Improving Math and Science Scores in Middle School

At the start of the study, at total of 150 students were identified as potential participants

The experiment started when Karen Lott, the principal of Brennan-Rogers, chose to extend the school day by an hour and 25 minutes. Her reason, she wanted to close the gap between her low performing school and the neighboring high performing schools. The result, Brennan-Rogers School had exhausted teachers and students and the same test results. The question that begged for an answer was why would a principal extend a school day to bring up test scores? In 2010 the Katherine Brennan School merged with other neighboring schools due to federal funding. This merge brought together a low income school with high income schools. The result was devastating for the children. Student behavior was out of control, a student set another student’s hair on fire (Bailey, 2014). Behavior was determined as the cause of low test scores. Only 12 percent of third graders met state reading goals compared to the 57 percent met by the district.

The Texas Academic Performance Reports is a detailed report of a district’s academic performance, financial information, and data reports as long as information about staff programs and demographics. Although the final and official ratings have not been released, a preliminary analysis for 2016 was available for review. From the results collected, I was able to create a detailed data analysis and summary over Channelview ISD’s STAAR/EOC scores for 2016 at all grade levels.

With this information, a region of schools can compare their results and figure out how well a region is doing in comparison to other regions. However, this is not completely valid due to the difference in assessment in each region. Therefore, they cannot be accurately compared to other regions because of this difference. (Costa and Kallick, 1995)

As I compiled this report looking at the overall report card these three districts are very similar. They all received an overall “F” on their State Report Card but there were a few differences that stood out to me. First is the K-3 Literacy, Youngstown received a

6. After looking at the data, the grade span and population that should be of most concern to the district is grades 3-5 IEP-special education. The reading proficiency decreased from 57.8% to 46.7% and the mathematic proficiency decreased from 70.2% to 54.1%. This data could indicate there was a change in the special education program that is affecting the instruction of the students.

The statistics for the district and state are similar. 3.1% of district students dropped out, comparable to the 2.1% of Texas students who dropped out. The district has 84.4% of their students graduate in time while Texas has 89% graduate. The average state SAT score is 1394 and Arlington ISD’s average is 3 points higher. The state average score for ACT on the other hand is 20.6 and while lower, the district’s average of 20.1 is still very close. Test scores and the rate of graduating students reflect the academic success of a school district because these are two things colleges and employers look

John Kelley Elementary is in the bottom 20% of California elementary schools based on the

The student/ teacher ratio was 12/1 which is lower than the state average 14/1. 91% of students receive free or a discounted lunch. The student population has increased by 13% over the past five years. Within the school 52% of students are female and 48 % are male. Majority of the students are in first grade totaling a little over 120 students and about 95 are in 2nd grade. For performance data the school only scores a passing rate of 11% for the English state test and 17% for math. The school also helps to budget extracurricular activities that include trips and excursions, student’s newspapers, a Bronx zoo program, academic intervention services and student council. The school receives a lot of support and has a few excellent after school programs that involve the parents. Due to the greater participation in extracurricular opportunities results in fewer problems in social behavior, and increase teacher interaction between both students and parents. Extracurricular activities often funded by the PTA at PS 66 positively impact students’ success. It is a great way for students to socialize with peers and can bring families and students of different backgrounds together. At PS66 some of the extracurricular programs are even designed to help at risk students and involves tutoring or running a food pantry that can create promote protective factors and reduces risk factors. At PS 66 they believe after and before school programs can help students improve in their academics and life skills along with increasing their discipline, goal-setting, teamwork, and responsibility. Ultimately, it’s not only a place that students discover that the lessons they learned outside the classroom can help them later in life, but is also a place that can bring different cultures and groups together to create a better learning

Geometry and Algebra are so crucial to the development of the world it is taught to every public high school in the United States, around 14.8 million teenagers each year (National Center for Education Statistics). Mathematics is the engine powering our world; our stocks, economy, technology, and science are all based off from math. Math is our universal and definite language “I was especially delighted with the mathematics, on account of the certitude and evidence of their reasonings.” (Rene Descartes, 1637).

The first school in the district to present was Bradford Area High School. The principle, Mr. Ray, spoke saying that overall the school scored a 77.9%. The goal he has set for his school is to improve college prep classes, mastery skills in standardized testing, and to continue to revamp the science curriculum since it is the lowest scores on the state’s testing. I feel this could affect me as a future teacher because I would know what I need to work on more with my students. In addition, this could mean more jobs available to college prep classes.

In my schooling, I studied subjects that include science along with mathematics which helped me to develop awareness in the above courses.

It is often said that math and science are two subjects that go hand in hand. Much of the work that scientists do, is conduct experiments to produce data. In most cases, the data involves numbers. Whether it involves weight, speed, time, temperature, etc., that data is mostly quantifiable. In order to solve problems, scientists, as well as students striving to be scientists must use the basic forms of algebra to accurately solve their calculations. Being a chemistry major, I have found that as a student progresses to higher level chemistry, the courses become more math intensive, this being a challenge for those who did not succeed in the following college algebra topics.

Maths is ubiquitous in our lives, but depending on the learning received as a child it could inspire or frighten. If a child has a negative experience in mathematics, that experience has the ability to affect his/her attitude toward mathematics as an adult. Solso (2009) explains that math has the ability to confuse, frighten, and frustrate learners of all ages; Math also has the ability to inspire, encourage and achieve. Almost all daily activities include some form of mathematical procedure, whether people are aware of it or not. Possessing a solid learning foundation for math is vital to ensure a lifelong understanding of math. This essay will discuss why it is crucial to develop in children the ability to tackle problems with initiative and confidence (Anghileri, 2006, p. 2) and why mathematics has changed from careful rehearsal of standard procedures to a focus on mathematical thinking and communication to prepare them for the world of tomorrow (Anghileri).

Mathematics, like every creation of man, have evolved without really knowing how far you can get with them: the scope of the computer, physics, chemistry, algebra, all are evidence of this. Every aspect of our culture is based in some way or another in Mathematics: language, music, dance, art, sculpture, architecture, biology, daily life. All these areas of measurements and calculations are accurate. Even in nature, everything follows a precise pattern and a precise order: a flower, a shell, a butterfly, day and night, the seasons. All this makes mathematics essential for human life and they can not be limited only to a matter within the school curriculum; here lies the importance of teaching math in a pleasure, enjoyable and understandable way. Mathematics is an aid to the development of the child and should be seen as an aid to life and not as an obstacle in their lifes.