News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Putnam County School Board approved a $1.78 million expenditure for a new math textbook curriculum Thursday night.
Curriculum Supervisor Dr. Chris Winningham said math standards are changing in the new school year, specifically at the high school level. Close to 90 percent of the 9-12 standards are new or are changing.
Director of Schools Corby King said he expected the costs to be higher.
“And that is a big number, but it’s a lot less than what I expected,” King said. “I will say that I was pleasantly surprised when I got that. It is the cost of materials. These are not the same materials that we bought in the past. This is high quality materials. They do come highly recommended from Ed, reports from the Department of Education, and listening to our teachers. This is what they say is best for our students. And we think that’s a good investment for our students in Putnam County.”
Some 21 teachers worked together to make recommendations on the new math textbooks at all three levels. That included 12 at the K-5 level, five teachers from the 6-8 grade levels, and four high school representatives.
“I want to say they really dug into all of the samples and all the different curriculum resources that we had and were able to answer questions for teachers,” Winningham said. “Their leadership in this process was huge, and it was very beneficial as we went through. And I think you’ll see that from the selections we made.”
King said, for example, all the high school teachers agreed on the best textbooks to use going forward. He called that rare.
“I felt like that we were all aligned in trying to find the best curriculum for students,” Winningham said.
Committee members attended training sessions. Teacher chose a lesson from the perspective curriculums and taught a class to highlight the new pieces. The committee also asked teachers about what their needs were with a new curriculum with the most prevalent feedback online tools and test preparation materials.
The lifespan of new textbooks is about six years.
In other business, the board recogized the VITAL School Cyber Patriots team for finishing first in the state in their recent cyber security competition. The board also recognized the Upperman Middle School boys basketball team for winning the Tennessee Middle School Association State Tournament.
The team finished 28-0 and are two-time sectional champions. They received a standing ovation from the school board Thursday night.
“Congratulations on a special season,” School Board Chair Kim Cravens said.
The board also set a May 8 joint meeting with County Commissioners for the annual budget preparation session.
