‘Not enough emphasis;’ Parents question school officials accused of not teaching math

XENIA — Parents brought their concerns to school officials in Xenia after one student said she was not learning math.

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As reported on News Center 7 at 5:30, dozens of parents questioned Community STE(A)M Academy Founder Jeremy Ervin at a town hall meeting Monday night.

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“We just want to know; do you understand this? And give the kids an opportunity, and it gives them an idea of what they know and what they don’t know,” one person said during the meeting.

“I’m concerned there’s not enough emphasis on basic math at the fourth grade level,” another parent said.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: More parents come forward, say school has gone months without teaching math

One parent told News Center 7 that they think the school is being proactive, and they’ve seen progress in the instruction.

The school organized the town hall less than a week after News Center 7 reported that a student claimed she hadn’t learned math in months.

Ervin said students are taught math through project-based learning.

“Every single one of our practice questions that they do per project mimics the state test,” Ervin said.

Paul Norton said he’s on board with this concept.

“We’ve been raised in schools that are very structured. This hour is math, this hour is history, this hour is whatever. And so I think here what you’re seeing is a melding of those,” Norton said.

Norton has three students who attend Community STE(A)M Academy.

He said some students may not fully understand how they’re learning certain subjects because project-based work is new to them.

“She knew she was learning them, but it wasn’t in a, here’s a sheet, fill it out, turn it in,” Norton said.

One parent suggested that the school explain to students how the curriculum will show up on state tests.

“We could do that easily. And just reassure them that these questions are just like the standardized test scores,” Ervin said.

Another parent told News Center 7 that the school has always had open communication with its families and encourages those with concerns to reach out.

News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.

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