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For Immediate Release
September 8, 2010
SUMMER MATH PROGRAM POSTS IMPRESSIVE GAINS
SAN JOSE, CA – Students in a summer math program that prepares middle school students for high school Algebra and college prep classes have posted an impressive 20 percentage point gain in math proficiency after taking the 4-week course, program sponsors announced today.
Test results included nearly 1,000 students who took part in the “Stepping Up to Algebra/Math Acceleration Program,” which was sponsored jointly by non-profits Silicon Valley Education Foundation, ALearn and Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley.
The 4-week, 4-hour-a-day summer program helps entering 7th and 8th graders prepare for Algebra I, which is considered the gatekeeper for high school college prep courses. Designed for students scoring below proficiency in state standardized math tests, the program engaged students in interactive instruction that addressed common gaps and misconceptions in math.
Testing was done at the beginning and end of the program and results were analyzed by America’s Choice mathematics program developers. Curriculum for the pre-Algebra intervention programs was the America’s Choice-created Navigator program.
Results showed the middle school students averaged an overall 20-percentage-point improvement in math understanding of key foundational concepts needed for success in Algebra. More specifically, they showed student gains of 24 percentage points in understanding rational numbers and fractions and up to 20 percentage points in word problem comprehension.
“This is a very impressive gain for students who have struggled in math,” said SVEF CEO Muhammed Chaudhry. “We’ve shown that a program that focuses solely on math for the equivalent of an entire semester is very effective. The students learned to love math in this program and it pushes them ahead of their peers when they return to school in the fall.”
The SUTA/MAP program is part of the non-profits’ initiative to increase the number of students going to college and on to successful careers, improve education for struggling students and help close the achievement gap – the test-score disparity between Hispanic and African-American students and their white and Asian peers.
“Many of the students in this free program are from low-income minority families where English is not the primary language at home,” said Kathryn Hanson, founder and CEO of ALearn. “Our program not only prepares these students for success in Algebra, it also raises student aspirations and motivation to work hard to get to college. Many of these students will be the first in their family to go to college.”
As part of its college goal focus, the program employed college student teaching assistants, held a college inspiration night for parents and students, and took students on college campus visits to Santa Clara University, San Jose State University and Stanford.
“While their friends spent their summer swimming, the SUTA/MAP students were learning the math skills that will help them swim for the rest of their lives,” said HFSV CEO Ron Gonzales. “Closing the Latino student achievement gap is our No. 1 priority. We are delighted to be a partner in this program that is closing that gap for hundreds of Latino students.”
Now in its third year, the summer (algebra) math program was able to double the number of students from 2009 from about 500 to 1,000. Participating school districts included Alum Rock, Berryessa, Franklin-McKinley, Mount Pleasant, Milpitas, Oak Grove, Orchard, San Jose Unified and Sunnyvale.
With so many summer school programs cancelled this year because of devastated school budgets, this (algebra) math program – made possible through a collaboration between the three non-profits and Silicon Valley companies and foundations, such as The Knight Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Target, Walmart, SAP, Yahoo, Flextronics, Juniper Networks and Google – is helping to fill the gap.
About SVEF:
Silicon Valley Education Foundation focuses on raising student performance in the critical areas of math and science across all 33 Santa Clara County school districts. Everything we do supports our objective of Silicon Valley being the number one geographic area in California in the percentage of high school graduates academically prepared for college and careers. Beyond serving students, teachers, and administrators, we provide value to the larger community by making investing in education easy. For more information, visit www.svefoundation.org.
About ALearn:
ALearn is a non-profit organization committed to helping under-represented students get to and succeed in college. Our programs enhance the opportunities, access and advancement to college for students who will be the first in their family to go to college. For more information, visit www.alearn.org.
About HFSV:
The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley is a public foundation dedicated to inspiring community philanthropy and engaging people to invest in the health, educational achievement, and leadership development of a thriving Hispanic community in Silicon Valley. For more information, visit www.hfsv.org.
Contacts:
Jill Winkelstein, SVEF
(408) 790-9590
jill@svefoundation.org
Julie Cates, ALearn
(650) 776-1184
julie.cates@gmail.com
Ron Gonzales, Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley
(408) 216-7643
rgonzales@hfsv.org
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