MAA town hall sessions are typically scheduled for 50 minutes. They are similar to panel discussions but with a ‘flipped’ model. That is, the goal of a town hall is to gather suggestions and feedback from the audience rather than from the panelists, and ample time should be devoted to this goal. Town halls may have a full set of panelists to direct audience feedback or may feature more of an open microphone setting for more informal sharing of ideas.

The Future is Now: Crowdsourcing Ethical Standards and Pedagogy for the AI Era

The rise of generative AI tools present a monumental challenge and unprecedented opportunity for mathematics education. This Town Hall is not a lecture; it's a crowdsourced design session where your expertise is the focus. We'll briefly frame the current challenges in assessment and integrity, then immediately turn the floor over to you. We are looking for actionable, real-world suggestions on two critical topics:

Setting Ethical Boundaries: What pedagogical guidelines should the math community adopt for the responsible use of AI in homework, exams, and general study?

Redesigning Assessment: How can we create assessments that measure genuine mathematical reasoning, modeling skills, and critical thinking—the skills AI cannot replace? Bring your toughest questions, your best solutions, and your willingness to discuss. Your feedback will be synthesized and shared with the broader mathematics education community post-conference. Come help define the future of mathematics teaching!

Organizers:
Shelletta Baker, Valencia College

The Conflict between Exclusivity and Accountability: Reconciling and Healing the Emotional Toll of High-stakes Assessments on the Mathematical Community

High stakes examinations are a gatekeeper that allows / prevents an individual from advancing into higher-level mathematics. For instance, qualifying exams are one of the most pivotal, and often times most stressful, milestones in a graduate student’s academic career. Passing or failing these exams determines whether a student continues in the program, and results from this process can become a source of shame, trauma, anxiety, and isolation (even for those who succeed). Many students who struggle with or fail their exams feel unable to share their experiences with peers, mentors, and their community for fear of judgement, perpetuating the stigma of failure, rather than normalizing an opportunity for growth.

This town hall will be an open and supportive space for individuals to discuss their experiences with the qualifying exams and other high-stakes assessments / points of advancement in their education or careers, and how that has shaped their professional choices. This town hall will explore the experiences individuals have, how high-stakes assessments are designed to hold students accountable, but are often used to exclude students in the name of “rigor”.  More than anything, this town hall intends to “break the wall of silence” around these rites of passage.

We will build a safe space to discuss everyone’s academic journey and collaboratively crowdsource tangible strategies for coping with taking qualifying exams and other high-stakes assessments. Through structured facilitation, attendees will collectively brainstorm a list of practices, strategies, and actions that can help future/current students implement in their upcoming exams. We will also discuss resources for self-compassion, as well as healing and moving on from shame. A mental health professional will be on hand to provide support and guidance during this journey. A mental health professional will also facilitate ways to provide emotional support as well as to intervene if needed. Our aim will be to identify both tangible and wide-ranging strategies for any current and future students taking such assessments and for those designing and implementing them.

Organizers:
Geillan Aly, Compassionate Math
Victoria Kala, University of Utah
Apoorva Mate, Penn State - Brandywine
F. Taina Amaro, Cadence Consulting

AP® Calculus & AP Precalculus – Updates from the Field

AP Calculus has long been considered the gold standard of Advanced Placement courses. AP Precalculus, established in 2024, has quickly become one of the most enrolled AP courses. It is having a profound influence on the high school mathematics curriculum. At this town hall, the Chief Reader for AP Precalculus, a Development Committee Member for AP Calculus, and a high school AP teacher will give an overview of each course, will examine recent problems from AP exams, and will discuss implementation of the AP curriculum in the high school classroom.

Organizers:
Michael Boardman, Pacific University

Aligning Calculus Preparation with STEM Pathways: Bridging Gaps and Exploring Solutions

This town hall session will explore the evolving calculus preparation needs for STEM degree programs. We will share preliminary findings from research into calculus prerequisites for fields like computer science and mechanical engineering, highlighting gaps and misalignments. Through interactive discussion, participants will help identify challenges, propose solutions, and share successful strategies for aligning mathematics curricula with the diverse requirements of STEM pathways. This session is designed for educators, administrators, and stakeholders interested in fostering equitable access and practical curriculum redesign to better support student success in STEM fields.

Organizers:
Erin Barno, ETS
Field Watts, ETS

Finding Community in Challenging Times: A SPECTRA Town Hall

Last year’s panel, Navigating the Current Challenges Facing Academia as a Student or Faculty and How to Support Each Other, highlighted many of the structural pressures facing the mathematical community, including NSF funding cuts, hiring freezes, shrinking Ph.D. cohorts, and decreasing support for underrepresented communities. This year’s SPECTRA Town Hall builds on that conversation by creating a space for community dialogue.

In this session, we will move beyond a traditional panel format and invite participants to share their experiences, concerns, and strategies for navigating the current academic climate. Through facilitated small-group discussions, we aim to create a supportive and respectful environment where students, faculty, and administrators can reflect together on the challenges they are facing.

The town hall will also discuss available resources, strategies for mutual support, and practices of self-compassion during difficult professional moments. Our goal is to foster connection, solidarity, and collective care within the mathematical community.

Organizers:
Apoorva Mate, Penn State Brandywine
David Crombecque, American Institute of Mathematics
Mike Hill, University of Minnesota