Activities will begin at 6 p.m.
During the Math Blitz, parents will receive a grade-appropriate set of flash cards for their student.
Last week, Bradley County Schools announced the launch of the math initiative for grades kindergarten through fifth.
A component of the initiative enlists parents to help their child learn math facts. Ideas and resources will be given at the meeting to help parents make learning math facts easy and fun. Ways to incorporate the use of technology in math instruction will also be explored.
Research proves students who know their math facts are able to perform math tasks at a greater rate of proficiency and speed.
“This is the first time, to my knowledge, that we have ever targeted our entire population of elementary parents on one particular night to ask for assistance,” said Johnny McDaniel, director of Bradley County Schools.
“This should speak to the importance of this event and what it will mean to the education of their children,” he said.
Parental involvement is only one piece of the math initiative set forth by Bradley County Schools. Other components of the initiative include a 10-step plan for math improvement within the classroom, Math Strategies Training for Teachers, and Technology Tools for Teaching Math.
“We have always known that parents are the most important teachers a child will ever have,” said Sheena Newman, supervisor of Elementary Education for Bradley County Schools.
“We are asking for their assistance. This is a way that parents can be involved and make a huge impact in their child’s education in just a few minutes each day,” she said.
Students must be proficient in reading and math to be able to compete in the global job market. A review of data over the last several years shows students in Bradley County Schools continue to demonstrate top-level scores in reading because of the strong emphasis which has already been placed on reading systemwide. Therefore, as a result of the new math initiative, the expectation is that math scores will also rise in a manner similar to the results achieved from the reading emphasis.
“We believe that this math initiative will have a long-range effect in the education of our students and a direct effect on their ACT scores for entering college and finding a career,” concluded Terri Murray, special projects director.
Parents and students will be served pizza from 6 to 6:30 p.m., followed by a brief overview of the program expected to conclude by 7 p.m.
