As schools across the United States strive to recover from the educational disruptions caused by the pandemic, Maine is taking a novel approach to revitalize student interest and performance in mathematics. With federal data highlighting a continued decline in math scores, state education officials are focusing on making math relevant to students’ everyday lives.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Recent federal data reveals that math scores among students have not rebounded since the pandemic’s onset. In response, Maine is launching a unique initiative, as reported by Madi Smith of Maine Public, focusing on a small school district’s innovative methods.
SEAN DONOVAN: If you guys can group up in groups of three or four, you can turn your chairs around. And we’re going to do the Candy Crush Data Challenge.
MADI SMITH, BYLINE: In Brewer High School, Sean Donovan’s career math class engages juniors and seniors with hands-on activities. The students use Skittles to calculate statistical measures like mean, median, and mode, bringing math concepts to life. Cassie Leavitt, a junior, finds the activity appealing.
CASSIE LEAVITT: These Skittles are looking mighty fine right now.
SMITH: I know.
CASSIE: (Laughter) I want to eat them.
SMITH: Donovan emphasizes that skills gained here are applicable beyond the classroom, useful in fields such as election polling and supply chain optimization. He integrates technology by having students solve problems using digital spreadsheets.
DONOVAN: Digital skills are very important for most careers now. So that’s kind of another piece that’s being folded into the class.
SMITH: Senior Andre Lutz appreciates the use of computers.
ANDRE LUTZ: That way, you actually can learn something, like different tools and items that you can use.
SMITH: Lutz, who aspires to study criminal justice, applied math to real-world issues like crime rates in a class project.
LUTZ: When we did our first project, we had to relate something in the real world to some of the stuff that we were learning in math. So I just did it based off of, like, the crime rates and stuff like that.
SMITH: This initiative stems from Maine’s education leaders’ desire to connect math to students’ lives, aiming to improve math achievement.
BETH LAMBERT: We’re really approaching it that math is both a skill and a language.
SMITH: Beth Lambert, who leads teaching and learning at the Maine Department of Education, is driving the new back-to-basics action plan.
LAMBERT: I don’t want to say that low test scores are the new normal ’cause that feels like we’re accepting something that I don’t think we are. But I do think there’s a new normal in education. There’s a new expectation.
SMITH: The expectation is to make math relatable and essential, encouraging students to seek out and value these skills.
LAMBERT: That’s what you’re going to see change, is you’re going to see that shift in our classrooms where students are saying, teach me this. I want to know. Give me these skills.
SMITH: Local districts in Maine, such as Brewer High School’s, have embraced these guidelines, addressing gaps in math skills exacerbated by the pandemic.
RENITA WARD-DOWNER: Keep doing the same thing and expecting different results is insanity.
SMITH: Renita Ward-Downer, responsible for curriculum development in Brewer’s district, notes the necessity of adapting to students’ evolving needs.
WARD-DOWNER: I think our students have changed, too. And so we’ve got to think about how we can meet their needs and think about how we can build that. Math is important. Math is relevant.
DONOVAN: So it’ll be interesting to see how the distribution of the colors, if they’re consistent…
SMITH: Back in Donovan’s class, students discover the randomness of Skittle color distribution, with Andre Lutz hoping for more of a favored color.
LUTZ: My favorite Skittle flavor has probably got to be green. I don’t know if it actually has a flavor. I just know the color.
SMITH: With calculations complete, Lutz checks if he can indulge.
LUTZ: Does that mean I can just eat them now?
DONOVAN: Yeah.
SMITH: This engaging approach in Brewer, Maine, reported by Madi Smith for NPR News, highlights efforts to make math both practical and enjoyable for students.
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