New math program adds up to improvements

The Farmington Middle School has started working on a new math program this year to help students advance in math skills. A math meeting was held Sept. 23 at the school for parents of students to discuss the new math program.

The Connected Mathematics Program 2 (CMP2) was first talked about in the district by a math instructor, Mrs. Davis, after she went to a Math Academy. The new techniques learned there had the school district thinking more of how to help the students do better at math.

The school applied for a grant to help fund the project but did not receive the grant. Instead, the district is funneling money from other areas to help the math department.

Middle School is using the program for the first time this year with the second edition. Things have been improved and corrected from the first version to better help the students grasp the concepts.

Dr. Dorothy Winslow serves as Principal at the Farmington Middle school and says “Teachers went to the math academy and liked what they saw. They experimented with tests and visited school districts that had the version of this program.

“They liked what they saw and wanted to improve their test scores and help kids understand why they do what they do.”

This particular method of teaching math to students is not about doing numerous problems, but solving a few problems with several steps. Doing it this way makes it easier for students to understand why they are doing the skills.

If the program works for the Middle School, the district may look at using it to help students at Lincoln Intermediate as well as the Farmington High School.

“I hope that they develop something for all the schools (in the district) to help the students,” a parent said during the math meeting.

The program is still in the learning phase but teachers say students are using calculators less often as aides and are more interested in learning of math.

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