Ramat Gan Increasing Excellence in Middle School

The city of Ramat Gan, in the center of Israel, is home to some 160,000 residents. Its education system consists a total of 28,780 students, with seven high schools divided into four large schools for grades 9 through 12 and three smaller schools for grades 7 through 12. Of the ninth grade students, 14% (194) attend seven excellence classes and 589 are enrolled in high ability groups in mathematics. In 10^th grade, 46% enroll in the five-unit mathematics track, and 29.2% actually graduate it in 12^th grade (compared to a national average of 15.6%).

The municipality believes it can lower the drop down by building a stronger foundation of excellence in ninth and tenth grades. Therefore, they are proposing a program where they will open seven additional excellence classes, provide high-level learning material for their students and training to their teachers. Each excellence class will study four supplementary weekly hours dedicated to high-order applied mathematics and mathematics-based science studies. An academic institution will provide the content and organize the professional learning for teachers.

Twenty mathematics and 15 science teachers will participate in ongoing professional development. In addition, the municipality will convene a forum for school principals and for the mathematics department heads as well as organize special study days for teachers. The goal of the program is that by 2025, 50% (679) of the ninth grade students will graduate from excellence classes. The desired outcome is for 75% of these students to succeed on a diagnostic test developed to align with the top 5-6 proficiency levels of PISA.

* The text above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors / Grant 484