Articulation Recommendations

Elementary Mathematics Articulation Recommendations

Below are articulation recommendations from the Elementary Mathematics Office. Adjustments may be needed for varied reasons such as resource allocation, scheduling challenges, or departmentalization models.  *Title I schools may also have their own requirement.

Recommendation for Mathematics Classes

  • One or more classes for Above-Grade Level (AGL) instruction
  • All other classes are instructionally balanced
    • On-Grade Level (OGL) and Below-Grade Level (BGL) are balanced among all classes (non-AGL)
  • Classes should be balanced relative to
    • IEP goals
    • ESOL designations
    • Overall class size
    • Gender
    • Ethnicity
    • Students’ strengths in mathematics
    • Distribution of adult support and other resources

 

Recommendation for Articulation Process

  • Current teachers collaborate with MST and administration to make math classes for the following year.
  • Current teachers make classes
    • Using current instructional level
    • Considering potential change with evidence of need for the change
  • After placements are made, some adjustments may be made (without compromising balance) by 
    • Administration
    • Receiving teachers after additional evidence is collected including
      • Performance with First Week Tasks
      • New assessment data (MCAP, MAP)
      • Number Readiness Assessments
      • Classroom performance (beyond the first week)
      • NOTE: There is no census assessment recommended or provided by the Elementary Mathematics Office.

 

Considerations for Articulation Cards

  • What might be included on articulation cards?
    • Instructional level / potential change
    • Number Sense (estimation, decomposition, computational fluency)
    • Communicating mathematical ideas (communicate reasoning, represent thinking with words/pictures/diagrams, eagerness to share ideas)
    • Problem solving (engages with problems, tries to solve problems, perseveres reasonably, represents problems)
    • Performance with “big ideas” (focus content from grade level)
    • Gender/IEP/ESOL/behavior management plan
  • What should not be included on articulation cards?
    • Inaccurate or unsupported labels such as "high on, low on, strong on, struggler, O-, O+, A-, etc"
    • Things we don’t control (e.g., support at home)

 

Math Folders * (Title I schools may have a different requirement)

  • Math folders are not required for students.
  • Math folders are a good idea for students who are candidates for a placement change.
  • Artifacts that support the placement change are recommended. This might include student work, classwork, or assessment tasks.