The school district will be trying to improve its math scores, Curriculum Director Timothy Connor says.
WILBRAHAM — The Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District is reviewing replacement math curriculums, School Committee member Marianne Desmond told the School Committee Tuesday.
“The school district is now considering two new math curriculums,” she said.
Curriculum Director Timothy Connor said parents will be informed about the curriculums being considered before a decision is made about a new math curriculum.
He said the school district will evaluate how a new curriculum will align with the state common core curriculum for mathematics.
Connor told the School Committee Tuesday night that 100 percent of grade 10 students in English language arts scored in the proficient category for English language arts on the MCAS tests.
Connor said he would like to see the school district score a little higher in math on the MCAS tests.
“We will be trying to get our math scores up,” he said.
Connor said the school district scores very well in English language arts compared with similar communities such as Longmeadow, East Longmeadow and Amherst.
He said the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District could do a little better in math.
Hampden-Wilbraham School Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea said the MCAS test is a good tool to assess a school’s curriculum.
“It also helps us to monitor students’ progress and to identify gaps,” O’Shea said.
Connor said the school district is using a universal screening tool that helps to identify struggling students earlier so it can give assistance earlier.
Connor said the school district is looking at reading interventions for readers who struggle in kindergarten through grade 3 so their reading level can be improved earlier.
Connor said that while grade 10 students did well on the English language arts test, students in grade five were just above the state average.
“We feel these scores should be higher,” Connor said.
Connor said the school district’s goal is to have a consistent curriculum and to get more “needs improvement” students into the “proficient” category.