Jennifer Moody Albany Democrat-Herald | Posted: Monday, November 17, 2008 10:00 pm
LEBANON - Some students at Lebanon High School are still failing math, but an after-hours tutoring program is helping improve their scores.
That effort, along with other possible solutions, was the subject of a Lebanon School Board work session Monday on the math failure rate at the high school. Math became an issue earlier this year when parent Laura Baker found nearly half the students last year flunked third-trimester Algebra I.
George Lanning, the district's interim superintendent, said he was aware discussions had been held on the subject but wanted to become more informed himself.
Lanning said he plans to distribute Monday's comments to administrators, then communicate their thoughts back to the parents, students and staff who gathered Monday and form a plan for new steps.
Parents, teachers, administrators and four LHS students at the workshop said the tutoring and increased attention to math have helped, but that many problems remain.
About two dozen students have taken advantage of the tutoring sessions, which are available before and after school and during lunch, Principal Mark Finch said Monday at a school board work session.
Adult volunteers, student tutors and a handful of staff members are on hand to help the students. More are needed, Finch said. "If you've got the time, we could use you."
Students Emily King, Justin Albion and Tayler Burrows said in their experience, math is best learned through real-world examples, visual and tactile aids, and teachers who make sure everyone has a firm grip on a concept before moving forward.
However, they added, students have to take some of the responsibility by doing the work and seeking out help when they need it. Albion said he appreciated a teacher who made math homework voluntary, but tested each class on the concepts the following day.
"I learned really quick I needed to do the work," he said.
Several people asked for more emphasis on the basics - multiplication tables without a calculator, for example - and cited the need for remedial classes or all-day math labs where students can bone up.
Ed Sansom, principal of Seven Oak Middle School, suggested mandatory Saturday school for students who don't turn in homework, or mandatory after-school work - led by coaches, perhaps - for athletes who aren't making the grade.
Board member Rick Alexander said he supports evaluating the high school class schedule to see if it needs to be reworked to include more math, a suggestion that came up at the board's November meeting.
That possibility received general support, but Lanning said the specifics and timing of such a discussion are probably a building-level issue.
Mostly, all agreed, the "culture" of the high school needs to change.
"Students are almost bragging about how little math they know," math teacher Leslie Rauwendaal said. "'My parents don't understand math.' So that gives you the right to not understand math? … I don't think they should be able to use that as an excuse."