2017 NCTM Regional Conference and Exposition: Speaker Proposal Rubric

By Zak Champagne
September 28, 2016

We realize that there has been much discussion around the process for determining speakers at NCTM Regional Conferences and Annual Meetings. 

Our good pal Robert Kaplinsky has shared his program committee experiences in his two-part blog post:

1. What I Learned From Being On A NCTM Program Committee
2. What I Learned From Being On A NCTM Program Committee – Part 2

In addition, there has been much discussion amongst the #MTBoS community discussing the need for more transparency and clarity in the speaker selection process. 

Well friends, we’ve got exciting news for you! The 2017 Orlando Regional Committee has decided—with full support from NCTM—to release the rubric we will use in deciding which proposals will be accepted. 

In an effort to increase transparency of the process, we want you to know what we are looking for in submissions. We are interested in the best speaker proposals possible and we believe that knowing what we are looking for in advance will help you put together a top-notch proposal. Yes, we hope this means our job will be insanely difficult. But we are attempting to model what we do in the classroom. That is, we provide students with a rubric before the assignment/assessment. 

Now, we understand that the release of this rubric will likely come with some criticism—we welcome your comments and suggestions on how to improve this rubric. We feel that it is a work in progress and we plan to help NCTM continue to improve this in the future. However, we respectfully ask that you’ll help us focus this conversation on the positive by keeping your comments and suggestions productive. Thanks team—we’re glad to be in this with you!

Download the rubric (PDF) and submit your proposal.