving students in Inquiry-based activities using a variety of Technologies and other Tools). She was the primary teacher-leader for the CA BOCES Curriculum Camp Math Cohort this past August, where she worked with 35 math teachers in grades 3-12 along with staff specialists from the CA BOCES Instructional Support Services division.