Trending
Ohio County Board of Education members this past week approved another five years of the "Go Math!" program in grades kindergarten through six. Math test scores, which will be released in the coming months, apparently are on the rise in the county's lower grades, and district administrators recommended continuing the program, which has been in use since 2019.
If test scores are increasing as board members were told, then it was the right choice to continue with this program. Ohio County Schools has struggled to increase its scores in recent years in mathematics -- particularly in the higher grades -- so setting a stronger base through the sixth grade with a program that's yielding dividends hopefully will pay off over the next decade through higher levels of achievement through high school.
"We can't release scores, but we're pretty proud of where we are and what we're doing.... I had to put away the confetti. But we're seeing great gains, and we're going to continue with the series we are working with," said Raquel McLeod, the county's director of student services.
According to Ohio County Schools, "Go Math!" implements the "5E" instructional model -- engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate. It focuses on students constructing knowledge from experiences.
Ohio County Board of Education President Andy Garber relayed how Go Math! has helped his own granddaughter. "I was the designated math tutor for my granddaughter. She has a difficult time with math," he said. "She was a student in Ms. LaFlam's math class (at Woodsdale Elementary School). Not only did Ms. LaFlam and the 'Go Math!' series help my granddaughter, it helped her to have a love of math.
"Not only is she performing better, but she enjoyed it. That is the key component in learning. When you are doing something you enjoy, obviously it is going to boost your want to do better and learn."
That's excellent to hear.
A strong foundation early in any subject is key to a lifelong love of learning. Perhaps Ohio County officials have written the right equation here with Go Math!. Let us hope not just the test scores but continued student achievement show that.