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Mathematics

Tracy Mansfield
Executive Director
of Mathematics and Science

Sandra Doria has been in education for over 20 years. All 20 plus years have been serving the Aldine community. During this time, she has been a high school math teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal at the high school level. She then transitioned to the elementary level and served as a principal. She has her undergraduate and master’s degree from Sam Houston State University. Eat ‘Em Up Kats!

Tia Smart
Program Director
of Primary Mathematics
281.985.6952

Tia Smart graduated from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and began working in Aldine after graduation. She has worked as a resource teacher, math teacher, math instructional coach and Program Director. Tia received her Masters of Education in School Leadership from Sam Houston State University. Tia believes that all students should have access to a rigorous education that prepares them for college, career and life. Tia believes that all students have the ability to meet high expectations and engage with a rigorous curriculum.

Rebecca Jahr
Program Director
of Elementary Mathematics
281.985.6417

Rebecca Jahr graduated from Iowa State University and has been in Aldine ISD her entire teaching career. She received her Masters in Educational Leadership in Administration from Sam Houston State University. She believes every child is unique and deserves a caring, inspiring, and engaging atmosphere in which to grow emotionally, intellectually, and socially. As the Elementary Mathematics Program Director wants to ensure that ALL Aldine ISD Mathematicians meet their fullest potential in these areas by providing a safe, risk-taking, and collaborative environment. “Working hard is important, but there is something that matters even more: believing in yourself.”

Tiana Rodriguez
Program Director
of Middle School Mathematics
281.985.7174

As the Program Director for Middle School Mathematics, Tiana Rodriguez supports campus mathematics instructional leaders on how to bring the mathematics framework to fruition. She continuously collaborates with the instructional leaders and teachers on how to materialize our math curriculum to help engage students in quality mathematics experiences. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Houston, her Master’s Degree from Lamar University, and is a proud graduate of Eisenhower High School in Aldine.

Dr. Divina Browne
Program Director
of High School Mathematics
281.985.6406

Dr. Divina Browne is proud to be working with high school math leaders and teachers to build and amplify their collective capacity to deliver relevant high-quality mathematics instruction. She has worked in Aldine since 2001 having served as a high school mathematics teacher, a department chair, and an instructional specialist. She earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Sam Houston State University. Her first research paper, Asian American Women: Their Pathways to Leadership in Education earned the Dean’s Award for Exceptional Graduate Student Research at the 2020 SERA Conference. Her second research paper Differences Between Schools of Choice and Traditional Comprehensive Schools in Their Grade 9 Academic Performance earned the same award in 2021 and was also recently published by the International Journal of Social Learning.

Dr. Browne earned her master’s degree in Educational Leadership from St. Thomas University. She started her teaching career as a Physics and Chemistry teacher in the Philippines after graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Northern Philippines. She shares her passion and advocacy for quality education for all by facilitating professional development and presenting at teacher conferences. She served as a master teacher for the Rice University School Mathematics Project (RUSMP) and the RUSMP Mathematics Leadership Institute and was also a Rice University NSF-NOYCE Scholar from 2009 to 2012. She was voted Building Teacher of the Year in 2012 and won the 2013 Leadership in Education Award Program (LEAP) for Teachers sponsored by the MIT Club of South Texas. Dr. Browne believes that rigorous mathematics instruction is accessible to all and is significant in empowering Aldine graduates with postsecondary choices and opportunities to thrive in college, career, and life.

Parent help for math grades Kindergarten-5th in English and Spanish

Family Guides for Middle School Mathematics

How does mathematics fit into the measures for College and Career Readiness?

According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, by the year 2030, 60% of Texans will need a certificate or degree for the state to stay globally competitive. And on a personal level, workers with a college bachelor’s degree earn almost double the amount a high school graduate does in their lifetimes.

That means that accessing college or career certifications are crucial for personal financial well-being and to secure a strong economic future for Texas.

To determine if students are ready for career success, they must earn specific CTE certification programs. If a student is interested in attending college, then they must demonstrate college readiness by meeting benchmark scores for mathematics and English on the SAT, ACT, TSIA, or successfully completing a College Prep Math course.

To graduate from high school in the state of Texas, all students are required to successfully complete 3 mathematics courses. Algebra 1 and Geometry must be two of the courses that are completed. If students are interested in obtaining a graduation endorsement, a fourth mathematics credit is also required.

While algebra 2 is not required for graduation, some school districts across the state still require it for graduation. Algebra 2 is a crucial course because the content you learn in algebra 2 is tested on college readiness exams including the SAT, ACT, and TSIA.

Additionally, because research has consistently shown that taking algebra 2 correlates with success in college, most 4-year colleges and universities require algebra 2 as an admission requirement.

If at all possible, algebra 2 should be included as part of your course selections. This ensures that you have the opportunity to enroll in any college or university, should you choose to do so, and that you are fully prepared for the college entrance exams. 

For more information about course selections and graduation requirements, please access the AISD Counseling page.

The College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test [SAT] measures how deeply you understand topics in English Language Arts and mathematics. For the mathematics portion, the focus is to measure how well you learned the mathematics content of your high school courses and if you are ready to succeed in the mathematics courses required in college. Generally, the content covers mathematics from algebra 1, geometry, and algebra 2.

There are two portions: one section allows you to use a calculator while the other section does not. Questions are drawn from four areas: Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, Passport to Advanced Math, and Additional Topics in Math. While most questions are multiple choice, some questions require you to grid in a numeric response like a fraction, decimal, or whole number.

The SAT college ready benchmark score for mathematics is 530 and accepted or required by most colleges around the nation.

For more information, access:
What to Expect on the SAT Math Test (video)
SAT Test Dates and Deadlines

Like the SAT, the American College Test [ACT] measures how well you learned high school content from algebra 1 through algebra 2 and predicts if you are well prepared to be successful in college. The topics that are assessed include Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability.

The ACT college ready benchmark score for mathematics is 22 and accepted ore required by most colleges around the nation.

For more information, access:
About the ACT Test

The Texas Assessment Initiative Assessment 2.0 [TSIA2] is the assessment that measures student readiness for college. The questions on the mathematics portion of the test align to content from algebra 1, geometry, and algebra 2. Your score on the TSIA2 along with your academic record, goals, and interests are used by college admission teams to place you in courses that match your level of understanding.

The test consists of two components: the College Readiness Classification [CRC] portion and a Diagnostic portion. The CRC contains 20 questions and covers Quantitative Reasoning, Algebraic Reasoning, Geometric and Spatial Reasoning, and Probabilistic and Statistical Reasoning. Students that score at a level of 950 or higher are determined to be college ready.

If you do not meet the college readiness benchmark on the CTC, then you will be directed to the Diagnostic test that provides you with a second chance to demonstrate your college readiness. There are 48 questions on this section of the test (12 questions in each of the 4 categories listed earlier). If you earn a Diagnostic level 6, then you are determined to be college ready.

The TSIA is accepted or required by colleges around the state of Texas.

For more information, access:
Study App and Sample Questions
College Board’s Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 Student Informational Brochure
College Board’s Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 Mathematics Sample Questions
College Board’s Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 Interpreting Your Score

College Prep Math [CPM] is a course that students may take in order to earn an exemption to the TSIA2. The course is taught in conjunction with the expectations set forth by Lone Star College. In other words, successful completion of College Prep Math demonstrates to Lone Star College that you are college ready for their campus, so you are not required to take the TSIA2. However, you are only granted this exemption for enrollment into Lone Star College and the exemption expires after 2 years.

Thus, the TSIA exemption earned through successful completion of CPM cannot be transferred to any other community college other than Lone Star College since they are our partner collegiate system. Second, because of the exemption has an expiration date, CPM is restricted for enrollment to seniors only.

As part of the coursework required for CPM, students take the semester exams provided by Lone Star College as their high school semester exam.

CPM is an accepted TSIA exemption that is accepted by Lone Star College only.