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WIKI HELP:
==If you're new to wikis, this page may be helpful to you: http://rethinking-precollege-math.wikispaces.com/A+Set+of+Resources+for+Working+with+Wikis And, if you're more of a visual learner, this short video (Wikis in Plain English) might be helpful: []==

__ UPDATE: DECEMBER, 2010 __
==Just a quick note to let folks know who may be looking at the material on this wiki that the project as a whole is not currently active due to a lack of funding but the materials are available for your use if you're interested and we hope to revive the work if we find some financial support, so stay tuned, and feel free to add comments or reflections to the application pages as appropriate...==

__UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 12, 2010__
====Thanks again to those of you who were able to join us on July 8th at Highline to review drafts of the application modules done to date, along with some of their supporting material and documents. Despite a few technical glitches with our Elluminate arrangements I think we were able to make some progress on reviewing and offering concrete feedback on the draft applications available. I believe that all of the review sheet/feedback forms have now been posted to the A2A wiki site; the forms associated with specific applications have been posted to the separate pages for those applications. In one case ( “**CSI Investigation**”) there are references in the review sheet to suggested edits that have been inserted as comments in the appropriate files associated with that application; for the others the review sheets contain all the feedback received. Also, you can see an overview of the process and the feedback form we used during the meeting in the slides posted at the “**Application Review_Feedback Info**” page on the wiki. There was general agreement that while a couple of the applications were close to complete (“CSI” and “Parent Function”), several others needed additional material developed; “Skate Park Design” was solid but smaller in scope than the original “maximizing area” application and reviewers weren’t clear whether it’s complete as is or not. in addition, several of the draft applications had not been completed and posted in time for the July 8 session: my understanding is that the “3-Variable Target,” “Ball Drop,” and “Projectile Motion” applications are being worked on by the Bellingham SD team (possibly down to Paul Clement on his own at the moment), while the “Casino” application is being worked on by Joanne and Christine from Federal Way. Moving forward, then, we talked about wanting to see several things happen between now and the coming academic year (using the early fall if necessary):====
 * 1) Finish the unfinished applications and post to the wiki;
 * 2) Have the teams who did the original drafts review the feedback sheets and incorporate the recommendations that they believe will strengthen and clarify the application material (the goal is to have as many as possible of the proposed applications in a clear and thorough form for the coming academic year so that interested math teachers around the state can take the material and pilot the applications as supplements in their existing Algebra 2 courses—see the “**Possible Pilots**” page on the wiki for schools/districts interested in participating);
 * 3) Track and support however we can the only full-course pilot of this course being offered next year (Bellingham SD);
 * 4) ==== Seek additional funding for the resources needed to continue development work on the applications and to do a thorough evaluation of the pilot sites for application materials this coming year ====

=== (NOTE: One of the most promising funding strategies we are pursuing is a partnership with [|Mike Lundin from Central Washington University] === === connecting this work to his interest in a STEM-related, module-based capstone quantitative course for high school seniors; given that focus, and the fact that several districts interested in the A2A work are offering the Project TIME [|Applications in Mathematical Reasoning] (**AMR**) senior-year course, it makes sense to explore the feasibility of these 2 courses forging a coherent and rigorous math pathway that’s an alternative to pre-calculus/calculus in high school for the junior and senior years of high school math. ===

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[|The AMR course], along with the [|Advanced Mathematical Decision-Making course] being developed and pilot-tested by the Charles Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, provide excellent models, both in terms of format and substance, for the kind of engaging, thorough, and high-quality material we would like to produce in this project (more info available on the “**Application Material Formats**” page of the wiki). ======

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At our meeting Nan Johnson shared with us that the [|CORD Algebra 2 materials] are being updated and re-worked and that the new version should be aligned with Washington state standards; at the same time, the [|Common Core Standards] work continues to gain momentum around the country, including an assessment consortium that includes Washington as one of the “governing states” for the coalition. All of these examples underscore that we need to be very clear about a) the value and contribution of the A2A work in this rapidly-changing math landscape, b) the distinction between the A2A work and these other approaches, and c) whether ultimately it makes sense to develop a full 3rd-year course as originally envisioned, shift the focus to extending and deepening the work around a senior-year application-focused math course, and/or provide a set of free-standing applications/modules addressing key algebra standards that could be incorporated into existing Algebra 2 (and 1) courses as a way of helping make these “traditional” course less traditional and more “hands-on.” I hope this is a reasonably clear and accurate depiction of where things stand with this work; as I suggested at the meeting on the 8th, I’m sure it’s felt a bit un-focused at times, partly because of the ever-changing math landscape we’re trying to navigate (a bit like an ======

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[|M.C. Escher] drawing come to life! L ), but also it’s been a project that’s had to operate on a shoestring budget and that most of us have pursued on top of a staggering list of other priorities because we believe in the importance of the work (not for any promise of likely fame or fortune J ). Let me know if you have any questions; we’ll be back in touch as new developments emerge. Enjoy your summer! ======

**__BACKGROUND__**
The "Algebra 2 Applications" project began in spring 2009 as a joint effort of the Washington State Board of Education, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Washington Transition Math Project. In August 2009 this partnership convened a small group of math and CTE teachers from around the state to explore the feasibility of developing an applications-focused course option that students could take, instead of Algebra 2 or Integrated 3, to meet the new 3rd year math graduation requirement without having to go through the alternative waiver/approval process. The agenda and compiled notes from that meeting are provided below.



At a follow-up meeting in December 2009 the group continued to refine the broad concept developed in August; they also drafted a format for designing the individual applications to be included in the course, based on reviewing related work from around the country, and did some preliminary work on a few examples using the format template.



A small design team then met in February to develop a "Scope" document that listed the applications to be included in the course (see separate "Scope Document" page). Currently small teams of teachers are using these templates to draft applications based on the list provided in that document; the goal is have the applications drafted and reviewed by early August so that teachers who are interested in pilot-testing one or more of the applications in the context of one of their courses in 2010-2011 (or in the case of Bellingham Schoold District, the full course) can receive some training related to teaching these applications. This training event is tentatively scheduled for mid-day August 11 to mid-day August 13 in Spokane following the WA-ACTE summer conference.