The panel looked at seven math and science areas. North Carolina schoolsmade gains in all of them. WRAL'sBetsy Sykes foundout what one school is doing to successfully push its students forward.
Cooper Elementary in Clayton is a school of distinction. It's studentshave done well on state math and reading exams. Teachers we talked withtoday say they aren't surprised North Carolina's students are doing betterwhen it comes to math and science.
In Betsy McKenzie's class, they're taking a new approach to learning math.McKenzie teaches her students with shapes to reinforce the numbers. Mathfacts and memorization are taught all year long.
Ninety-five percent of Cooper's third graders tested for math proficiencyat the beginning of this school year got the equivalent of an "A" or "B".
Cooper Elementary isn't the only school seeing success. Overall, NorthCarolina's schools are doing better when it comes to teaching math andscience.
Mary Kornegay said she's had more success teaching science ever since shebegan putting students in cooperative learning groups. Students here learnto appreciate and recognize different learning styles.
Superintendent Mike Ward says the fact the state has come up with a standardcourse of study that meets national goals has also helped students. It'simportant to remember, North Carolina started out low with room for improvement. So while the gains are good, even Ward says it's not goodenough and he wants North Carolina to keep making progress.
Reporter: Betsy Sykes
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
