New Math, SAT-Preparation Programs for Middle Schools

Middle school is a real turning point or crossroads for many students. What happens there affects how well they will do in high school, college, and their careers, and it might even determine whether they will make it all the way to graduation day. On October 8, 2009, the HISD Board of Education approved two proposals that will help middle-school students to be successful algebra students and prepare for a key college-readiness exam.

A $313,000 grant from the Texas Education Agency will enable seven middle schools in the East Region to take part in the Middle School Texas Algebra-Ready (MSTAR) pilot project. Deady, Edison, Holland, Jackson, Ortiz, Rusk, and Stevenson were selected for participation on the basis of their math students’ achievement data. The goals of the MSTAR pilot project, which focuses on grades 7 and 8 and will involve Texas Instruments’ MathForward program and resources, are to increase the number of students who are academically ready to pass the Algebra I end-of-course exam, provide online professional development and in-classroom coaching to increase the instructional effectiveness of teachers in grades 7 and 8, equip school leaders to support and monitor the math teachers on their campus, and help parents discuss their children’s progress in math with their teachers more frequently. Consultants and staff members at the participating schools will observe and interview administrators, teachers, and students to identify lessons learned and optimize the program’s positive effects on administrators, teachers, and students.

Another action by the board will help the district prepare 2,365 middle-school students for the SAT Reasoning Test, which many college and universities consider in their admission decisions. The trustees approved the Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP), which has academically qualified students take practice college-entrance exams like the SAT and identifies the students’ strengths and weaknesses. The program will also train two teachers per campus in how to focus on critical areas and provide students with test-taking strategies that prepare them for success on the actual SAT. “I wish we could offer this program to many more students,” said board member Diana Dávila. Preparing more students for success on the SAT Reasoning test “will get us more National Merit Scholars and help them be accepted by any university.”