Learning That Counts
Research shows that elementary school can determine whether children "sink or swim" in math, and that students who can understand and apply math concepts in a variety of situations are better prepared for life-long tasks.
To meet the challenge of improving student understanding and achievement in mathematics, Houston A+ Challenge has teamed up with ExxonMobil and Houston ISD to identify, develop and place mathematics specialists in K- 5 classrooms.
Currently, 21 schools in Houston ISD's West Region participate in the initiative, which places a math specialist at each school to provide leadership and expertise in mathematics based on nationally recognized, research-based professional development.
Math specialists are in classrooms on a daily basis, co-teaching math lessons with teachers and working with children on mathematical concepts. The ultimate goal of the K-5 Math Initiative is to ensure that all children are making sense out of the numbers they see, and that teachers are creating opportunities in the classroom for each student to acquire more than a rote memorization of mathematics.
The K-5 Math Initiative also extends student learning from the classroom into the home, by teaching parents the very same lessons and concepts that their children are learning -- allowing parents to guide their children at home with strategies used at school. Each of the participating schools holds at least one Family Math Night during the course of the school year, where parents and students work collaboratively to learn math skills. The K-5 Math Initiative schools also participate in two districtwide Parent Math Series events annually.
Program Results and History
During the 2005-2006 school year , 18 HISD elementary schools and 17 math specialists participated in the ExxonMobil K-5 Math Initiative. Eighty-five percent of the elementary schools that received additional professional development through the program scored higher than their district average on the 2005 TAKS math test.
This initiative began in the 2000-2001school year, when ExxonMobil, Houston A+ Challenge and Houston ISD joined to fund the placement of five math specialists in eight elementary schools in Houston ISD's then-Southwest District.
The program proved so popular, that the number of participating schools and math specialists in the Southwest District nearly doubled in the fall of 2001. During the 2003-2004 school year, 15 schools in the Southwest and West Central districts participated in the initiative. In addition, the Northwest District began offering its teachers the same professional development used in the initiative for math specialists.
Houston ISD's math specialists are part of a national network of specialists supported by the ExxonMobil Foundation. Since 1988, the K-5 mathematics specialist program has been a centerpiece for the Foundation's effort to improving students' and teachers' understanding of mathematics. During this time, ExxonMobil Foundation has funded K-5 mathematics specialist projects in at least 119 school districts in the United States as well as in the Netherlands.
For more information, contact:
Mike Webster , Program Coordinator
Suzanne Sutherland, Director of Programs
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