PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE
Transition Math
continued from page 1
Families are notified in the spring
that their student has been selected for
Transition Math and an informational
meeting is held in the fall. Freberg
spoke to parents about supporting their
Transition Math students both academically and emotionally. Students who
have not struggled before may struggle
for the first time. Freberg told parents
to expect students to “hit a wall” and
asked the parents to support them.
For example, for Transition Math
students, the first quiz of the year was a
real eye opener.
“Some students didn’t do very well
because they are not used to studying,”
Freberg said. “It was a good thing it
was only a quiz and now they know
they need to study.”
In addition to tackling academics,
the class also has something of a social
lesson, too. Students accustomed to
being the top of the top in their class
might feel intimidated to be in this
group of peers. The class stresses team
work and collaboration.
“I encourage students to consult
with others if they have questions about
their work,” Freberg said. “It’s important that students learn to work as a
team because that models the workplace. There are studies that students
who do well academically sometimes
lack social skills needed in the work
force.”
The way Freberg teaches is more
inquiry based; posing questions
students have to think about.
“The first week of school a parent
who teaches at Oxbow Creek, and has a
student in Transition Math, came to me
and said ‘we got into a debate with each
other and talked about why we thought
our answers to a problem were right,’”
Freberg said. “That was very powerful.”
Other parents have also given
Freberg positive feedback.
“They feel like their children’s needs
are being met academically,” Freberg
said. “Parents have been grateful that
their students have this experience in a
supportive environment before their
students hit middle school.”
For Freberg, Transition Math is a
very exciting project.
“It’s fun to see students who are
excited about math,” she said. “It’s fun
to see them overcome preconceived
notions of themselves. I had a student
who was a slower thinker who needed
time to process her work. She didn’t
think she was smart in math, but my
interpretation was she had a different
learning style. She did very well in the
class and by the end of the year her
self-identity had changed.
“After the class ended she wrote me
a letter that made me cry. It was fun to
see her blossom into her ability to do
the work. It’s great to see students
growing in confidence and to see them
change their idea of what it is to be
capable and smart.” ■
P A G E
4
Determination, hard work result in top
science scores for Adams students
A
dams Elementary School students
amazed their teachers and principal
by breezing past the school’s goal for
performance on the state science test last
spring, beating the state average by a whopping 21.2 points! Results were released in
mid-September for tests given last spring.
Last year, teachers set a goal of having 56
percent of their students score at a proficient
level on the new state science test. Students
disagreed. They thought they could do much
better than that – and they did.
Despite having one of the highest levels of
poverty among Anoka-Hennepin Schools,
Adams School had the highest percentage of
students scoring at a proficient level on the
state science test, which is given in grade five
only. The state average was 57.9%; at Adams
79.2 percent of students scored proficient.
Adams students learn about one of the properties of water as they
experiment with the concept of surface tension, placing one drop
of water at a time on a penny to see how much it will hold.
According to Dr. Mary Wolverton, associate superintendent for elementary schools,
the accomplishment was especially remarkable
because Adams School has not only a high rate of
poverty, but also the third highest rate of mobility in
the district, meaning students move frequently in
and out of the school. Poverty and high mobility are
often cited as factors in poor school performance.
“Our scores had been in the 30’s all the years we
had taken the state test, so to have our students score
nearly 80 percent was pretty remarkable,” said
teacher John Keran, who taught science to all fifth
grade students at Adams last year.
Keran said the students were determined to do
well and they worked very hard. “They are a group of
strong students,” he said.
For Principal Jeremy Tammi, it was a particularly
sweet success because he remembered only too well
what he described as a humbling experience. “It was
just a few years ago under the No Child Left Behind
law that I had to send a