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Algebra Boot Camp preps incoming freshman

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Sonoma Valley Sun

Ah, algebra.  According to educators, algebra is one of the most important building blocks of mathematics and science.  It is also one of the more difficult concepts for some students to grasp.  Enter Algebra Boot Camp, taking place on the Sonoma Valley High School campus this summer.

The ambitious and somewhat controversial A-G requirements set forth by the Sonoma Valley Unified School District will primarily affect incoming high school freshman for the 2011-2012 school year.  To ready them for Algebra I, the SVUSD and the SVHS have teamed up to offer Algebra Boot Camp.

“The goal of Algebra Boot Camp is to prepare students for the College Preparatory Math they’ll encounter as freshman under the new A-G requirements,” said teacher Andrew Ryan, who is coordinating this program among others this summer.  “This is an incredible opportunity for us to acquaint kids with basic algebra concepts as well as terms, the textbook, the online resources available and more.”

Andrew Ryan and his teammates, summer school coordinator Lyndsey Munn and Richelle Ryan, who is teaching the class, actively promoted boot camp in the last two weeks of school at both Altimira and Adele middle schools.  Fifty students signed up, which Andrew Ryan calls “spectacular” given the time to plan and initiate the class.

Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the SVUSD, Lynn Fitzpatrick, said that putting funding into prevention pays off.  “Rather than waiting until these students have trouble with algebra and we need to do intervention, we’ve chosen to fund a prevention program, giving them help and support from the outset,” she said.  “Algebra is an important key element.  It opens the door to everything else like geometry and chemistry.  We’re thrilled to offer boot camp this year and are looking forward to seeing how this class pays off throughout the school year.”




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