Lincoln, NE — Lincoln Public Schools is set to introduce a new math pilot program for students in kindergarten through fifth grade at five elementary schools: Cavett, Pershing, Randolph, Roper and Zeman. The initiative aims to identify and address potential challenges within the large district.
“In a district this size, it’s really hard to have a brand new program that we haven’t been through a full year with 1,000 different teachers and 40 different buildings all doing something new at the same time,” said LPS K-12 Mathematics Curriculum Specialist, Josh Males.
The Nebraska Department of Education has adopted new standards, prompting small changes to foster conceptual understanding. Males explained that the curriculum includes “STEM connections,” which he described as “more real-world connections to jobs out in the world.”
Each lesson will feature a “Spark Your Learning” segment to review previous material. Despite the new standards, Males noted that not all districts will use the same curriculum. “They trust us as a district to go through our due diligence and find the curriculum materials that best meet our students, and our teachers’ needs to help meet those standards and help our students succeed in school,” he said…