New
mathematics textbooks aligned with Common Core curriculum standards
will be purchased for kindergarten through 12th grade
students in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District this
fall. Approval came on a 5-0 vote at this month's trustee meeting.
Up
to $4.4 million will be spent on the texts from publisher Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt after a pilot program that involved books from three
publishers used by more than 140 teachers, as overseen by Joey Davis,
Cary Johnson and Dorie Staack, directors for educational services.
In
a report to trustees, the directors noted that pilot teachers
received training from the publishers, and articulation meetings by
and across grade levels were held during the semester-long pilot
period.
“In
January, the pilot teachers were surveyed to determine their
preference and concerns with materials from each publisher. At a
follow-up meeting, these results were reviewed and each group was
able to reach consensus,” selecting Houghton Mifflin for all grade
levels, the directors reported.
The
text series “California Math Expressions” for K-5 and “Big
Ideas Math” for 6-12 also were approved by the district's Math
Steering Committee and Curriculum Council before a state-required
30-day public display period.
Superintendent
Doug Domene told me training will be provided throughout spring and
summer to acquaint teachers with the new textbooks. He added, “We
are in the second year of implementing the new standards.”
Also
approved was a 30-day public display of a new pre-calculus text
before adoption. “The current book is from 1988, and the course has
been revised significantly from Trigonometry /Math Analysis to
Pre-Calculus,” and “it is impossible to purchase additional
copies” of the present text, noted Davis, student assessment and
accountability director.
Two
other interesting school-related items:
--”Carefully
screened” and supervised nursing students will be placed on
district campuses under agreements approved with California State
University, Fullerton, and Biola University.
The
former is a three-year pact for a clinical training program for
future school nurses, while the latter is a five-year accord
providing future nurses knowledge of children's health issues, both
at no cost to the district.
--Advanced
Placement testing begins at high schools May 4. Students earning a 3
or higher on a 5-point scale earn college credit for
coursework at many universities.
Last
year 3,527 tests were administered with a district pass rate of 84
percent. Individual school results: 82 percent on 607 tests at El
Dorado, 80 percent on 516 tests at Esperanza, 86 percent on
1,016 tests at Yorba Linda and 87 percent on 1,388 tests at Valencia.
Also
on tap is International Baccalaureate testing at Valencia. Last
year's pass rate (4 or higher on a 7-point scale to earn university
credit) was 93 percent on 305 tests administered.