By: Shayla Terry

Luverne High School math teacher Julie Albritton and her eighth grade students appeared before the Crenshaw County Board of Education last week to tell of success of their new ventures in mathematics.

Since October, eight 8th graders have been taking Algebra I, a freshman level course, through the online Odysseyware learning program.

“I saw the need for these children to be accelerated at their own pace,” Albritton said.

“I talked to Dr. English, and suggested letting them do Odysseyware like our other high school kids were doing.”

With the success of the first wave of students, January saw the addition of 16 students to the advanced math track.

“It became more of a challenge to them,” Albritton said.

“The other eighth graders began to look up to them like ‘Oh that’s what they’re doing. I can do that.’”

Crenshaw County Schools Superintendent Dr. Boyd English says that he is proud of the innovations that Albritton has offered to her students.

“This is a blended model where Ms. Albritton is guiding them with their curriculum,” English said.

“We look forward to utilizing this model for next year.”

Eighth grader Emma Wetherbee says that she’s glad she has the opportunity to be challenged.

“It’s better because when I was in eighth grade math, I would sit there when finished with my work for about 10 to 20 minutes early,” she said.

“When I began this, I was on pace all the time. It’s a lot more interesting to me because I don’t know what I am doing all the time. It’s a challenge.”

With this new learning opportunity, the students now have the option of continuing instruction through Odysseyware, or going back into the classroom the original way.

English says he is open to working with the students in whichever way they would like to learn.