2019 CAASPP RESULTS

The results for the 2019 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) were released by the California Department of Education earlier this month.

Here is a summary of the results:

-Nearly 50% of California students met or exceeded the English Language Arts state standards.

-26%, nearly one out of every four students in California, demonstrate a thorough ability in Reading.

-25%, nearly one out of every four students in California, demonstrate a thorough ability in Writing.

-18%, nearly one out of every five students in California, demonstrate a thorough ability in Listening.

-27%, nearly one out of every four students in California, demonstrate a thorough ability in  Research & Inquiry.

-Nearly 40% of California students met or exceeded the Mathematics state standards.

-27%, nearly one out of every four students in California, demonstrate a thorough ability in Concepts and Procedures.

-21%, nearly one out of every five students in California, demonstrate a thorough ability in  Problem Solving and Modeling & Data Analysis

-21%, nearly one out of every five students in California, demonstrate a thorough ability in  Communicating Reasoning


Sources:

California Department of Education
Website: cde.ca.gov

California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress
Website: caaspp-elpac.cde.ca.gov/caaspp


Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2019.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

2018 Halloween

Wishing Everyone a Fun and Safe Halloween!!!

Need a STEAM idea to celebrate?
Look no further than Jack-o-Lanterns.

The science behind Jack-o-Lanterns requires knowledge of lighting, luminosity, brightness, and transparency & opaque properties.

Technology has made Jack-o-Lanterns safer through the development of light sources operated by batteries and LED lights rather than candles and open flames.

Engineering and Art design are a must if you want to achieve the best lighting effects for the design of your Jack-o-Lantern.

Through the use of precise mathematical calculations, a Jack-o-Lantern can be replicated and improved upon.



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2018.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

February 2015

As the second month of 2015 gets underway so does MRCR Education's continued commitment to STEAM Education.  For the third year in a row MRCR Education had the pleasure to participate in the SF Bay Area STEAM Education Colloquium.  This year marked the colloquium's fifth event, and it was a great success.  It has become quite clear that STEAM education in the Bay Area has, not only taken root throughout the education community, but it has also sprouted the interest of local businesses, community leaders, and elected officials.

STEAM Education is now more than an academic program, it is the cornerstone for a future economic development in which public-private partnerships will play a crucial role.  STEAM has also emerged as the bridge between the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as it can provide a wide range of possibilities for schools and their districts in the implementation of an interconnected multiple subject approach to curriculum development, lesson plans, and learning needs.

MRCR Education encourages you to learn and research more about STEAM education and how it can be implemented it into your classroom, school, and district.  Throughout the month of February, as we have done in past years, MRCR Education will share thoughts and ideas on STEAM education and the benefits it can bring to learners, students, teachers, and all stakeholders in the education of future generations.


Written by Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator & Founder

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Thoughts on Mathematics 2

Continuation of Mathematics

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

The limit of our school year will soon be reached.  The time has come to do an evaluation of the material we have reviewed with our students throughout the year.  This evaluation will allow students to know how their understanding of what they have learned measures in accuracy and competency.  The same evaluation will also allow educators to know how the material they have presented for their students to learn has been understood with both accuracy and competency.  It is important for teachers and students to do a thorough evaluation of the learning that has taken place before the limit of the school year is reached.

Mathematics

Having established a number system, having studied this number system, and having observed the patterns that emerge as numbers in this system are studied, will help us to establish a solid foundation upon which to build our study of mathematics.  With a solid foundation having been established, we can then continue on to the further development of mathematics.  We can begin to apply numeric concepts to help us study and understand from simple to complex systems.

Continuation of Mathematics

The introduction of students to mathematics is covered in three areas: Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry.  These three areas are the first building blocks that students should master when they begin to study mathematics.  Students who have demonstrated understanding and can show competency in these three areas should be encouraged to continue their study of mathematics by learning subjects such as Trigonometry, Analysis, Statistics, and Calculus.

Mathematics has the characteristic of reaching across many areas of instruction, fields of study, professional careers, and it is internationally know.  The study of mathematics provides students the skills and abilities to organize their thoughts so they may solve problems that can challenge our lives.  As students are introduced to mathematics, they should also be encouraged to continue the study of this universal, cultural, cross-curricular, multifaceted area of their educational development.

From early on in their educational lives, we as educators should establish an interest in our students to study mathematics.  Our students should be encouraged to continually develop and expand their understanding of the subject areas which make up the subject matter contained in mathematics.  From learning to count with our fingers, to using our fingers for the design and development of tools and machinery, from adding and subtracting to differentiating and approximating, from basic skills to complex interactions, mathematics will forever remain as one of the fundamental areas in our education.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Thoughts on Mathematics

Introduction to Mathematics

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

We are reaching the limit of our school year, and we must take time to review the material that has been presented to our learners so they may study and learn from it.  Students should have an understanding of the material that we have presented to them this school year.  Students will benefit in their understanding of the material if they are to apply what they have learned, and further develop critical thinking skills based on their education thus far.

Mathematics

Defining mathematics requires the establishment of a number system.  Numbers must be established before we can begin to define mathematics.  Mathematics can be defined at its foundation as the study of numbers.  How numbers are defined, arranged, and the patterns they form.  How numbers interact when performing specific functions and operations, and the results they provide. 

Introduction to Mathematics

Students are introduced to mathematics through instruction in the following three areas: Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry.  Arithmetic introduces students to numbers and counting concepts. Algebra introduces students to groupings and operations of arithmetic.  Geometry introduces students to space and dimensions by presenting figures and shapes for study.

Instruction should be presented in a balanced format that allows for presentation by age, grade and skill level.  The measurement of comprehension in mathematics should be measured in the following four areas: Single Problem - Single Solution, Single Problem - Multiple Solutions, Multiple Problems - Single Solution, and Multiple Problems- Multiple Solutions.  Application of the areas that are introduced in mathematics include arts, currency, distance, engineering, science, and time.

We should establish in students an interest in mathematics early on.  We should continue our student's the development of mathematics.  We should expand our student's understanding of mathematics.  We should introduce students to the various specific areas of mathematics, so that they may have a diverse  exposure and understanding of the subject of mathematics.  It is also our responsibility as educators to allow for the exploration and development of mathematical thought in our students, for this will lead to the growth and expansion of the continuation into further mathematics.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

STEAM Education Curriculum

STEAM Curriculum

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

A good curriculum must maintain balance throughout all of the parts that it is composed of.  A good curriculum has a defined beginning and end, and it allows for others to be able to join in throughout the different stages that take place between the beginning and the end.  The STEAM Education Curriculum is a good and useful tool which we can design for students to take on their journey from childhood to educated person.

Definition

The STEAM Education Curriculum is a pathway for students to take so they may become STEAM educated.  It has a beginning, an end, and when it is completed, it should start all over again.  The STEAM Education Curriculum should be like a cycle which flows constantly and efficiently for it to last and succeed.

The Five Strands

The STEAM Curriculum is founded on the five strands which are: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.  These five strands are the foundation of the STEAM curriculum.  By ensuring that the five strands are interconnected, balanced, and secured, we create a solid foundation upon which we can create a lasting STEAM curriculum.

Requirements

The STEAM Education Curriculum must require that the students: demonstrate their knowledge of the five strands, demonstrate how they can apply their knowledge to solve challenges, and demonstrate that they can argument their knowledge at a global level.  By demonstrating these three requirements the student earns the right to be certified as having been educated in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.

Educators are entrusted to educate students, as they journey from childhood, and into our schools, where they become educated people.  Students who become educated in STEAM and have access to a pathway that is based on a good STEAM Education Curriculum, will be able to develop the required skills that we will need to face the many challenges which the future may hold for us as a people.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Benefits of STEAM Education

What Students Develop from STEAM Education

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

The benefits of a STEAM education are reflected on the development of the students as they acquire, apply, and demonstrate the following skills:

• They find solutions to problems, rather than problem solving.
• They are artful in their communication, rather than express STEM-babble.
• They understand that information is pursued, rather than being a fact seeker.
• They become life-long learners, rather than stage students.
• They are neo-knowledgeable, rather than pseudo-fictional.

These are the skills that students who have been instructed in a STEAM education should be able to carry for their life.  They should demonstrate these skills, as they are acquired, by applying them to all problems that they may face in academics and daily life.

 With a solid foundation in a clearly defined STEAM education curriculum, we as educators can plant a seed of learning in each of our students.  This seed will then begin to branch out and grow in each student as they progress through their education.  With a constant evaluation of their learning we can ensure that as students grow they develop a healthy education, and it will allow for corrective actions to be implemented if needed.  The fruits of these students will be good and in time they will create an educational ecosystem that cycles around learning.

Copyright 2012.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

STEAM Education Curriculum

Developing a STEAM Education Curriculum

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

Foundation for a STEAM Education Curriculum

The foundation for a STEAM education curriculum begins with a team of people who believe that educating students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics is important for the preparation and development of future learners.

Definition of STEAM Education Curriculum

To begin the development of STEAM education curriculum, we must define what we understand to be STEAM education curriculum.  STEAM could be the foundation upon which we build education.  We could also use education as the foundation for STEAM education.  STEAM curriculum should be built on or around a defined foundation.

Planting STEAM Education Curriculum

With the foundation and definition of STEAM Education Curriculum, the planting can take place.  A seed is planted on a defined foundation, and it can begin growing by branching out.  A STEAM education curriculum branches out as it grows after it is planted on a defined foundation.    

Branching STEAM Education Curriculum

STEAM Education should branch out in a single direction before growing.  The direction of growth can be defined by a multitude of factors such as available educational resources, student education level, community priority of education, and the effective implementation of education regulation prior to growth.

Growing STEAM Education Curriculum

STEAM Education should grow out in a multitude of directions that allow for new branching in different directions.  Whether STEAM is the foundation and education the growth, or education the foundation and STEAM the growth, the curriculum branches out and grows allowing for the development of students who are learned in the areas of STEAM education.  

Evaluating STEAM Education Curriculum

As the curriculum flows throughout the educational system, it should be evaluated constantly and at every stage.  Measurements allow us to evaluate any part of the curriculum, and we learn from these measurements how effective the curriculum is, if it needs to be made better, are the students at an equal level.

Copyright 2012. MRCR Edcuational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Understanding STEAM Education

A Vision of STEAM Education

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

We now present a view of STEAM Education as envisioned at MRCR Education.  First, we take a look at the STEAM Educational Cycle, then we demonstrate how to link the strands of STEAM in a lesson plan.

The STEAM Education Cycle

The STEAM education cycle begins when the student is introduced to the five strands of STEAM.  Students who are educated in STEAM can become STEAM learners.  This approach will challenge students to cross-reference what they are learning.  It should allow students to connect and apply knowledge across the five unique strands in a way that expands their level of thinking.  Understanding a scientific concept like the water cycle is not enough.  The student should be able to relate the water cycle to tools in technology we have engineered like thermometers, barometers, and hydrometers which allow us to collect numeric data using a mathematical approach. This in turn will help us to better understand a scientific idea, while at the same time being able to visualize this cycle in a multitude of terrains as it takes place throughout the world.

Linking STEAM in a Lesson

Let us take a look at how a theme can be used to develop a STEAM lesson that links all five strands.  In the sample lesson, we see that the theme that has been selected is "Hammers".  in the strand of science, the connection to the theme is what happens when hammers strike? The scientific concepts that are associated with hammers include force, pressure, sound, vibration, etc.  Under technology, the development of hammers through time is the connection, as we look at the needs for each era.  The use of hammers in engineering has us turn our attention to railroads, homes, and tents; while in the arts we can search and find paintings like "Thor's Battle with the Ettins", not to mention that hammers have also been used by sculptures to create statues.  The strand of mathematics provides for us a way to compare and evaluate how the material of the hammer, at different weights, produces different results, which in itself completes the circle by linking this to science.

This is but one view of how STEAM can be developed into a lesson for the student to expand one theme across five strands.  It can be done with a variety of themes, and students can be allowed to generate their own themes and lessons by following the sample plan that has been presented here.

Copyright 2012.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

STEAM Education

What is STEAM Education?

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

Introduction to STEAM Education

 STEAM education incorporates the following five strands: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics.  It is a collaborative effort, by all who are involved in education, to develop a curriculum that allows students to interconnect the elements of STEAM and apply them, not just to school and academics, but to their lives and future growth.

This week we are going to share with you our thoughts on STEAM education, and how it can be beneficial to students, teachers, and parents, as well as the benefits to schools, homes, and the community.  By connecting the strands of STEAM education, students can be given an opportunity to develop a strong foundation, that will provide them with a set of skills which should help them face the future challenges whether they be educational, employment, equality, or environmental.

We hope that you find this week's theme as an important piece for the future of education across our nation.  Join us as we demonstrate how to develop lessons that cover each of the strands in STEAM, and how these lessons can be initiated with a concept or idea that can then be shared with students as part of their current education.

Copyright 2012.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.