  Math skills important  July 19, 2012 The Leader Herald  We
applaud the fact state test scores for eighth-graders in English
language arts and mathematics have generally increased statewide
and locally.  The worrisome part is that math improvements have
not kept pace with those in language. For example, statewide,
55.1 percent of the students met or exceeded state standards in
language, up from 52.3 percent last year, a change of 2.3
percent. However, math scores rose to 64.8 percent from 63.3
percent, a 1.5 percent increase. Additionally, eighth-graders in
10 of 12 area school districts met or exceeded the requirements
in language, but eighth-graders in only half of the 12 achieved
that in math.  As technology advances worldwide, a strong
working knowledge of math is the key to a well-paying job and
American competitiveness in general. "Your success in the new
economy is really based on STEM [Science, Technology,
Engineering, Mathematics]," says Patrick Michel, superintendent
of the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgome