Middle School Math
Last year, the faculty and administration at Our Lady of Lourdes decided upon a new school-wide goal: to raise Math computation in all of our students. Our Math scores were never dramatically low, nor were our students ever notably behind in Math computation. But we were well aware of the national trends: Math scores have decreased greatly over the past decade and more High Schools and Universities are finding that students are not prepared for entry-level Math courses. As a school, we chose to commit ourselves to a higher standard.
Our faculty brought number of solutions to the table and we settled upon two concrete plans of action. The first involved the implementation of IXL, an online Math curriculum that charts the progress of nearly 200 students at our school. IXL provides us with evidence-based data from which we can evaluate student achievement, as well as exposes general strengths and weaknesses in our programming from which we create our strategic plans.
The second course of action caters to the variety of learners in our Middle School Math classes. OLL has offered Advanced and Regular Math classes for a number of years, but we found that we had a group of students “in between” the two: students who struggled in Advance Math but were not challenged by Regular Math. As a result, we created a total of nine Math classes for our Middle School students. These courses, which average a 7:1 student-teacher ratio, follow Sunshine State Standards and Common Core Standards that are both on and above grade level. All students learn required grade-level Math but are taught according to their own learning style, generally in a round-table format, where they can discover mathematical concepts in a fashion that registers the highest level of comprehension.
Our Faculty
Mrs. Christine Bahret
Mrs. Bahret is on our Middle School Math Team as well as our Technology Integration Team. She has an uncanny love of all things algebraic! Mrs. Bahret, in conjunction with Mrs. MacLean, developed our current Middle School Math program, designed with individual needs of varied learners in mind. These Math classes, which have an average class size of seven students, were designed to ensure that all students are being challenged and pushed to achieve their utmost potential of mathematic mastery.
Email Mrs. Bahret here!
Mrs. Carol MacLean
Mrs. MacLean is the other half of our Middle School Math Team. This is her twelfth year teaching at Our Lady of Lourdes where she has mentored many teachers and developed a number of innovative math initiatives, including our current course schedule. Mrs. MacLean values the development of a child’s mathematical comprehension, encouraged by her instruction of students in Advanced Math classes from grades five through eight. She establishes strong foundational relationships with students and builds upon the core Math content with each unit, ensuring students are well prepared for high school and beyond.
Email Mrs. MacLean here!
