New math classes proposed to help struggling students

WEBUTUCK — Math Department Chair Rosanna Hamm attended the Board of Education meeting Monday, April 13, to update the board on necessary changes.

At previous board meetings, during public comments, questions were raised about what the school was doing for children faring poorly in math classes, as well as what effect failing the Regent exams would have on a student who had passed the actual class.

Hamm distributed a packet of elective courses the math department would like to offer for the upcoming year.

“We’re looking at helping struggling students,� she said. “We’re trying to get students to take four years of math instead of three.�

In trying to address the needs of all the students, there will be two geometry classes: one for students intending on taking the Regents and one for those who aren’t. Hamm also introduced the idea of a financial math class, where students are taught the basics of balancing a checkbook and more reality-based mathematics.

School board member Joe Herald said he thought it would be a great course.

“It’s functional math that you can apply to the rest of your life,� board President Dale Culver added.

During the superintendent’s report, Superintendent Richard Johns said the proposed courses would mean “a significant redeployment of personnel that can’t be overstated.�

Johns said the district probably won’t be able to offer all the new courses at once and would need to stagger their introduction into the curriculum.

“But it’s huge for a small school to be able to inflate their curriculum,� he added, thanking the high school staff and the Curriculum Council for creating these new opportunities for students.

Johns also said he had met with the Curriculum Council earlier in the evening to continue ongoing discussions about at-risk students.

“We’re looking at much more holistic solutions,� he said, “like how do we get to kids before they have the frustration of failure?�

Parent Jeanne Rebillard said she felt the school’s policies were confusing. While she commended the efforts of those behind the newly proposed classes, she asked what the board was doing for the students who were already behind. Johns replied that staff from the high school would need to come to the next board meeting to address short-term solutions.

Culver requested a report on students who failed a class by the next meeting.

“There’s no room at this school for labels,� he said. “We have an obligation to each student individually.�

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