By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
The Wynford Board of Education listened to a presentation from one of the school district’s teachers on Common Core math during Monday’s meeting.
During the public participation portion of the meeting Wynford sixth grade math teacher Julie Miller spoke to board members about the positives, negatives, myths, and facts of Common Core in the math classroom.
Miller explained that Common Core’s focus is strongly based on the standard’s focus, the coherence of common core across grades and links major topics together, and that Common Core has rigor in major topics students pursue, conceptual understanding of procedural skill and fluency of the application.
Miller listed pros of Common Core with students going deeper into understanding skills, that the method is a benefit for students that move numerous times throughout their educational period, and an increase of rigor in the classroom.
Miller’s cons for the Common Core method were time for adjustment, the cause of academic rigor forcing students to start earlier than ever, and due to the Common Core standard assessments being online it will cause school districts to spend more money on technology in order for students to have access to the tools needed for the classroom.
Miller then broke down the focus of math lessons by grade. The Common Core math lessons start with addition and subtraction, concept skills and problem solving being taught in grades K-2. In grades 3-5 multiplication, division of whole numbers and fractions, concept skills, and problem solving are being taught under the method. In grade 6 ratios and proportions, reasoning, early expression and equations are learned by students. Seventh grade students are taught ratios and proportional reasoning arithmetic of rational numbers. In eighth grade students are taught linear algebra.
Wynford Superintendent Steve Mohr looked at the positives of the Common Core method.
“The most important thing about Common Core, is it going to be tougher for our kids? Absolutely, but you don’t think there is anything wrong with increasing the rigor of our students,” Mohr said. “Instead of being a mile wide and an inch depth we are going to demand our kids truly understand what they are doing, and I think that is one of the strengths they are doing with Common Core.”
Miller said that there are online textbooks, and websites that can be used by students and parents to help out.
“As a parent of an eighth grade student I have used these Web sites numerous times,” Miller said.
The school board approved all personnel items on the agenda including the hiring of Matthew Safford as the school’s marching band director for the 2014/2105 school year, and the resignation of Karlotta Hobson.
Also within the approved operational items on the agenda were a $5,400 Public Connectivity Grant to help with bettering the school’s internet service, and a $3,000 grant from North Central Electric Cooperative for reading books for the elementary school.