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Bartlesville Public Schools

Posted: Oct 30, 2019 9:14 AMUpdated: Oct 30, 2019 9:14 AM

Phillips 66 Funds ST Math for Young BPS Students

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Garrett Giles

All Bartlesville students from kindergarten through 8th grade are now able to access an innovative online math curriculum thanks to a grant from Phillips 66.

Phillips 66 has sponsored this program in approximately 100 schools in Oklahoma, Texas, California, Washington, Montana, New Jersey, and Louisiana. The schools have provided very positive feedback and requests to expand the program to more schools in their districts.

Phillips 66 partners with the MIND Research Institute, a nonprofit organization that specializes in neuroscience and education research. Their signature ST Math program is a visual instructional program that builds a conceptual understanding of math through rigorous learning and creative problem-solving.  Educators are able to use this program to engage, motivate and challenge PreK-8 students toward higher achievement.

This allows for the ST Math, which provides supplemental visual math instruction with over 200 visual games with no words. It starts by teaching the foundation concepts visually, then connects the ideas to symbols and language. The program is backed by a 3rd-party research study of 100,000 students, with the most effective results associated with regular supervised in-class sessions as opposed to at-home use.

The grant covers the renewal fees for at least three years and included professional development for teacher trainers. Middle school students use the take-home Chromebooks funded by district bond issues and the grant also provided nine additional Chromebooks carts, each with 30 devices, for the district's six elementary schools. Each elementary school received one or two carts to supplement their existing bond-funded and community-funded student Chromebooks and iPads to ensure a successful program launch.

Dianne Martinez, the district's Executive Director of Elementary Schools, said ST Math is a powerful program that allows their students to use higher-order thinking skills as they develop and apply mathematical concepts. She said the students enjoy the program and the challenges presented to them. This type of learning experience helps students develop the confidence needed to 'push through' and solve a problem. Martinez said they are extremely grateful to Phillips 66 for providing funding for all elementary students to have access to the program and for providing additional Chromebooks.


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