EAST BOSTON, MA-Boston Public Schools' Mario Umana Academy is
home to the #1 First In Math team, all grades, in the city of
Boston, and in the state of Massachusetts, according to First In
Math Anchor Ellen Latham. The K-8 school is ranked #87 nationally
among 4,500 participating schools, is home to the #20 Team in the
nation, and is one of only 16 schools to have earned more than one
million FIM 'virtual stickers' this year. "Not bad for a school
where at least 90% of students are at the poverty level," smiles
Latham.
The class that leads the state of Massachusetts
in the First in Math program! Back row, l to r: Principal Montes
McNeil, Bao Nguyen, Robert Diaz, Alfonso Madrigal, Sara Johnson,
John Gonzalez, Tomas Villeda, Pamela Sepulveda, Nicolina Colella,
Zack Kasmaouy, Sabrina Terif, Joshua Esquivel, Deyson Jaramillo,
Jesus Mendoza, 8th-grade Algebra teacher Ellen Latham. Front row, l
to r: TuanAnh Le, Alberto Montoya, Christian Franco, Elsy Alcantar,
Javier Garrido and Nathan Rivera.
Mario Umana Academy currently serves nearly 700 students of
which 73.1% are Hispanic, 16.3% Caucasian, 5.9% Black, and 3.3%
Asian. More than 52% of the student population can be categorized
as English Language Learners. According to Latham, many students no
longer designated as ELL students still come from households where
one or both parents do not speak or understand English. Like many
schools, they also have a growing Special Education population. "We
realized several years ago when we first piloted the First In Math
Online program that it was a great way to reach all of our
students," says Latham, a veteran Algebra teacher.
The school works diligently to maintain a culture of success,
and the expectation is that all students-regardless of learning or
language barriers-will succeed academically and socially. Principal
Alexandra Montes McNeil explains that the mission of the Mario
Umana Academy is to provide students with a rigorous,
student-centered curriculum in all subject areas. "We've provided
every student in every classroom in grades 1 through 8 with a FIM
account," says Montes McNeil. "It's a bit unconventional, but our
top classes are using the FIM program for homework and students are
assigned sticker-count benchmarks to meet each week. It's
heartwarming to see those without home Internet access arriving up
to an hour early for school, and staying as late as 4:30 in the
afternoon, to use the school's computer lab to earn stickers and
improve their mathematics comprehension."
Latham reports that several classroom teachers have committed to
arriving early to school and staying late to support the students
in their enthusiasm for First in Math-and in their desire to
maintain their top ranking in the state. Math enrichment teachers
support the students by allowing them time during the enrichment
period to use classroom computers, and by providing any necessary
accompanying instruction.
As one of four BPS schools with an expanded-day schedule (10
additional hours each week), Mario Umana Academy is able to offer a
wide array of enrichment opportunities and classes in Math, ELA and
ESL. Community partners also provide programs in dance, music,
sports and engineering. Assessment data from the Achievement
Network (ANET) and district assessments is regularly analyzed to
monitor and impact student academic achievement.