Kentucky Students in Daviess County Double Math Scores with Everyday Mathematics(R)

OWENSBORO, Ky., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ --Daviess County is home to two 2008 Blue Ribbon schools. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is offered by the U.S. Department of Education to honor schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. Students in both Blue Ribbon schools improved their mathematics scores on the state's standardized test by 55% in just one year after Wright Group/McGraw-Hill's Everyday Mathematics(R) was implemented in Grades K-5.

Both Sorgho Elementary School and Whitesville Elementary School adopted the program in fall 2004. The percentage ofSorgho students scoring Proficient or Distinguished on the math portion of the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) jumped from 39% in 2003 to 87% in 2004. The percentage ofWhitesville students jumped from 33% in 2003 to 73% in 2004.

Beverly Dawson, principal at Sorgho Elementary School, said Everyday Mathematics is used in approximately half the elementary schools district-wide, and the program, coupled with dedicated teachers, has made a significant difference for her students.

"Everyday Mathematics is a research-based curriculum focusing on critical thinking, which means the program teaches students to look at mathematical problems in different ways," she explained. "They know there's more than one way to solve a problem."

Dawson said Everyday Mathematics also gives students a basic understanding of how numbers work. "This gives them a good foundation that they'll use the rest of their academic careers. We've watched our students who had experienced the program since kindergarten excel in math once they reached the upper grades. That wasn't the case before the program began," Dawson explained.

Laura Cecil, the school's staff developer and gifted-education coordinator, said students aren't afraid to attack math problems now because they know multiple strategies. "This program offers various perspectives to approaching math and mathematical thinking. It doesn't force students to rely on one strategy to find a solution. When we challenge them with extremely difficult high-level math problems, like those used in middle school, we notice they are determined to solve them. That's because they take the time to use every solution they know to work it through," Cecil said.

Teachers at Whitesville Elementary School, which also received a Blue Ribbon in 2008, have watched students' math scores increase as well.

Before Everyday Mathematics was implemented in Grades K-5 in fall 2004, teachers in different grade levels used different math programs. Only 33% of students in Grades 3-5 scored Proficient or Distinguished in math on CATS in 2003. Once all teachers began using Everyday Mathematics and were consistent with the language they used to teach the program, scores began to rise. In just one year, 73% of students scored Proficient or Distinguished in math.

"The primary reason that several schools across the district have experienced score increases is because teachers have committed to teaching Everyday Math with fidelity to assure students' ongoing achievement," Dawson concluded.

AboutDaviess County Public Schools

Daviess County is located in the western portion ofKentucky along the southern banks of the Ohio River, about 30 miles southeast ofEvansville, Indiana. The major city in the county isOwensboro, which is the third largest city in the Commonwealth ofKentucky.Daviess County Public Schools operate 18 schools and serve roughly 10,840 students in Grades Pre-K-12. The student population is 89% Caucasian, 5% multicultural, 3% African American, 1% Asian, 1% Hispanic, and 1% Native American. More than 50% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. For more information aboutDaviess County Public Schools, visit http://www.DCPS.org.

About Everyday Mathematics

With more than 20 years of history, Wright Group/McGraw-Hill's Everyday Mathematics for Grades Pre-K-6 helps students measure up to the demand for greater mathematical competence and problem-solving ability. Everyday Mathematics was developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project. The research-based curriculum is used in nearly 185,000 classrooms acrossthe United States by more than 3 million children. The Everyday Mathematics eSuite includes an online lesson planner with digital access to all teacher materials, an interactive online student edition, animated games for additional fact practice, an assessment management system to monitor student progress, and multilingual family letters in nine languages to support the home-school connection.

Visit http://EverydayMathSuccess.com to read about the program's efficacy and to see videos of the program in use in the classroom. See http://WrightGroup.com/parent_connection/index.html for parent resources.

About Wright Group/McGraw-Hill

Wright Group/McGraw-Hill publishes innovative core and supplemental literacy and mathematics programs for differentiated instruction and teacher training in Grades Pre-K-8. The research-based approach, anchored in real-world applications, is based on the assessed needs of students, combining developmentally appropriate materials with explicit outcomes.

Wright Group is part of McGraw-Hill Education, a leading global provider of print and digital instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. McGraw-Hill Education has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 60 languages. Additional information is available at http://MHEducation.com. For more information on Wright Group's products, call 1-800-648-2970 or visit http://WrightGroup.com.

SOURCE Wright Group/McGraw-Hill

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