The West High School teacher’s interactive mathematics program — offered to students below their grade level — has made a vast difference in their learning.
For the past three years, her students surpassed the 80 percent state average in the California High School Exit Exam with a 98 percent pass rate. In addition, more than 70 percent of the class’ students are taking more than the required two math classes needed to graduate high school.
“This is the only program I’m aware of in San Joaquin that has this kind of success rate,” said Wittkowske, who teaches one class of IMP and then Academy for Business and Law curriculum the rest of the day.
IMP is a four-year mathematics curriculum funded by the National Science Foundation and designed around the 1989 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards.
What Wittkowske likes most about IMP is that it’s hands-on — students teach the lesson, rather than fill out worksheets and listen to lectures.
“They come in here totally relaxed, because math isn’t something we just do on a piece of paper,” Wittkowske said. “They all love it.”
Tracy student named to dean’s list
Julianne Schrock of Tracy has been named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Walsh University, where she studies education.
Walsh, a Catholic liberal arts and sciences university in North Canton, Ohio, has more than 2,900 students, among whom 600 were named to the dean’s list.
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tpourtown@tracypress.com, or drop off a note at the Tracy Press office, 145 W. 10th St.
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