By Andrew Hackmack
The Board of Education approved the selection of Math Connects at its December meeting, ending a process that stretched into a second school year.
The board accepted the recommendation made by the district-s math committee. I think it-s exactly what the parents have been asking for and will really help the kids to get a good understanding of math, said Pat Burns, the district-s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
The district piloted three math programs last year, but parents and school officials were not happy with any of them. This year, committed to finding a new program, the district hired a consultant, outlined criteria for a selection and set a timetable. The goal was to choose a new program by December. Everything went as planned every single step, said Superintendent Dr. Elaine Kanas.
In October, five publishing companies presented programs to the math committee and at a public forum. The two favored programs, Math Connects and HSP Math, were selected to be piloted in the classrooms. Both programs were used in one classroom at each grade level per building. Teachers, parents and administrators concluded that either program would meet the district-s needs, but Math Connects was the favorite.
The new program will be implemented for the 2009-10 school year.
Burns said that the district is now negotiating a deal with the Math Connects publisher. One of the most important aspects of implementing the new program, she said, will be to provide training for both teachers and parents. District officials want to have parent workshops as well as a forum on the program-s technology components.
Kanas explained that the program caters to all levels of students, from those who are struggling to those who are ahead of the pace. It has a strong technology component, she said, with the textbook available online, and its publisher offers good customer service.
One of the district-s goals was to select a program that parents can use with their children. Kanas said that Math Connects meets that need. Parents felt they were able to use the materials effectively with their students at home, she said.
Parent Margie Lugo, a member of the math committee, said she is very pleased with the outcome of the selection process. She spoke to other parents, and said they felt strongly about Math Connects.
Lugo-s son is in fifth grade at Shaw Avenue School, and is in one of the classes that piloted the two programs. She said that Math Connects was challenging, yet fun. He was actually thinking about the math, she said.
Throughout the process, Lugo said, everyone worked well together, and parents were as much a part of the process as teachers and administrators. We were able to let them know what was important to us and they listened, she said of the district-s administration.
The district decided to adopt the program for grades K through 6. The initial plan was to use it for K through 5, and to choose a sixth-grade program in February. Math Connects was piloted at the sixth-grade level in the fall, and HSP Math was supposed to be tested after the new year. However, Kanas said, the committee was happy with what Math Connects had to offer at the sixth-grade level and decided to recommend using the program in all the grades. It just made sense, she said.
Lugo said she believes this will be best for the district. We were able to find a program that can be used throughout the whole school, she said.
Joanne Lufrano, a math specialist in the district, said she is looking forward to the teacher training and learning about all the components the program has to offer. She said that after the pilot was complete, reaching a consensus was easy. Most people said that they would be happy with either one, but Math Connects was way higher, Lufrano said. It worked out great that the teachers wanted the same thing as the parents.
Comments about this story? AHackmack@ liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
