PIP - Parent Involvement Program

MCAS MATH TUTORING - 4th Grade

March 8th - May 14th Check Your School's Dates

PIP is pleased to have worked with Braintree Schools Superintendent, Dr. Kurzberg, to continue the MCAS Tutoring Program for 4th Grade Math, after funding was cut this year.

This 9 week program uses a lead teacher in each of the 6 elementary schools to train volunteer parents. These trained parents are after school "teachers" that reveiw past MCAS Math questions and the strategies to answer those questions appropiately.

Parents are better equipped to support their child through MCAS Testing which begins in May.

Testimony includes Joann from Ross who was a parent teacher for the MCAS Tutoring Program for 2 years. She has seen her daughter go from being an average student to achieving the highest category ''proficient'' on her 4th grade MCAS test. Julie was an MCAS parent teacher for one year and felt empowered to understand what this MCAS test was all about and what was expected from students. Her daughter at the time was very nervous about taking this test, due to the emphasis placed on it. Julie was able to support her daughter and calm her fears of taking this test.

Joan has been anticipating this afterschool program for her daughter, hearing the years of positive influences on the students. She was upset that this program had been cut and is very willing to support the MCAS Tutoring in many ways!

We are pleased to continue this program for 2004 and look to next year to how this wonderful program can be funded.

Please contact your school to be a parent volunteer or to have your 4th grader participate in this wonderful program.

PIP would like to thank the dedicated adminstrators, teachers and parents that are a part of this program - present and past. Thank You!

Check out the MCAS website for more information on MCAS and the previous year's questions at http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2003/release/g4math.pdf

PIP MCAS TUTORING - Funding in 2004 & Beyond

Due to the severe cuts, this program was not be continued this year. We at PIP recognize the value this program gives our families. It is a UNIQUE opportunity that PIP feels is worth rallying support.

In the Fall of 2003, PIP headed a corporate campaign to get support for this program. Tieing MCAS performance to the desirability of families and businesses to live and thrive in Braintree, where we have scored 19th out of 273 school districts in Massachusetts was our appeal. We urged Braintree banks and medium to large sized businesses to financially support this program, and we're sorry to say we were not sucessful.

Working with Dr. Kurzberg and Dr. Kendall, we were able to agree on a funding plan that has the Braintree Schools able to pay the teachers and PIP to fund the busses and materials.

We would like to thank Mr.Agnitti and Agnitti Insurance for a donation and 500 pencils for the MCAS Tutoring program.

The cost to fund a 10 week program is abot $10,000. We are still in need of $3,000 to cover the expenses of the program. PIP is still working with the business community to fund that portion.

If you know of someone interested in supporting MCAS Tutoring for this year or next, please have them contact Julie McKinney, Executive Director at BraintreePIP@aol.com or by phone at 781-843-2454.

Thank you!

PIP MCAS TUTORING - History

In 1999, the Braintree schools focused on how MCAS scores could be increased, and children could be more prepared to take the MCAS test. One outcome to this focus was creating an afterschool program for 4th graders taking the Math portion of the MCAS for the 1st time.

PIP brought the idea to reality by using parent volunteers as teachers.

Parents learn and teach about the MCAS types of questions and expectations for students. We have found that the volunteer parents are more prepared to support their child's test anxiety at home.

This 10 week program empowers parents to review previously tested MCAS math questions and strategies with 6-8 students in the classroom. The commitment for parents is approximately 1 hour afterschool for 10 weeks and about 15 minutes of at home prepartion before class.

Parents also attend a one time preparation and training session run by the lead teacher for each elementary school.

We have found that MCAS scores in Math have dramatically increased in the Braintree Public Schools over the years, thanks to the work of teachers, students, parents and adminstrators!

Email us
BraintreePIP@aol.com