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District highlights K‑12 math shift from procedural to conceptual learning; students win regional competitions
Summary
K‑12 math coordinator John Genova outlined multi‑level changes: greater emphasis on conceptual understanding, small‑group tasks, expanded Algebra I in middle school, AP Precalculus at high school and growing extracurricular success (DECA, MathCounts). A sophomore presented math research applying the Black‑Scholes model.
The board heard a K‑12 math and business update from Dr. John Genova, the district’s K‑12 coordinator for mathematics and business, who described a shift away from procedural, workbook‑driven instruction toward conceptual math and collaborative problem solving across elementary, middle and high school levels.
Genova traced the district’s shift since adopting Common Core roughly a decade ago and said classroom practice has moved from “plug and chug procedural style” to students “constructing an argument” and explaining reasoning to peers. He cited elementary classroom examples where students used models and whiteboards to explain subtraction strategies and fractions.
At the middle‑school level, Genova said the district increased rigor in Grade 6 and refined placement processes to smooth the transition to high school. He noted the district has worked to reduce geometry honors drop rates through increased advisement and supports and said retention rates have improved.
At the high school level, Genova said the district will offer AP Precalculus in its first year next year and emphasized continued support for curricular coherence across grades. He also highlighted co‑curricular successes: 124 of 165 students attending a recent DECA state competition won medals and 68 advanced to an international competition in Orlando; the district fielded a MathCounts team that won a Long Island chapter competition and competed in Saratoga.
Genova introduced a 10th‑grade student, Anika Shah, who described research applying orthogonal polynomials and the Chebyshev method to approximate the Black‑Scholes partial differential equation for option pricing, using Python for computation. Genova and the board praised the advanced student work as an example of what the revised K‑12 approach can yield.
Ending: Genova said the district is preparing for the Next Generation Learning Standards and continuing to refine K‑12 articulation so students can pursue advanced options in high school.
