Mine Hill, NJ Grade 5 Students Receive Record High Scores With Everyday Mathematics

Every Grade 5 student in the Mine Hill Township School District scored Proficient or Advanced in math in 2007, up from 78% in 2006. This was the largest percentage point increase in Morris County. Superintendent Richard Bitondo credits excellent teachers, motivated students, involved parents, and a math curriculum called Everyday Mathematics from Wright Group/McGraw-Hill.

Everyday Mathematics is used in Grades Pre-K-6 at Canfield Elementary School, Mine Hill's only grammar school. While New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK) scores in Grades 3 and 4 dropped slightly in 2007, educators remain optimistic. "As long as these scores remain consistent from grade level to grade level, we know our students are excelling," Bitondo said. "Throughout all three grade levels, 98.3% of our students scored Proficient, and more than half of them scored Advanced. In fact, their scale score mean was 246, and the Advanced Proficient range of NJ ASK begins at 250."

Nancee Seidel is a Grade 3 in-class support teacher. She said one of her favorite parts of the program is math boxes. "Math boxes require students to use the skills they learn from current chapters, but the boxes also include skills from previous chapters," she explained. "This tells us what they've forgotten individually, which is very important information to have as we help students prepare for the NJ ASK."

Betty Lou Minno, a Grade 2 teacher at Canfield Elementary School, has taught for more than 30 years. She likes the program's manipulatives -- or hands-on activities. "When students do something physically, they understand the concept much better, especially those who might be struggling," she said. "For example, we use manipulatives to create square and triangular pyramids. When I ask them to turn their pyramids over and look at the base, they all have 'aha' moments. That's when they realize pyramids are named for their bases. Every single child understands this concept, regardless of his or her math ability."

About Mine Hills Township School District

Serving approximately 360 students in Grades Pre-K-6, this elementary school's student population is 63% Caucasian, 23% Hispanic, 8% African American, and 6% Asian. Seventeen percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. For more information, visit http://www.minehillsch.org/.

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 students 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 nearly 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.

Visit http://www.everydaymathsuccess.com/ to read about the program's efficacy and to see videos of the program in use in the classroom and see http://www.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 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, a leading global provider of instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower the success of 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/. For more information on Wright Group's products, call 1-800-648-2970 or visit http://www.wrightgroup.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

SOURCE: Wright Group/McGraw-Hill

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

Web site: http://www.mheducation.com/
http://www.everydaymathsuccess.com/
http://www.minehillsch.org/
http://www.wrightgroup.com/
http://www.wrightgroup.com/parent_connection/index.html