ATLANTA — Learning algebra may be easier than ever before for many middle grades and high school students across the South when school begins this fall. Working with several of its member states, the Southern Regional Education Board has created an innovative online math module that students from Texas to Delaware can use to master Algebra I basics on the Web.
The SREB Digital Algebra Content Module was developed by an initiative of the state Departments of Education in Maryland, Georgia and Louisiana, with support from the Florida Virtual School. Through SREB, the module is now available to all state virtual schools in SREB’s 16 member states. SREB leads the nation in the creation of state virtual schools, which give students statewide the opportunity to take needed academic courses online.
Unlike full online algebra courses, the new module gives students a strong foundation in a single concept — linear functions —"which is one of the hardest concepts to teach," said Bill Thomas, director of SREB’s Educational Technology Cooperative, which is launching the module. Used as part of a full course or stand-alone for review, the module lets students pursue multiple learning pathways to solve problems. Teachers and students in a Maryland field test reported that the high-quality module makes algebra much easier to understand.
"This initiative and module are just the beginning of SREB states working together to develop and share needed quality digital content," said SREB President Dave Spence. Development of the module was funded in part by the BellSouth Foundation (now the AT&T Foundation).
For more information about the module or the work of SREB’s Educational Technology Cooperative to expand online learning, contact SREB Communications.
SREB, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, advises state education leaders on ways to improve education. SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to help leaders in education and government work cooperatively to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. SREB has 16 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Each is represented by its governor and four gubernatorial appointees.
