Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Help Available For Districts Concerning Standardized Test Scores

School districts concerned with scores by their students on standardized math and science tests now have a place to go for help the Center for Teaching Excellence in Mathematics and Science at Southern Arkansas University (SAU) in Magnolia.

The center, one of 11 of its kind in the state of Arkansas, has been tremendous growth during its first year of existence, according to Dr. Debe Kincaid, director of the center and associate professor of math at SAU.

"We've been very busy. The requests for our services have increased," said Kincaid.

The Center for Teaching Excellence at SAU has a number of functions, but the first is to try to help school districts that ask for assistance.

"Our first priority is to help school districts that have implemented a standards-based curriculum," said Kincaid. "We also help schools that are looking for improvement in student achievement."

The SAU center has been working with such school districts as Magnolia, Waldo, Emerson, Taylor, Camden, Nevada, Smackover, Huttig, Stamps, Sheridan, Texarkana, Booneville, Fayetteville and even Mt. Pleasant, Texas.

In May, the center completed benchmark testing for grades K-8 in six school districts and completed classroom and grade-level analyses for over 100 classrooms.

The results of the work with Arkansas school districts have been phenomenal.

"In almost all the schools that we've worked with, we've seen an increase in the fourth grade state benchmark. In fact, we saw some pretty dramatic increases." Kincaid said that not only are scores on the rise, but teachers and students are both feeling better about the subject of math. "All the schools feel like they're on the right track. The kids are more excited, and the teachers see less math anxiety than they saw in the past."

Kincaid already has the summer months planned.

This month she will is leading standards-based mathematics training for teachers in Smackover; work with Magnolia grade-level coaches on curriculum review and planning; attending professional seminars in Lansing, Mich., and Lake Geneva, Wis.; and she will lead an algebra training project in Magnolia.

July will be just as busy with projects planned for Dardanelle, Conway, Mt. Pleasant, Texas, and two presentations in Little Rock. She will also give a presentation on connected mathematics implementation at South Central Educational Co-Op.

As the reputation of the center has grown, the workload has grown, and now the center itself is also growing. Kincaid added a secretary, Pam Vaughn, and an elementary specialist, Pat Penick, this summer. Penick is a third grade teacher in Magnolia who will work at the university for one year. In return, SAU will pay the salary for a first-year teacher to serve as a replacement for the time period.

Kincaid is submitting a grant proposal to the Arkansas Department of Education to fund a secondary math specialist.

"I've been amazed at how fast the center has grown," said Kincaid. "We just hope to continue helping teachers help students in Arkansas."

For more information on the Center for Teaching Excellence in Mathematics and Science at SAU, call 870-235-4286.