By Deanna Wulff
Saratoga parents seeking to improve their children's math skills will soon have access to educational software specifically aligned with the Saratoga elementary school curriculum.
Helen Lu is selling "Right on Math," a software program that provides a structured series of lessons for students in first through fifth grades. Each program series covers an entire school year's worth of lessons for a particular grade.
"The problems help develop the child's speed and accuracy, and they follow the current class curriculum," said Lu, a Saratoga parent and software designer.
Lu designed the software to help her daughter Eileen, a fourth-grader at Argonaut Elementary School, improve her math.
Math problems are presented in sets of 10 to 20 on a computer screen. The student solves the problems and is given a score and time. Problems are repeated in each session until a passing score is reached without corrections. "The child or parent can set the passing score at any percentage, 80 or 90, for example," Lu said.
Lu developed the program with the help of her husband, Bill Osmun. He is a consulting engineer with a doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago. She has a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Iowa State and has taught human development and child psychology at Central Washington State University.
Right on Math is currently being used by Pilgrim School in Los Angeles. "We use it experimentally for individual classes," said Mary Hsu, Pilgrim School principal. "It works really well to help students master basic math skills."
Argonaut School has not officially incorporated the program into the curriculum. "It is a useful tool if used in moderation," Principal Sue Brooks said. "Kids should experience math in many ways, and drill and practice is just one piece of the puzzle."
The DOS program can be run with Microsoft Windows on IBM-compatible computers. It is not currently available for Macintosh computers. The cost is $34.99, with $5 from each purchase going to Argonaut School.
So far, the program has not been officially endorsed by the Saratoga Union School District.
For more information, call Helen Lu at 741-5634.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, Wednesday, January 17, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.