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Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month

Planning for a Summer Math Adventure

Join the Data Science Conversation

Future Opportunities

Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month

Children are constantly making sense of new information in relation to what they already know through daily problem solving. As sense-makers within families and communities, we know that every student is a thinker, knower and doer of mathematics.

As a WI educator, make plans to celebrate April as Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month by engaging in one or more of the following ways to continue learning:

• Go to Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month and find a wealth of ideas.
  • Scroll down to the Lessons section for three lesson plans with sweet ingredients to get your students thinking about mathematics and statistics
  • Scroll further down to find more than 25 previous themes and their resources
• Visit EQSTEMM to learn about an approach to elementary math modeling that is culturally responsive to students’ lived experiences, including modeling routines, tasks, lessons, and PD modules. Check out the Mathematical Modeling WISELearn group to find resources created by Wisconsin educators based on their work with EQSTEMM.
• Listen to the  February 2026 recording of the MAA/WMC Math Bridge Project featuring a Wisconsin math teacher (first 23 minutes) who describes important ways that she uses technology and the WI Standards for Mathematics to inform her teaching as she responds to student thinking in a high school modeling problem situation.
• Watch I Use Math For…, a one minute video from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) with colleagues or students to spark a conversation about the multitude of questions math can be used to answer in careers and life.

Planning for a Summer Math Adventure

As summer approaches, Wisconsin Math Council (WMC) has you covered with a program that connects mathematics to the outdoors, the arts, books, the home, and games/puzzles.

Learn about the Summer Math Adventure, a free program for students and their families. Often promoted through a participating public or school library, this “bingo board” of math activities in a variety of categories is ready to go for four age groups: PreK, Kindergarten-Grade 2, Grades 3-5, and Grades 6-8. Libraries receive access to digital activity sheets and support materials, as well as printable versions for in-library or take-home use. Thanks to the generosity of the Wisconsin Mathematics Education Foundation, participating libraries may also apply for grants to support program incentives or to purchase additional math-related books for their collections.

A library interest form can be found on the WMC website linked above. Early spring is a great time to check with your library to see if they plan to offer the Summer Math Adventure! For questions or more information, contact WMC at wmc@wismath.org.

Join the Data Science Conversation

Dr. Matt Chedister, UW-LaCrosse (mchedister@uwlax.edu) and Lisa Hennessey, UW-Madison (hennessey@wisc.edu) are seeking educators currently teaching data science, interested in learning more about teaching data science, and interested in supporting teachers in teaching data science (both preservice and in-service) in the state of Wisconsin.

Their goals are to 1) collaborate in a learning community as this field is emerging for K-12 teachers, and 2) share resources to expand everyone’s knowledge of data science.

If you are interested, please email them both to be added to the group and receive communication about the first networking and learning event. If you know of others that might be interested, please share this information with them. The group hopes to meet virtually one or two times this year to begin to build a community.

Future Opportunities

March 17, 2026

Counted Out In-Person Film Screening at CESA 1, Pewaukee; 3:30pm

Counted Out investigates the biggest crises of our time. Political polarization. Racial biases. Social injustice. Economic inequity. Climate change. And a global pandemic. All viewed through a previously unseen lens: math. Through a mosaic of personal stories, expert interviews, and scenes of math transformation in action, Counted Out shows what’s at risk if we keep the status quo.  Click here to learn more & RSVP.

April 1, 2026

WMC Annual Conference - Early Bird Registration Ends

The Wisconsin Mathematics Council is excited to bring you the 58th Annual Conference on May 6-7 in Green Lake. The WMC Post-Conference will be held on Friday, May 8th with full day sessions led by national speakers. The theme for this year's in-person conference is Curiosity Counts. Go to the WMC Conference webpage for more details and a registration link. As one Wisconsin mathematics community, let's activate the curiosity of all students!

April 23, 2026

College Readiness in Math Symposium Virtual Conversation; 4-5:30pm

Hosted by the Office of Professional Learning and Community Engagement (PLACE) at UW–Madison’s School of Education, the College Readiness in Math Symposium learnings are now available on their website, including keynote presentations, a panel discussion, and a note catcher to support reflection as you watch. This symposium brought together educators, administrators, and researchers to examine what “college readiness” in mathematics means today, and how we can better align high school and college systems to support student success. Continue the conversation by registering at the link above to join a live virtual discussion via Zoom on April 23rd at 4pm CST.

April 25, 2026

Math in the Forest at UWSP Treehaven, Tomahawk; 9am-3pm

Join LEAF - Wisconsin's K-12 Forestry Education Program and Kevin Freitag, a math teacher for Birchwood School District, for this hands-on workshop for high school math teachers focused on outdoor applications of algebra, geometry and trigonometry. In addition to inspiring ideas, you'll also get mathematics-related lesson materials to take back to your classroom. Participants will use geometry to understand the mathematics behind making and using a Biltmore stick to measure tree diameter, and will make their own Biltmore stick and use it to collect data in the forest. Other topics will include basal area per acre, wildlife population estimates, and land measurement. The $60 cost includes lunch. Go to leafprogram.org/math26 to register for this event.

April 29, 2026

WCBVI Outreach - Abacus In-Person Training; 9am-4pm

American Printing House (APH) through the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCBVI) Outreach is offering a morning of learning about the abacus and how to incorporate it in one’s teaching toolkit as a way to support students who are blind, visually impaired, and deafblind. This event will be held at Mid-State Technical College in Steven’s Point. Complete the APH Professional Development Registration Form to sign up for this morning session. Registration will close on April 1st, 2026.

Applications Open Until May 1, 2026

New Item Review - August 3-5th In-Person Meetings in Pewaukee

DPI is currently recruiting Wisconsin educators to participate in “New Item Review” in-person meetings for the Forward Exam. During the item review, Wisconsin educators will come together to review newly created Forward Exam questions for content, grade level appropriateness, alignment to correct standard, cultural inclusivity, and bias/sensitivity issues prior to placement on the exam. More information, including how to apply, is available on the Forward Exam Educators Involvement webpage.

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