Four years ago, math teacher and department chair Marilyn Petersen created a class for eighth-grade students at LaPorte Junior High School in LaPorte who were having difficulties with the math portion of the TAAS. Since then, she has transformed LaPorte from a school with low math scores to one with the highest passing rate on the TAAS math test in the district for a secondary campus (92 percent). Mrs. Petersen tailors lessons to meet individual needs and uses hands-on activities and manipulatives to increase math learning. She is a mentor to new and student teachers, serves on her school's Campus Performance Objective Committee, and is developing a math teaching video for use in the district.
