East Middle School's math instruction earlier this decade appeared to be as reliable as 1 + 1 = 2.
Administrators and teachers at the Braintree school made sure lessons matched state standards, adopted the latest teaching techniques, and bought new textbooks. Students as a whole consistently scored above the state average on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests.
But then came 2004 and some disappointing scores for special-education students in the first round of testing under the sweeping No Child Left Behind law. Initially, school officials, like those at dozens of other departments across the region, thought they needed only to tweak instruction for those students. But eventually, East Middle School realized it needed fundamental changes in the teaching of math to all students.
Now, there is evidence the holistic approach may be working. Last month, the school learned that MCAS scores last spring for special-education students shot up 14 percent over the previous year, while scores for others remained strong.
"Student achievement is owned by everyone," said Kristen St. George, the school's principal. "It's not just a math issue or a special education issue."
Middle schools south of Boston - mostly in urban and historically blue-collar districts - have struggled the most under No Child Left Behind because of math. Middle schools account for 40 of the 83 schools in this region that have missed federal standards. Of those middle schools, more than half - 28 - faltered only in math, mostly due to the performance of student subgroups, particularly special education or low income.
The predicament mirrors that of the state, according to educational advocacy groups. The difficulty of math ramps up quickly in middle school, they say, where students learn algebraic concepts that years ago many students didn't tackle until high school - a sign of how education reform is trying to better prepare students for math and science careers.
And while students attempt to navigate a brave new world of integers, coefficients, and improper fractions, they are, as middle schoolers, at an age in which they are going through the biggest emotional and physical changes since before age 5. That alone makes it difficult for many students to focus on learning, education advocacy groups say.
"Most people who work with middle school students know hormones do flow and are in a constant state of flux," said Gerry Quatrale, assistant executive director for professional services at the New England League of Middle Schools.
Before No Child Left Behind, middle schools could have simply chalked up the lackluster performance to adolescent change or an individual's learning disability and not the curriculum or teaching methods. But now the federal law expects all students to show a basic mastery of skills by 2014 or schools will face consequences as severe as a shake-up in administrative staff or a state takeover.
In this region, because of math scores, the state Department of Education has earmarked 13 middle schools for "restructuring" - the most severe designation under the federal law - given to schools that have faltered for at least five years.
Another 10 middle schools with problematic math scores are one step below that designation, in a category called "corrective action," reserved for schools that miss the mark for at least four years. Those schools are required to make significant changes to staffing, curriculum, or governance.
Shedding a problematic designation takes two consecutive years of improvement.
For these troubled schools, East Middle School may be a model. The school, which was identified for corrective action last fall, has undertaken a variety of approaches to boost student performance.
Most significantly, it changed the way it groups students for math. In the past, parents lobbied and often got their students in the top-tier math class, creating situations where not all students in the room were up for the challenge. Now, students are assigned based on MCAS performance. Those who score in the "Advanced" category get into the top class, while the rest take the other class.
It's in the other class, known as "Proficient" - named after the second highest of four categories on the MCAS test and where students must score by 2014 - that most of the changes to help out special-education students, and students overall, have taken place. The most obvious difference is that a special-education teacher works directly with the math teacher, assisting all students. (About 17 percent of the school's nearly 700 students qualify for special education, a rate similar to the state's.)
And there are more subtle changes.
On a white board in Room 211, algebra teacher Stacey Fuller has written down the steps of solving an algebraic equation, with each step in its own color. When she solves equations on the board, she makes sure to use the corresponding color for each step, hoping it reinforces the process.
"It helps you remember the steps," said one eighth-grader who receives special-education services. "I do it with my pens."
Students also rely on a four-page reference sheet that groups, in colors, math concepts by state standards.
Special-education students, under certain circumstances, can use a reference sheet during MCAS testing.
Some students have math three periods in a day. In a "Math Connections" class, about a dozen students receive additional instruction with their math teacher.
A smaller group of students will go to a special-education classroom for even more instruction.
"Our biggest barrier is breaking down the wall - 'I can't do it' - that many students have," said Margie Skeffington, a special education teacher.
"There are the kids who will sit in a regular class in back of the room and will not ask questions, but in a smaller group they will."
Teachers also analyze student test results with a software program, creating a report of commonly missed questions while also indicating on which state standards the questions are based. The data are used to adjust classroom lessons or devise extra help.
"This fall, it was very exciting to say we made 'adequate yearly progress' in all areas," said St. George, referring to the term the government uses for schools in compliance with the law.
"It reinforces the work we are doing is the right work."
St. George, a second-year principal, gives a lot of credit to former principal Michael Connelly, who, she said, was instrumental in developing a number of changes. Connelly, who was named school principal of the year in 2002 by the state's secondary school principals association, was determined to turn performance around, colleagues said.
Should the school repeat MCAS success next spring, it will become a "school in good standing," under federal law.
As Bill Kendall, the district's math coordinator put it: "There is no silver bullet. There are several."
James Vaznis can be reached at jvaznis@globe.com.
