Va Math & Science Coalition

"Math Buddies" - Alexandra LaRue Davis, Albemarle County Schools
Model Workshops & Lessons - Kristen Race, Alexandria City Public Schools
"Dual Language Immersion" - Mariola Aguilar, Arlington Public Schools
"Mobile Math and Math Mail" - Angela W. Whaley, Fairfax County Public Schools
Numeracy Groups - Melodye H. Paruszkiewicz, Hopewell City Schools
Improving Student Performance - Nancy Spurrier, Spotsylvania County Schools
Training Programs - Marsha Grigsby, Stafford County Public Schools

VIRGINIA MATH AND SCIENCE COALITION HONORS

ALBEMARLE COUNTY SCHOOLS & ALEXANDRA LaRUE DAVIS

RICHMOND, VA – Alexandra LaRue Davis teaches at Virginia L. Murray Elementary of Albemarle County Schools. Ms. Davis was honored by the Virginia Math and Science Coalition for her development of a “Math Buddies” program. The Math Buddies program utilizes parent volunteers who work with the students deemed most at-risk. Now in its second year, the program is destined to grow to meet the needs of more students. Through strategic scheduling, she has been able to use her planning blocks to provide pre-teaching and remediation to students in grades 3-5. Additionally, an extensive afternoon tutorial program staffed by teachers to work with at-risk students has been developed.

The Coalition regularly honors schools and educational organizations throughout the Commonwealth for effective strategies in enhancing math and/or science education through its "Programs that Work" award.

The Math and Science Coalition is an alliance of education, corporate and public policy leaders working together to revitalize mathematics and science education in pre-kindergarten through graduate school. The Coalition is a private, nonprofit organization that supports and encourages efforts by school systems, teachers, parents, students, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and other interested parties to achieve and sustain excellence in mathematics, science and technology education.

VIRGINIA MATH AND SCIENCE COALITION HONORS

ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS & KRISTEN RACE

RICHMOND, VA – Kristen Race teaches at Douglas MacArthur Elementary of Alexandria City Public Schools. Ms. Race was honored by the Virginia Math and Science Coalition for her development of model workshops and lessons to assist teachers in further developing their understanding of mathematical concepts and pedagogy. Long before Virginia introduced math specialists, this was an objective set for Ms. Race at the direction of her principal. Ms. Race is quick to point out that success is dependent on the professional growth of teachers. And during the 2005-06 school year, 98% of the teachers participated in at least one math workshop.

VIRGINIA MATH AND SCIENCE COALITION HONORS

ARLINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS & MARIOLA AGUILAR

RICHMOND, VA – Mariola Aguilar teaches at Francis Scott Key Elementary of Arlington Public Schools Division. Ms. Aguilar was honored by the Virginia Math and Science Coalition for her development of the Spanish-English Language Immersion program. Key Elementary is a Spanish Dual Language Immersion school, which means that almost half of the students are Hispanic. Every student at Key Elementary participates fully in two-way Spanish-English Immersion, which is designed to teach children a foreign language in a natural way through everyday conversation and content instruction. Math and Science are taught in Spanish, so it’s important that Ms. Aguilar develop activities that are student-centered and hands-on so they enhance students’ thinking skills. She has developed specific materials and lesson plans that promote language accessibility, cultural relevance, enhanced thinking and discourse in the mathematics class of the dual language.

VIRGINIA MATH AND SCIENCE COALITION HONORS

FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS & ANGELA WHALEY

RICHMOND, VA – Angela Whaley teaches at Centre Ridge Elementary of Fairfax County Public Schools. Ms. Whaley was honored by the Virginia Math and Science Coalition for her development of programs that focus the student, parents, and teachers. She supports parents through “Mobile Math” kits that students take home to work with parents. To support her colleagues, she has established “Math Mailboxes.” Each box is labeled with a specific SOL math strand for easy use and is filled with lessons and articles. Additionally, a math trivia segment is included in the morning news program. Finally, for Math Month, Ms. Whaley organizes several school-wide events such as “Fraction Friday” and “Estimation Celebration.”

VIRGINIA MATH AND SCIENCE COALITION HONORS

HOPEWELL CITY SCHOOLS & MELODYE PARUSZKIEWICZ

RICHMOND, VA – Melodye Paruszkiewicz teaches at Patrick Copeland Elementary of Hopewell City Schools. Ms. Paruszkiewicz was honored by the Virginia Math and Science Coalition for her development of numeracy groups for younger students who demonstrate little understanding of how numbers work. In the older grade levels, she plans and co-teaches math labs with classroom teachers. Additionally, the Math Buddies program was implemented using paid and volunteer tutors. Ms. Paruszkiewicz’s philosophy is that “Mathematics teaches students the value of making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. It teaches the value of approaching a problem from more than one angle.”

VIRGINIA MATH AND SCIENCE COALITION HONORS

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY SCHOOLS & NANCY SPURRIER

RICHMOND, VA – Nancy Spurrier teaches at Berkeley and Riverview Elementary Schools of Spotsylvania County Schools. Ms. Spurrier was honored by the Virginia Math and Science Coalition for her performance in improving SOL scores for two very different elementary schools. Berkeley is a rural school with a large TITLE I population. Riverview is a rapidly growing school serving both a rural and suburban area. Ms. Spurrier was tasked with analyzing SOL data from both schools. That data proved to be vastly different and as a result required targeted and focused plans for each school. At Riverview, data indicated weaknesses in student learning, so Ms. Spurrier encouraged teachers to use 15 minutes each day to review previously taught skills. Additionally, she met with teachers to plan lessons in targeted areas. At Berkeley, the initial focus was on improving teacher understanding of the content through weekly meetings to develop lesson plans and provide content knowledge. The 2005 SOL results proved that Ms. Spurrier and her colleagues were moving in the right direction with 93% of 3rd graders at Riverview and 90% of 3rd graders at Berkeley passing the Math SOL’s.

VIRGINIA MATH AND SCIENCE COALITION HONORS

STAFFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS & MARSHA GRIGSBY

RICHMOND, VA – Marsha Grigsby teaches at Falmouth Elementary School of Stafford County Public Schools. Ms. Grigsby was honored by the Virginia Math and Science Coalition for her development of parental and teacher training programs. To support the teachers at Falmouth, a suburban TITLE I school, Ms. Grigsby provided job-embedded staff development, short-term and long-term co-teaching, and professional development classes for teachers. To encourage parental participation, Ms. Grigsby created “Family Math Packs” for grades 3-5. The students are allowed to take home math games for one week at a time. Parents are reporting that the games keep children interested and motivated.