New math program gets high marks

The new math program in District 30 is getting rave reviews from teachers, who say that students really enjoy learning their 1-2-3’s and beyond.

Last year, district officials selected Math Connects as the new program for grades K-6. Teachers, administrators and parents came together to analyze several possible programs and eventually settled on the series published by McGraw-Hill.

Joanne Lufrano, the district’s math curriculum chairperson, said teachers received a half-day of training on the new program last June. In the fall, a consultant from the company instructed staff on the various technology components.

The program includes textbooks, CDs, online resources and hands-on components such as pattern blocks and number cubes. “There’s just so much,” Lufrano said. “It has everything that everybody wanted.”

Lufrano said the program meets the New York state learning standards for math. She also explained that it provides ways for math skills can to be practiced in other subject areas.

Sixth-grade teacher Deanna Cerrone said Math Connects approaches the subject the old-fashioned way. That is exactly what many District 30 parents wanted so they would be able to help their children with their math homework. A criticism of the old program was that it taught math in a way parents were simply unfamiliar with.

Additionally, Cerrone said, the old program didn’t have “real units.” A topic would be introduced and revisited later on. “It was like teaching it over and over again,” she said. With Math Connects, a topic is mastered before moving on to the next skill.

Kindergarten teacher Madelyn Schweigert said the hands-on components keep children engaged in the learning process. What kids think of as games are really math centers, where they go from station to station and practice their skills. “That’s what keeps them motivated and going,” Schweigert said.

Schweigert agreed with Cerrone that it is better to have children master a concept before moving on to the next topic. She said that will make students higher level thinkers and better problem solvers.

Sarah Tauber, a fifth-grade teacher, said the program is very family friendly. There are numerous online components so children can sit down at the computer at night and practice their math skills. The online tutorials, she said, show exactly how a lesson was taught so parents can get involved and help their children as well.

And the textbooks, she said, are kid friendly because it gives a lot of real world examples. “They see where they can actually apply what they’re learning,” Tauber said.

Lastly, she said, the program is teacher friendly. It gives her several different ways to teach each lesson so she can reach out to those students who are struggling, as well as those students who grasp a concept quickly and need some extra enrichment.

Lufrano said the transition has been very smooth and has heard only good comments from parents and staff. Each year, she said, as teachers discover more about the program and all it has to offer, math instruction will only improve across the district. “I’m happy that everybody else is happy,” she said.