A new math book published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) has been introduced to Tracy High School this year. Carnegie is no longer being used in all college prep classes, and the teachers in the math department are hoping this new book will be successful.

The book published by HMH was selected as the best by the math teachers out of the math books reviewed for the new school year. Only a few publishers were prepared for common core, so the selected teachers did a trial run of each book, and the math teachers in the district felt that HMH was the best option.

“I think students will appreciate the straightforward examples and helpfulness of the text,” Math teacher and department chairperson Richard Newton said. “I feel that the lessons are very clear and students should be very successful. I’m looking forward to a great year.”

Working in the new text so far has encouraged more interaction between the students and the teachers in the classroom. Teachers are also able to give direct instructions to the students without as much confusion as before. Algebra readiness is now the only math class that still uses a component of Carnegie called “Bridge to Algebra”.

“I thought that the computer aspect of Carnegie was too tedious because students had to get a minimum of six to eight questions correct in order to show proficiency,” Math teacher Doug Piuser said. “With the new program, students only need to get two to three questions correct to show proficiency.”

All college prep classes use the new textbook that comes with two volumes, one for each semester. Both volumes of the book are consumable, so the students can complete exercises and look at examples directly in the text. This makes it easier on both the students and the teachers. A majority of the information in HMH is similar to the information in previous textbooks (McDougal), but some new material was also added for the common core standards.

Math teachers prefer working out of the textbooks, but they also think that working on the computers is a helpful tool in the classroom.

Teachers are able to incorporate more activities in their lesson plans as well as engaging with students. The students are able to work in groups and practice working as a team while getting to know their peers as the year goes on.

“I definitely enjoy working in the book more than on the computer,” sophomore Alex Bechdoldt said.

“I prefer a mix of activities, book work, computers, or whatever else can facilitate learning,” Newton said.

HMH is a more traditional textbook compared to the last consumable textbook associated with Carnegie. Computers are still being used in math classes, but only one or two days a week. Students will have online assignments as well as videos and online lessons to review.

Whether it’s learning out of a new book, or learning on the computer, there are always going to be challenges.