August 25, 2014
Dear Highline families,
As many of you know, Highline
Academy has been looking to make a switch in math curriculum . While Saxon had
positives, it did not have the rigor our students deserve, nor was it aligned
to the Common Core. I am excited to announce that the elementary staff has
chosen a new curriculum, one that is fully aligned to the Common Core. This
curriculum is Eureka math and is the best fit for our students because it is
designed to develop real world application and problem solving mathematical
skills in all students. Throughout this year, and in the years to come, you
should see your student developing not only number sense but becoming
independent problem solvers.
Eureka focuses on a different skill
set than Saxon. As a result, we deemed it necessary to give all of our
elementary students a pre-assessment to ensure that students were placed in a
class best suited to challenge and close gaps that may exist. Gaps may exist
based on the transition to a new curriculum built off of more rigorous
standards. We used a diagnostic, i-Ready, to create our math performance groups
this year. The i-Ready pre-assessment gives us a snapshot of how students
perform on grade-level Common Core related skills. We have attached your
student’s i-Ready data for you to review.
Our goal is, as it always has been, to ensure that we are meeting the
need of and challenging all students. Through using both Eureka and i-Ready, we
are confident that we will be able to grow a mathematician in all of our
students.
Eureka will look very different
than Saxon did. For example,students will be using workbooks and will no longer
have text books. Additionally, some of the problem solving strategies may be
new to both you and your student. Because of this, we have planned several
parent information nights throughout the year; we hope you will be able to join
us on September 18th from 6-7pm to
learn what Eureka looks like in your child’s classroom.
Finally, as we make this transition, I welcome your feedback
and look forward to partnering with you in developing a math program that meets
the needs of all of our students.
Your partner in education,
Kali Garofoli
Principal
Highline Academy Charter School
