Fort Worth summer classes put math students ahead of the pack

After Emma Alfaro, 14, failed the state’s end-of-course Algebra I exam as a seventh-grader, she was determined to slay the math gremlins that were hurting her cumulative grade-point average.

The day she took the exam, part of the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR), she said, “I was super nervous. I failed by only a couple of questions.”

Two years later, Alfaro was enrolled in a six-week summer math acceleration course provided free by the district that includes transportation, breakfast and instructional materials for eligible students. She is one of hundreds of Fort Worth school district youngsters who were in the program, which accelerates math education by a year or more.

Alfaro is now done with geometry because she took it in the summer. So, like other students who participated in the summer math acceleration program, Alfaro is expected to begin classes Aug. 24 in a math course that is more advanced than her same-age peers.

“I always wanted to be in a [math class] that was higher than my class,” said Alfaro, who is expected to be enrolled in Algebra II as a sophomore in 2015-16.

The program, known as A Squared I, Advanced Academic Immersion Summer Program, was developed by two Fort Worth master teachers, Charles Reidl and Richard Gossman, about five years ago, school officials said. It took place at South Hills High School through Thursday. About 400 youngsters entering grades 7-12 were enrolled in the six-week program.

A total of 18 instructors provided lessons in Pre-AP Algebra I, Pre-AP Geometry, Pre-AP Algebra II and Pre-Calculus, said Shannon Hernandez, director of mathematics for the district.

Students reported to class at 7:30 a.m. and got two 10-minute breaks before they were released at 12:40 p.m.

Students are required to pass a final assessment in order to get credit, Hernandez said. About 80 to 90 percent of students pass the Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II finals, but only half of those who enroll in the Pre-Calculus six-week course were successful, Hernandez said.

“It’s a big jump,” Hernandez said. “Their Algebra I and Algebra II skills are extremely important to be successful with Pre-Calculus. They have to be strong in that content. It really is tough.”

‘Not that uncool anymore to be a nerd’

Roberto Valdez, 16, said he got up every morning at 6 a.m. to get to the bus stop by 6:20 a.m. and be in class by 7:30 a.m.

“My parents are very proud of me for being smart,” said Valdez, who will be a junior at North Side High School.

He took Pre-Calculus this summer. That way, he can take Advanced Placement Calculus in his junior and senior years.

“I’ve always wanted to get ahead,” Valdez said. “I like to think of myself as ‘smart.’”

Grace Desmond, who will be in eighth grade at Benbrook Middle-High School, agreed. “I like being considered the ‘smart kid,’” the 13-year-old said. “It’s not that uncool anymore to be a nerd.”

Katerina Lancaster, who will be a sophomore at Benbrook Middle-High School, said it is a relief to be able to complete a geometry course in six weeks.

“I couldn’t take a year of geometry,” said Lancaster, who attends Benbrook Middle-High School. “It gets really boring for me if I have to go over and over it.”

She will enroll in Algebra II when she starts school in the fall, she said.

Hernandez, a former math teacher at North Side and Western Hills high schools, said she saw more students enjoying math.

“You would be amazed,’’ she said.

Math is no longer just about rote memorization. she said. It is also about solving real-life problems, such as, “How much do I have to save each year to eat lunch at my favorite fast-food place each month?” Or, “How much balsa wood do I use to build a model bridge that can hold a large amount of weight?”

Hernandez said, “The numbers matter, yes … but you have to know if it’s right or wrong, if it makes sense and how you arrived at an answer. These kids may never factor a quadratic equation again in their lives, but they will know the thought process that they have to use to figure it out and when it’s appropriate to do that versus when it’s not.

“It’s really more of a thinking process,” she said, “and it doesn’t matter how intellectually challenged students may be, there is always some level of thinking going on there.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Fort Worth summer classes put math students ahead of the pack."