September 2, 2009

News Release

TISD Middle School Students Moving MathForward

            Tyler Independent School District is tackling math problems head on with the assistance of a state grant.  The District will soon be receiving funds that will benefit middle school students.  The Texas Instruments (TI) MathForward grant will prepare students in the seventh and eighth grades for the rigor required with end-of-course testing.  Tyler ISD was the only district in East Texas and one of 17 school districts in the state that was awarded funding.  The District applied for and received the funding through the Texas Education Agency’s grant opportunity known as Middle School Students in Texas – Algebra Ready Pilot Project.  The two schools from Tyler ISD chosen to participate are Dogan and James S. Hogg middle schools.

The grant funding of $117,000 is for a two-year period and will cover the cost of the training and contract with TI, along with the materials, student calculators, and teacher equipment and software needed for implementation of the program.  Students in the MathForward classes will be provided with two consecutive periods of mathematics per day. This extended learning time is used to enhance students’ abilities to solve problems using research-based teaching methods.

“This is a different hands-on approach to mathematics with a heavy emphasis on onsite technology integration into the classroom,” said Stacey Grant, Coordinator of Mathematics for Tyler ISD.

Algebra -readiness is a key component of the ongoing district and campus improvement plans for all secondary students. The TI MathForward program will support the current instructional plan for math and will add the needed resources and coaching model as a supplement to the existing CSCOPE mathematics curriculum.

            The implementation of this grant begins with training the teachers.  Trainers from Texas Instruments will be onsite September 9^th and 10^th and again on September 18^th and 19^th. The training will focus on the components of the MathForward program; use of the online resources; and integration of the technology with instruction. 

###