----------
From: [log in to unmask] (Amy Gale (SUT))
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Post [Fwd: Important Letter]
Date: Thu, Nov 18, 1999, 10:34 PM
Hi Jim-
How about posting the letter below on the middleschool web to solicit
signatures?
Amy
>From: Yvonne Grant <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Important Letter
>
>I need your help!!!!
>
>I am sending a letter to Secretary of Education Riley to thank the
>Dept. of Ed. for their efforts in designating math curricula as
>exemplary or promising.
>
>I would like to get as many people as I can to join with me in
>sending the letter. I am sending you a copy of the letter (copied
>below and as an attachment), so you can read it and show it to others
>who might be interested in signing it. I would like to gather the
>signatures of anyone who uses any of the exemplary or promising
>curricula. It does not have to be just CMP teachers. (I think it
>would be more powerful if we had people from all or most of the
>curricula.)
>
>If someone agrees to have their name included in the signature of the
>letter, they must submit their name, title, school, state, and the
>curricula they use. There is an example at the bottom of the letter.
>Names can be submitted to me electronically at [log in to unmask]
>
>We will be mailing this on Nov 24 (the day before Thanksgiving), so
>please get names to me before then.
>
>Thanks for any help you can provide with this!!!!
>Yvonne
>
>
>Dear Secretary Riley,
>
>We would like to thank the U.S. Department of Education for the
>assistance you have provided to school districts, teachers and
>curriculum advisors through your recent expert panel evaluation of
>mathematics programs. With your extensive review of curriculum
>materials, you have given guidance to schools who have the desire and
>determination to create high quality mathematics programs for all
>students.
>
>We applaud the insight of the Department in establishing a highly
>demanding protocol to rate the programs-requiring convincing evidence
>of increased student performance from the exemplary programs.
>Demanding that the programs "provide convincing evidence of
>effectiveness in multiple sites with multiple populations" sets a new
>standard for school curricula. All too often, when school textbook
>selection committees ask publishers to provide evidence of the
>effectiveness of their materials, sales representatives give
>anecdotal stories that sound promising. By focusing on statistical
>evidence, you have helped to establish criteria that will affect
>future generations of textbooks.
>
>We understand that your recommendations are only a guideline to
>districts. Local school districts still have the responsibility of
>choosing curricula that support the direction of local programs.
>However, the Department of Education is leading the way by proposing
>that curricula material align with research based documents written
>by state and national leadership groups, i.e., NCTM, AAAS, and 43
>state standards and curriculum frameworks. For thousands of school
>districts across the nation, your report provides a useful starting
>point for the selection of curriculum materials as well as a
>thoughtful process which they can use to compare various curricula.
>
>Those of us who work in K-12 schools understand the need to set high
>standards for student achievement and the need for quality curricula
>to help us achieve these standards. We, the undersigned, have
>experience teaching with one of the exemplary or promising programs
>identified by your expert panel. We speak from the voice of the
>classroom. These curricula have helped us to teach better mathematics
>to more children. They have helped many of us learn more mathematics
>ourselves.
>
>Thank you for this effort. It represents a milestone in efforts to
>improve mathematics teaching and learning in this country.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>
>
>
>
> We invite you to join with us in sending this letter to Secretary Riley.
>
>If you teach using one of the exemplary or promising curricula:
>
>Cognitive Tutor Algebra
>College Preparatory Mathematics (CPM)
>Connected Mathematics (CMP)
>Core-Plus Mathematics Project
>Interactive Mathematics Project (IMP)
>
>Everyday Mathematics
>MathLand
>Middle-school Mathematics through Applications Project (MMAP)
>Number Power
>The University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP)
>
>
>And would like to sign this letter with us, please include:
>
>Your Name
>Your Title
>Your School and State
>Curricula Used
>
>Example:
>Yvonne Grant
>7th and 8th Grade Teacher
>Portland Middle School, MI
>Connected Mathematics
>Attachment converted: Application:Letter_Thanks_U.S._D_of_Ed_.doc
>(WDBN/MSWD) (00025F38)
>Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 13:33:49 -0500
>To: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask],
> [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask],
> [log in to unmask]
>From: Yvonne Grant <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Important Letter
>
>I need your help!!!!
>
>I am sending a letter to Secretary of Education Riley to thank the Dept. of
Ed. for their efforts in designating math curricula as exemplary or
promising.
>
>I would like to get as many people as I can to join with me in sending the
letter. I am sending you a copy of the letter (copied below and as an
attachment), so you can read it and show it to others who might be
interested in signing it. I would like to gather the signatures of anyone
who uses any of the exemplary or promising curricula. It does not have to be
just CMP teachers. (I think it would be more powerful if we had people from
all or most of the curricula.)
>
>If someone agrees to have their name included in the signature of the
letter, they must submit their name, title, school, state, and the curricula
they use. There is an example at the bottom of the letter. Names can be
submitted to me electronically at [log in to unmask]
>
>We will be mailing this on Nov 24 (the day before Thanksgiving), so please
get names to me before then.
>
>Thanks for any help you can provide with this!!!!
>Yvonne
>
>
>Dear Secretary Riley,
>
>We would like to thank the U.S. Department of Education for the assistance
you have provided to school districts, teachers and curriculum advisors
through your recent expert panel evaluation of mathematics programs. With
your extensive review of curriculum materials, you have given guidance to
schools who have the desire and determination to create high quality
mathematics programs for all students.
>
>We applaud the insight of the Department in establishing a highly demanding
protocol to rate the programs-requiring convincing evidence of increased
student performance from the exemplary programs. Demanding that the programs
"provide convincing evidence of effectiveness in multiple sites with
multiple populations" sets a new standard for school curricula. All too
often, when school textbook selection committees ask publishers to provide
evidence of the effectiveness of their materials, sales representatives give
anecdotal stories that sound promising. By focusing on statistical evidence,
you have helped to establish criteria that will affect future generations of
textbooks.
>
>We understand that your recommendations are only a guideline to districts.
Local school districts still have the responsibility of choosing curricula
that support the direction of local programs. However, the Department of
Education is leading the way by proposing that curricula material align with
research based documents written by state and national leadership groups,
i.e., NCTM, AAAS, and 43 state standards and curriculum frameworks. For
thousands of school districts across the nation, your report provides a
useful starting point for the selection of curriculum materials as well as a
thoughtful process which they can use to compare various curricula.
>
>Those of us who work in K-12 schools understand the need to set high
standards for student achievement and the need for quality curricula to help
us achieve these standards. We, the undersigned, have experience teaching
with one of the exemplary or promising programs identified by your expert
panel. We speak from the voice of the classroom. These curricula have helped
us to teach better mathematics to more children. They have helped many of us
learn more mathematics ourselves.
>
>Thank you for this effort. It represents a milestone in efforts to improve
mathematics teaching and learning in this country.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>
>
>
>
> We invite you to join with us in sending this letter to Secretary Riley.
>
>If you teach using one of the exemplary or promising curricula:
>
>Cognitive Tutor Algebra
>College Preparatory Mathematics (CPM)
>Connected Mathematics (CMP)
>Core-Plus Mathematics Project
>Interactive Mathematics Project (IMP)
>
>Everyday Mathematics
>MathLand
>Middle-school Mathematics through Applications Project (MMAP)
>Number Power
>The University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP)
>
>
>And would like to sign this letter with us, please include:
>
>Your Name
>Your Title
>Your School and State
>Curricula Used
>
>Example:
>Yvonne Grant
>7th and 8th Grade Teacher
>Portland Middle School, MI
>Connected Mathematics
>Attachment converted: Application:Letter_Thanks_U.S._D_of_Ed_.doc
(WDBN/MSWD) (00025F38)
|
