L’Observateur / November 1, 2000

DEAR EDITOR: We write to inform your readers that new preparation materials related to the eighth-grade LEAP test for mathematics have been distributed to all 66 parish superintendents in Louisiana.

These materials were written by middle school teachers in Lafayette, based on effective materials developed in Oklahoma as well as current research on learning and problem-solving.

These materials consist of between six and eight review exercises for each of 155 days.

At the start of each class, teachers direct students to work on these review problems while attendance and other class-opening duties are performed. Littleimpact is made on available class time.

Each day’s set is carefully tied to the previous day’s set, so that student ability and confidence gradually improve. Every topic “sinks in” and becomes familiar andeasier.

Students who attend school regularly, do these exercises and other assigned work, and get help when needed, will do well on the LEAP mathematics test, not merely pass. This claim is supported by the Compound Power Law of Practice (Education,Vol. 115, No. 1, pp. 31-39, 1994, and other sources.)Parents should inquire to make certain that their eighth-grade children have this opportunity. If students or their teachers have not been given these exercises,parents and teachers may obtain their own at minimum cost from Printing Source Inc. in Baton Rouge, (225) 775-3334.Similar sets of carefully-sequenced review exercises for mathematics have been prepared for grades five, six and seven, all with the mathematics portion of the eighth-grade LEAP test in mind.

The teachers who helped write these daily reviews also worked to realize the strongest eighth-grade LEAP mathematics gains out of the 10 middle schools in Lafayette this past school year.

The assistance of this newspaper in enabling enhanced awareness of this opportunity is greatly appreciated. We wish the best for the students of yourcommunity as they strive through every means to develop academic confidence, economic power and independence through scholastic achievement.

Dr. Diola Bagayoko

Professor, Department of Physics

Southern University

Dr. Jackie Jacobs

College of Education

Southern University

Dr. Stan Hartzler

Science/Mathematics Ph.D. Program

Southern University

Copyright © #Thisyear# Wick Communications, Inc.Best viewed with 4.0 or higher