Michael Kelley, district supervisor of elementary and middle school education, said changes in the math system could help the district’s performance on state testing. He said some of the problems come from students who don’t complete the proper sequence of middle-school math, and reach the high school behind track. ‘They get to 10th grade without courses they need,” he said.

He said the upcoming reports will help the district as it considers what changes need to be made to its math program.

High school Principal John Yore said teaching geometry at ninth grade is ideal. “The top scores come from students who’ve had geometry or better. Students who take geometry at ninth grade do better at upper-level high school courses and on any standardized test, including the SAT.”

Board member Spencer Brittingham asked if the district needed to address math at the middle schools, as well. Robert Fulton, high school education supervisor, said both middle schools already have math specialists. The priority is the high school, he said, which needs support.

District high school education supervisor Robert Fulton said during professional-development training, teachers had been asking for student data. Board member Sara Wilkinson said in turn-around schools, students in trouble are identified and their information is shared with staff.

Cape teachers have been trained in a research-based system of best teaching practices. Kelley said a statewide, prioritized curriculum is the next step. It divides each subject into degrees of importance, from essential material to that which can be glossed over. The curriculum also tells districts how many days each class should spend on each topic. It instructs teachers how to cluster instruction for maximum efficiency, said Kelley.

District Superintendent George Stone said a statewide prioritized curriculum is as important as best teaching practices. He said state superintendents requested state education officials release the curriculum by October. “A lot of people have put a lot of work into it, and it’s time to get it done,” he said, at the Sept. 10 school board meeting. At the same time, a group of educators is evaluating the math programs used at districts throughout Delaware and will issue a Consumer Reports-type report on how successful each is, said Kelley. He said that is due out in November.

That work is being done at the request of districts across the state. If any district is to use the recommendation in the report to revamp its math program, it needs to start planning this fall for next year, said Kelley.

Cape, for years, has been the only school in Delaware using the Chicago Math series from the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project. It’s not being evaluated because it’s the only one.