March 19, 2015 Dear Parents, The District would like to correct inaccurate information that is being circulated by some of our parents. According to these individuals, the District has eliminated the intermediate high math program, an assertion that is not accurate. I want to assure parents that the intermediate high math program has not been eliminated but rather has been redesigned to expand opportunities to include more students. Approximately 40 K-12 teachers on the math curriculum committee worked over a three-year period to design the new K-12 math curriculum to prepare District 7 students to meet the challenge of the variety of courses available at the high school level. Addressing 4th and 5th grade changes specifically, a letter was sent to parents of students impacted by the changes made to the intermediate high math program. Program information is outlined below: Fourth Grade  Students eligible for the high math program are no longer required to leave their homeroom teacher for math instruction. As a result, math instruction is not limited to a strict 60 minutes as it was before.  Students are given an opportunity to take a pre-test before each math unit, to determine their knowledge of the content that will be presented. If students show a strong understanding, they are offered alternative extension activities or individual/group projects in lieu of the practice other students are receiving in class.  Students with a high math aptitude may now qualify for the District 7 Challenge Program solely on their math ability. This allows students with high math aptitude the opportunity to experience all of the science and engineering activities taking place in the Challenge program. A math component has also been added to all Challenge units of study. Fifth Grade For the 2014-15 school year, eligible students continue to be clustered together for math instruction. Improvements to the 5th grade program for this school year are as follows:  District 7’s gifted educator co-teaches with the classroom teacher every two weeks to cover problem solving strategies and critical thinking skills. Lessons focus on teaching students how to use problem solving strategies and how to apply these strategies in all areas of math.  Students continue to participate in Math Olympiad, the national math contest. For the 2015-16 school year, fifth grade students will continue the program that was implemented in fourth grade in 2014-15. In addition, all intermediate students are invited to join a new intermediate after-school math club. Currently, there are approximately 300 students enrolled. Honors level math courses continue throughout middle school and high school. Thank you for your continued support. If you have specific questions about your child’s curriculum, please contact your building principal. Respectfully, Ed Hightower Superintendent