Math texts for public review in Oak Harbor

After months of review, a committee of parents and educators has narrowed the choices for new math curriculum at the elementary and middle school levels.

Three math programs are being considered for elementary grades and three are under consideration for the middle schools.

The math programs, including textbooks and supporting material, are available for public review at the Oak Harbor School District office until Feb. 18.

When the Oak Harbor School board chooses which math programs to order, the decision will impact how students learn math for the next eight to ten years, said Kurt Schonberg, director of Teaching and Learning for Oak Harbor schools.

At the elementary level, the three candidates are Glencoe McGraw Hill’s “Math Connects”; Math Learning Center’s “Bridges in Mathematics”; and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s, “Expressions.”

The middle school math candidates are: Holt McDougall “Math”; McDougall Littell “Thematics”; and Glencoe McGraw Hill “Math Connects.”

Educational publishing companies develop a series of aligned textbooks, DVDs, Web sites, worksheets and more, creating a complete curriculum.

The Oak Harbor review committee looks at how each program aligns with state math requirements. This review process takes place every eight to ten years for each subject. Replacing the math books and materials for the 4,000 students in middle and elementary schools will cost roughly $300,000.

The last time math curricula for grades K to 5 and 6 to 8 were reviewed and textbooks replaced was 2001. All the math textbooks are on display at the Oak Harbor School District office at 350 S. Oak Harbor St.,, where they are available for review until Feb. 18, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The public review of these materials will include opportunities to provide feedback for the curriculum review teams to consider, Schonberg said. The school board is expected to receive the final recommendations from the math team in March.

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