Knox County students proved that they have “got math?” at the fifth annual Math Blast celebration held at Knox Central High School on Tuesday, November 15.
Over 1,300 students were invited to be honored for their achievements on the math portion of the spring 2011 assessment. The annual event recognizes those students who scored proficient or better.
“We had excellent participation at this year’s event despite the weather and other events going on in the district,” stated Frank Shelton, public information officer for the district.
Shelton explained that this year’s theme of “got math?” was focused on educating parents about new methods of teaching math and how they can provide help with math at home.
“Prior to the recognitions, students and parents visited math classrooms setup to educate and inform about the math programs and initiatives that each school offers,” said Shelton. “Our math classrooms today look a lot different than five or ten years ago.”
The district currently utilizes a variety of core math programs in its schools. Central Elementary, GR Hampton, Flat Lick, and Lynn Camp Elementary are using the Common Core Standards for math combined with resources from Everyday Math. The newest version of Everyday Math is being used at Lay Elementary. Girdler Elementary is in its second year of using Math in Focus, which is based on Singapore math. Dewitt Elementary started a new math program called Envision in October. The district’s middle schools are currently using a standard text for math with Knox Middle also utilizing Mathia. Knox Central and Lynn Camp High School are using Quality Core units developed by ACT.
“It was great to showcase the variety of programs used in Knox County to ensure student success in math,” said Pam Williams, coordinator of the annual celebration.
According to Williams, the math programs being used are making a huge impact on student achievement.
“The first year we had the Math Blast, we honored 942 students for their proficient and distinguished scores,” said Williams. “This year the total was over 1,300 and the number grows each year.”