Minnesota Governor Tim Walz joined 49 other state and territorial Governors calling for expanded computer science education in their state’s schools.  The compact recognizes that it is “more important than ever that all students have the opportunity to learn computer science to inform them as global citizens, to prepare them for the future of work and to protect them from cybersecurity threats.”

According to Code.org’s 2021 annual State Of Computer Science Education report Minnesota ranks last in the nation in the percent of high schools offering foundational computer science courses.  Of the nine state policy issues that Code.org tracks Minnesota has two in place.

In the 2022 legislative session a bill was introduced in the Minnesota House, HF 3243, that called for the state to develop a blueprint for expanding computer science education k-12 in Minnesota.  It failed due to a lack of support in the Senate.

The National Governor’s Association compact was an initiative of Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson in his role as Chairman of the bipartisan organization.

 

 

 

 

2021-2022 Chairman’s Initiative Page

The Minnesota State Fair traditionally marks the end of summer and the return to school for Minnesota students.  STEM Day at the Fair, now in its 13^th year, celebrates science, technology, engineering, and math education opportunities and career paths for those students.

 

Held in Dan Patch Park on August 25, the opening day of the Fair, STEM Day brings together over thirty different education providers and Minnesota corporations to illustrate the breadth of opportunities to explore interests and see how a student’s interests and activities can lead to fulfilling career paths.  Fairgoers can explore robotics, aeronautics, medical technology, architecture, civil engineering, computer coding and other area where STEM skills are developed and applied.  The adjacent stage hosts entertaining performances along with celebrations of excellence in math and science teaching in Minnesota.

 

The day is made possible by generous community sponsors. Inspire level sponsors include Target Tech Kids, Boston Scientific, and MTS Systems.  Create level sponsors include Medtronic, Seagate, and Anderson Corporation. They are joined at the Discover level by Hennepin County, Silk Road Medical, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and Xcel Energy. The ever popular tote bags will be jointly sponsored by MnDOT and Anderson Corporation.

 

 

Always the best day of the Great Minnesota Get Together STEM Day at the State Fair is back for its twelfth year on August 25, 2022.  SciMathMN brings together over 30 STEM education providers and business supporters to engage in hands-on, fun activities.  It’s a celebration that attracts fairgoers to the exhibit area and the adjoining stage performances. Educational providers wishing to apply to exhibit in this year’s event can fill out this application. Those wishing to support the success of this event through a sponsorship can see the sponsorship opportunities here.

Tuesday, February 23 SciMathMN hosted a dynamic event celebrating career and technical education marking CTE Month.  Representatives from the Minnesota State University System,  Project Lead the Way, and CTE leaders from across the state spoke to what’s working with students today and what’s possible.  See a recording of the discussion here.

On February 22nd, 2022 10-11:00 am SciMathMN, in collaboration with Minnesota State Career and Technical Education, will bring together CTE leaders from across the state to share their stories and ideas to connect experiences to students.

Join us to celebrate the great STEM successes in programs and raise awareness about the connections between STEM and programs in the career clusters. We will be discussing how schools are breaking down barriers and creating innovation by fostering partnerships, building pathways, and connecting students to opportunities in STEM through Career and Technical Education. Register at this link.

 

The Minnesota Department of Education has released the first draft of new academic standards in mathematics, an important step in the standards review process.  The first draft consists of the twenty proposed anchor standards, those standards that act as a summary of all student learning expected in a discipline from kindergarten through high school graduation.  It does not include frameworks, the more detailed applications of those standards at different grade levels.

The goals of this initial version is to integrate math practice for students while broadening the purpose of mathematics.  This version updates the standards to include both data science and computational thinking, mirroring changes in society and the economy since the last standards update in 2007. Reflecting the growing diversity of Minnesota’s students the draft aims to include multiple cultural perspectives and traditions in mathematics, while including relevant historical and contemporary mathematical problem solving practices of the Dakota and Anishinaabe communities.

The Department is asking for public feedback each of the twenty anchor standards.

 

 

First Review of What Students Should Learn in Math Since 2007

Minnesota initiated its first review of state standards in mathematics education since 2007 November 18 with the first meeting of the mathematics standards review committee. The committee is a 36 member group made up of public school teachers from both traditional and charters schools along with representatives from both the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State system and come from a variety of schools across the state. Four members appointed by the Tribal Nations Education Committee will join the group at their December meeting. The day’s activities were led by Sara Van Der Werf, the new Minnesota Department of Education’s new mathematics specialist.

The group started their day with a presentation by Dr. Eric Milou, a professor of mathematics curriculum and instruction at Rowan University and one of the authors of the National Council of Teachers of Math Catalyzing Change series emphasizing deepening students’ mathematics understanding, identity, and doing so in an equitable way.

Group conversation points included wondering if all students need Algebra II as currently required by state statute, should schools continue to track students in mathematics, how to develop more exploratory learning with students, how the standards will incorporate computer science and how to support teachers in implementing those computer science standards.

Doug Paulson, Assistant Director Academic Standards, Instruction, and Assessment reminded committee members that Minnesota is a local control state and that they are explicitly prohibited from determining the delivery system, classroom assessments, or forms of instruction that schools must use. The purpose of this process is the creation of rigorous academic standards for Minnesota’s public school students.

Jennifer Dugan, Director of Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment reviewed with the committee their meeting schedule and the target of a final draft presented to the Commissioner in August 2022. The committees first draft is scheduled for release in February 2022 and will include only the proposed standards.  A public engagement process will follow that release including town halls and online comment opportunities.  The second draft, incorporating the public input, will include proposed frameworks including technology and information literacy standards. The frameworks by law focus on college and career readiness.

The committee finished the day breaking into a set of small groups examining other standards including the PISA, NAEP, and standards from the states of Oregon, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, and the frameworks from California. That activity will continue when the committee reconvenes December 7.

A roster of committee members, links to guiding assumption documents, meeting timeline and more can be found at the Minnesota Department of Education Mathematics page.