By Andrew Hackmack
Following the testing debacle, in which a record number of students originally had failed the exam, the state's curriculum has been under heavy scrutiny.
Since then, state education officials decided to scrap the Math A/Math B structure, which consisted of two year-and-a-half courses. Instead, it was decided to switch to three one-year math courses. This is a change welcomed by local educators.
Oceanside Superintendent Dr. Herb Brown explained that his faculty supports the switch because there will be a test at the end of each school year. He also said the new program for the most part breaks down algebra, geometry and trigonometry into three separate courses, which allows teachers to go more in-depth on a subject. Formerly, the three topics were sprinkled throughout Math A and Math B, he explained.
Debra Harley, director of math and science for the East Meadow School district, agreed that it is better to give a test at the end of each school year. She said she believes that when a course is interrupted by a summer vacation, students will not retain as much information when it comes time to sit for the Regents.
Harley explained that teachers prefer to take ownership of a group of students, and see them through a course from beginning to end. Under the old program, students might have a different teacher in their sophomore year, yet still be taking the same Math A course.
East Meadow will fully implement the new math program next year. Only the lowest performing ninth grade students are taking the new Integrated Algebra course this year, but will take it over an extended two-year period.
"We felt it best to wait," she said, "because we haven't seen a Regents yet."
Harley said that there is a lot of uncertainty as to what the new Regents exam will look like, so her district chose to wait until one has already been given before putting East Meadow students through the test. Next year's ninth grade, as well as those now in the extended program, will be the first East Meadow group to take the Integrated Algebra Regents.
Malverne School District officials also followed the same route. Roselinda Ricca, the district's chairwoman of mathematics, said the last Math A Regents will be given in January of 2009 so they were able to start one more group of students in the old program.
"Our present eighth grade will be taking the Integrated Algebra next year," she said, "so that's where we are making the necessary changes."
The Valley Stream High School District begins the new program this year with the accelerated eighth grade students. The present ninth grade will be the last class to take the Math A Regents.
Tracey Nekulak, the director of instruction, funded programs and grants, explained that this will keep students in the same grade together in the new math program. They will either take it next year as ninth graders or this year in the accelerated eighth grade program.
Nekulak said while the state has mandated the new curriculum requirements, districts have a lot of flexibility in making the transition.
"You can implement it the way you feel would suit your students the best," Nekulak said.
More than 200 students in the Valley Stream High School District are taking Integrated Algebra this year in the accelerated program. The second course in the sequence is Geometry, followed in third year by Algbera 2/Trigonometry.
Oceanside accelerates all its students. This year all eighth graders in the district are taking the new course. The superintendent said students have a math lab every other day with the same teacher as their regular math class. Brown, a former math teacher himself, said there was initially some concern about the first Integrated Algebra Regents which is to be given in June 2008. He said state education officials initially said it could take up to two months to get results back to districts. That concerned him and other superintendents because it would make it impossible to place students who fail the exam into summer school. Fortunately, he said, they lobbied hard enough and the state education department now promises the results in a timely manner.
"They promised them within 10 days of taking the test," Brown said.
In preparation for the switch the new math program, Brown said the district had new textbooks in time for last year's seventh grade class, the same group now taking the new Integrated Algebra course. He said his teachers spent much time readjusting the curriculum and selecting the proper textbooks.
Harley said in East Meadow they are reviewing the various textbook options. She said there are still too many unanswered questions to choose the proper book at this point.
"Once we know more, we will start making that decision," she said.
In Valley Stream, Nekulak said teachers identified books they felt best met the state curriculum. There are also several professional development opportunities available for math teachers in the district.
Although the curriculum is mandated by the state, Nekulak said it is up to individual districts how to deliver that instruction.
"We are not told by the state how to teach it," she said.
The math teachers got together and developed a general schedule of what order to teach the topics and how much time to spend on each unit. This is necessary, she said, because there is a districtwide midterm. Despite these confinements, Nekulak said the teachers still have much flexibility as to their instructional methods.
While districts are at various stages in implementing the new math curriculum, local educators believe it is ultimately going to benefit the students. Yearly Regents exams, as was the case with the old Sequential I, II and III set up, is the favored method.
"A year-and-a-half," Brown said, "is a long time for kids to have to remember mathematics before they have to take an exam."
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