The district has adopted Math Modules, a new Common Core-aligned mathematics program that will prepare students for the higher demands of college. Math Module lessons for grades K-5 provide teachers with the opportunity to concentrate on a more focused set and sequencing of major math concepts and skills, and allows students to master these skills in a more organized way throughout the year and from one grade to the next. Math concepts are taught in a sequence of crafted modules to produce mastery of the subject matter.  

Christine Tona, executive director for curriculum and instruction, said, “We want to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills they need to be successful.”

In a fourth-grade math lesson, South Bay Elementary School teacher Terrance Egan’s students first reviewed whether certain large numbers were greater than or less than other numbers. When he was sure that the class had mastered the concept, Egan introduced a new concept on the white board, adding and subtracting large numbers to arrive at the precise answer and rounding the numbers to achieve the estimated answer. This lesson utilized previous concepts about place value and estimation. Students were invited to solve the problems on the white board while classmates simultaneously solved the problems in their workbooks. There was also much class discussion about the “givens” in the math problems, encouraging the students to draw from previously learned mathematical concepts.
 
Math Module Parent Guides have been provided on the district’s website to help parents assist their children with math homework difficulties. The guides break down the math lessons into modules and lesson numbers and provide sample problems and solutions.

On Oct. 6, 100 parents were in attendance for the first of three Math Module workshops to teach parents strategies for helping their children with homework and to ask questions about the program. Two more workshops are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 6, 7-8 p.m., at JFK Elementary School, and Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7-8 p.m., at Santapogue Elementary School.