Houlton Southside School explores new ways to improve math skills

How to improve math skills? That is the quandary facing Houlton Southside School.
“The Common Core State Standards, adopted by the State of Maine in April of 2011, define what every student is expected to know and do at each grade level. The standards were developed to ensure that students would graduate from high school having the necessary skills and knowledge to enter the workforce or continue with higher education. The end result is that today’s students are expected to master many skills at a much younger age,” said Beth Ludwig, K-6 math coach for RSU/SAD 29.
    To be proficient in math, students must understand the concepts behind the standard algorithms.
“The challenge we face is multifaceted: students learn in a variety of ways; require varying amounts of time to develop understanding of a concept and mastery of the skills; and the time to accomplish this is currently limited by the length of the school day and the school year,” said Ludwig.
Over the years the need for efficiency has out-weighed the need for effectiveness in the teaching of math. Typically, a certain amount of time has been allotted for teaching each concept. Many students have been able to grasp concepts in the time allowed; however, some students needed additional time and varied instruction to develop their understanding. Due to time restrictions, the class had to move on to the next concept. The fallout of this practice has been that significant numbers of people believe they are incapable of understanding math, when in truth had they been given more time and instruction, they would have understood the concepts.
It is time to take a serious look at the educational system. The current setup of 175, six-and-a-half hour days is inadequate for significant numbers of children to reach the goals that have been set for them. This is resulting in frustration for students, parents and educators, according to Ludwig.
Finding a solution that works for all students will take creativity. Three Math Nights (one for each grade level) have been planned. During these meetings the Common Core State Standards will be shared with students and parents. Parents will also be introduced to the school’s Moodlesite. The math standards for each grade level are posted on the website with lessons from enVisionMATH that teach the skills necessary for meeting each standard. Ludwig hopes to enlist the help of students, parents, educators, and members of the community to contribute additional resources to the site.
“The first goal is to have a collection of quality resources that can be accessed 24/7 when working on a standard,” she said. “We have a good deal of expertise in our schools and community.”
Collecting resources and making them available 24/7 is one way to provide students with lessons, opportunities to practice and time to master required skills.
“We are faced with the task of preparing our children for jobs that do not yet exist,” Ludwig explained. “I anticipate significant changes in education in the years to come. It will take students, parents, educators and members of the community working together to develop a system that provides for individual student needs and capitalizes on student interests.”
“The business world has already accomplished this with customization of products and services with 24/7 availability. Is it possible to make this happen for education? I am excited about the possibilities and look forward to working with all stake holders to develop a system that is effective for students and manageable for educators,” said Ludwig.
The next Math Night will be held Tuesday, May 8, at 6:30 p.m. in the Houlton Southside cafeteria.  Parents, students and interested members of the community are encouraged to attend.
For more information, or to share a resource, Ludwig can be contacted at Houlton Southside, 532-6027 or beludwig@msln.net. Information about the Common Core State Standards can be found at http://www.maine.gov/ education/standards.htm.
Editor’s note: Gloria Austin worked with Beth Ludwig on this article.