A Municipal Program in Kiryat Gat to Raise the Rate of Graduates of Middle School Excellence Classes

In recent years, the southern city of Kiryat Gat has been undergoing a process of growth and now has 63,000 residents. Within the next few years, the city’s population is expected to increase to 100,000. This growth has also led to a much more diverse social fabric and a variety of cultural, ethnic and economic backgrounds found among the local population.

In 2017, the municipality launched a partnership with the foundation to double the percentage of students who complete five-unit mathematics matriculation. Additional partners soon joined in, including the Ministry of Education’s program for promoting excellence in the periphery and the regional Collective Impact effort, led by Sheatufim, which harnessed high-tech companies, philanthropic foundations and civic sector intervention programs.

This joint endeavor bore fruit. In 2019, 12.1% (87 students) graduated five-unit mathematics, almost double the rate compared to 2014, when only 6.6% matriculated the advanced learning track.

The municipality now wishes to further increase this positive trend. It claims that for this to happen it would need to expand and strengthen its foundation of excellence in middle school. Currently, there are five excellence classes in middle school where 19% (117) of the students study advanced mathematics and science. Graduates of these classes are those who then major in mathematics in high school. They are now planning to focus their efforts on the students in the high ability group in mathematics, who do not attend a separate excellence class.

The plan is for the municipality to use two allocated additional weekly teaching hours to the high ability groups in mathematics in 8^th and 9^th grades, who study in seven of the 10 middle schools in the city. Currently 126 students (21%) study in these high ability groups in 9^th grade. These two hours will be added on top of the current five weekly hours of mathematics studied by these groups.

During these additional teaching hours, students will be exposed to high-order mathematical thinking, focusing on modelling and reasoning skills and will learn how to deal with complex problem solving. The content will be provided by an academic institution, which will also mentor the teachers during the implementation.

This effort will be supported by intensive professional development for the teachers. Twenty teachers will routinely participate in a professional learning community for 60 hours every year. The municipality will also convene 10 mathematics department heads in a course where they will learn how to provide instructional coaching to the teachers in their schools as they teach the new high-order mathematics assignments. In addition, twelve school principals will meet routinely and the municipality will organize annual conferences and seminars, workshops, special fairs and events for students and parents.

The ultimate goal of the program is that within three years, 80% of the graduates of the excellence classes and high ability groups will succeed on a diagnostic tool, aligned with the top 5-6 levels of the PISA tests, and that 40% (243) of the 9^th grade students will graduate from either an excellence track or an enhanced ability group.

* The text  above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors / Grant 427