New ideas and a fresh perspective are exactly what’s called for
to transform Gilroy’s students into a group competent in
mathematics.
New ideas and a fresh perspective are exactly what’s called for to transform Gilroy’s students into a group competent in mathematics. As a district, student performance falls steadily after fourth grade and results in this dismal statement found on the first page of the Gilroy Unified School District’s Comprehensive Math Plan: The most disappointing trend in grades 9th to 11th are the percent of proficient and advanced nearly flat from 9.3 percent to 10.7 percent in a four-year span.
Gilroy School Board members, GUSD staff members and the administration know something needs to be done to arrest this decline. After a ton of work that included three districtwide math summits, board study sessions and classroom observation, trustees reached a decision: Extend the school day at middle school to allow for more targeted and comprehensive math instruction.
GUSD’s math plan identifies the “middle school issue”: Intervention classes at the middle school are two periods long for a total of 90 minutes and electives are not offered to students in math intervention classes. Also, students at grade level and advanced levels only have one period of math for 45 minutes. Two periods of mathematics for grade level and advanced level students need to be adopted through contract negotiations.”
Recommendations include:
– Adopt longer day schedules for the middle school to accommodate an extra period of math and present item at negotiating sessions.
– Schedule Saturday Academies and make math a focus for the middle After School Program portion of the academic block.
– Assign students who are below grade level to Summer Math Academy for an extra 20 days of math support.
Union representative Michelle Nelson says that the teachers have been left out of the process, and that a longer day needed to be a negotiated item before the board unanimously approved adding an 8th period to the middle school day. Trustees counter that math proficiency is the overreaching priority, that the teachers have a “professional day” clause in their contract that allows for possible extension and that good-faith negotiations can take place post adoption of the policy.
It’s too bad all parties couldn’t have been on board the “math-improvement train” but process must be a secondary issue to math proficiency.
By adopting an eighth period for middle school students, the school board is sending a strong message that math improvement is one of the district’s top priorities. It’s a message that says, “We need to work harder to get this goal accomplished.” Trustees are willing to hire more math teachers and negotiate salary to get the job done.
It’s an equation that adds up and should result in better Gilroy students. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
