6th grade Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) syllabus 2010-2011
Instructor: Ron Mediatore is entering his 17th year in DPS and his 11th year in the DSA middle school math classroom. In his time at DSA, he has seen his students earn some of the highest standardized test scores in the state. He is also proud of the DSA middle school’s designation of “Excellent” on the Nation’s Report Card for the past three years, after four consecutive years of “High” status. Mr. Mediatore holds a BA from the State University of New York and an MA in Educational Administration and Policy Studies from the University of Denver.
You may contact Mr. Mediatore at (720)424-1763 or online at:
Conferences: I am available for conferences most every day during my planning period (which is from 8:00-9:00) and also after school on certain days. Please make an appointment for conferences, but please know that I will meet with you on a drop-in basis if my schedule permits.
Office Hours: I am available for students on a walk-in basis Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after school from 2:45 until 3:30pm. Mondays and Fridays are also available by appointment only.
Curriculum: The Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) is the only middle school math curriculum to receive the highly-coveted title of “Exemplary” from the US Department of Education. Developed at Michigan State University through a grant from the National Science Foundation, CMP is taught in every DPS middle school as well as all 50 states. It is so successful here at DSA because of its emphasis on higher-level thinking and analytical skills. With CMP, gone are the days when students ask when they’ll ever have to use this material in the real world, because CMP uses real world applications to introduce relevant concepts and guide students through each lesson. CMP is completely standards based and aligns very nicely with Colorado State Math Standards as well as the CSAP test. In addition to the curriculum, I provide Exemplars and other enrichment activities to help keep students engaged and challenged in our class.
For more information on our curriculum, please visit the following web site:
http://curriculum.dpsk12.org/math_cmp_faqs.htm
Colorado State Math Standards: The following web site details each of the Colorado State Math Standards being taught in our 6th grade class.
http://curriculum.dpsk12.org/matrices/math_matrix.pdf
Grading:
Tests: 50% (one or two per 9-week grading quarter)
Quizzes: 30% (three to five per 9-week grading quarter)
Homework: 10% (twenty to thirty per 9-week grading quarter)
Meaningful Participation in class: 10% (every day as much as possible)
Since CMP is so group-work heavy and so discussion-oriented, class attendance is critical, as is meaningful participation.