Oklahoma Blue Ribbon School Credits Everyday Mathematics for Student Success

NORMAN, Okla., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Teachers at Lakeview Elementary School, a 2007 Blue Ribbon School, credit part of their students' academic success to Everyday Mathematics, a Wright Group/McGraw-Hill program. Grades K-5 in the Norman Public Schools began using Everyday Mathematics in fall 2004. As one of this year's 289 Blue Ribbon Schools, Lakeview teachers joined educators from 22 other exemplary schools in presenting their math curriculum and strategies during a conference in Washington, D.C. in mid-November.

Sara Snodgrass, Lakeview's Title I math resources coordinator, said teachers' overall goal is to move students up the quartiles to achieve math proficiency, especially low-income and Native American students. Lakeview has the largest Native American student population in the district, as well as one of the largest homeless populations.

"We're really gratified to watch our kids move toward proficiency," she said. "The number of students in each grade is very small, therefore, the performance of each student affects our results. We've achieved the most growth in Grade 5 because many of these children have experienced the program since Grade 2."

Snodgrass said teachers meet with every child's parents to explain how they are going to move that student toward proficiency or beyond.

"We have developed a very strong parent/school partnership through this program," she explained. "We host informational meetings for parents, as well as Family Math Nights. We've actually developed a math community, and everyone is excited to see their kids excel."

Snodgrass said she believes the number one attribute of Everyday Math is its ability to teach students to solve problems.

"I've taught almost 30 years, and this is the first time I feel like I've really taught math. I know many parents wish they had learned math this way too. That's why they are happy to tutor their kids at home. Math skills spiral from grade to grade, which means it's easy to teach for parents, too," Snodgrass said.

Using district-created benchmark assessments, Lakeview teachers analyze student data before developing goals for differentiated instruction among small groups of students. Then they use a team planning and teaching model to ensure each individual child's success.

"We set common, school-wide math goals, analyze data frequently, partner with parents, and focus on differentiated instruction to teach children to be problem solvers in their everyday lives. Everyday Math works not only for struggling children, but also for children who exceed our expectations," said Snodgrass. "Before we adopted Everyday Math, our scores on state mandated tests were quite low. Now they are at the top among other schools in our district and in the top 10% in our state. This dramatic rise in scores is the reason Lakeview was named a Blue Ribbon School."

About Blue Ribbon Schools

The U.S. Department of Education designated Lakeview Elementary School as a 2007 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School -- the most prestigious award a public school can receive. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private K-12 schools that are either academically superior in their states or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.

About Lakeview Elementary School

This Title I school serves approximately 255 students in Grades PreK-5. The student population is 74% Caucasian, 19% Native American (which is the highest percentage in district), 4% Hispanic, 1% African American, 1% Asian, and 1% multicultural. Forty-two percent of the children qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, 20% are transient, and 13% receive special education services. For more information about this school, visit http://www.norman.k12.ok.us/107.

About Everyday Mathematics

Wright Group/McGraw-Hill's Everyday Mathematics is the nation's leading standards-based elementary mathematics program for Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 6. Everyday Mathematics celebrated 20 years of teaching success in 2005. The program helps student measure up to the demand for greater mathematical competence and problem-solving ability. Developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project, the research-based curriculum is used in more than 185,000 classrooms across the United States by more than 3 million children.

The Third Edition was recently launched and offers more support for learning differences, extra help for English-language learners, enhanced assessment and new support for the Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten mathematics classrooms. The Third Edition also features new technology components to support teachers and students.

To learn more about the research and success stories about Everyday Mathematics, please visit http://www.everydaymathsuccess.com/.

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 is anchored in real- world applications and is based on the assessed needs of students, combining developmentally appropriate materials with explicit outcomes. Wright Group is part of McGraw-Hill Education. For more information on Wright Group's products, call 1-800-648-2970 or visit http://www.wrightgroup.com/.

About McGraw-Hill Education

McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies , is a leading global provider of 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 40 languages. Additional information is available at http://www.mheducation.com/.

Contact: Tom Stanton Melina Metzger McGraw-Hill Education Paul Werth Associates (212) 904-3214 (614) 224-8114 Ext. 236 tom_stanton@mcgraw-hill.com mmetzger@paulwerth.com