Math Teacher Has Phenomenal Marks

It just might be an understatement to say that seventh-grade math teacher Anthony Zerrer is obsessed with the STAR test.

The state’s Standardized Testing and Reporting Program is front and center … and on the sides, too.

“Days Until Star Test 237,” read a white board at back-to-school night Thursday at in San Clemente.

“He’s really competitive with the STAR tests,” said student Sami Carrera.

The daily countdown board is just one example of Zerrer’s singular focus. When the students walk into class each day, they take a one-minute, three-problem mini-quiz, Carrera said. Borrowing the grading language of the STAR test, those who score 100 percent are deemed advanced.

Zerrer then shows how the problems are solved, he told parents Thursday. Those who didn’t get a perfect score take the test again, with different numbers but essentially the same problems. Those who score 100 the second time are also called proficient.

The results remain on the board, and are broken down by period. Zerrer said he encourages students to talk up their scores with their friends from other periods.

Yeah, he’s that competitive.

That drive, combined with a few other quirks—Zerrer doesn’t use the textbook—the belief in a common goal, support from parents and a “magic” pen (more about that in a moment), produce results. Zerrer’s students scored highest in the , pushing Bernice Ayer to the No. 1 spot for seventh-grade math, just a point ahead of Ladera Ranch Middle School.

But while Bernice Ayer students averaged 84 percent overall, Zerrer’s students scored 94 percent. The school district’s average is 71 percent, the county average is 60 percent, and only one-half of the seventh-graders in the state are considered proficient or better.

“The numbers don’t lie,” said volunteer Tom DeFelice, Zerrer’s final secret weapon. DeFelice, whose own children are now grown, trades stocks in the early morning, then shows up for support duty from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day.

The two met playing basketball one day, and since then, “Mr. T,” as he’s known to the children, is there for every lesson, every lunch hour and after school every day to help the students grasp the concepts.

Although DeFelice was at Zerrer’s side all year, he didn’t anticipate the phenomenal results. “If we had made a bet, I would’ve lost. That exceeded my expectations by far,” DeFelice said. “He’s doing something right.

"Seriously right.”

Eight-grader Jonathon Boardman agrees, describing Zerrer as “smart, fun, out-of-the-box, creative, and helpful." Mr. Zerrer is an excellent teacher who has no boundaries when it comes to helping his students.”

Some of the students’ successes are highlighted on a few “white boards of fame,” showing the growth in scores from last year, some of which jumped 100 points or more on the math test between sixth and seventh grades. Zerrer's remedial eighth-grade class last year also saw big increases for students who had struggled.

Kitty Nix, Jonathon's mother, is grateful her son had Zerrer last year. “Mr. Zerrer's style of teaching and enthusiasm showed Jonathon how we are surrounded by math, not only in class, but our everyday life— music, art, movies, games,” she said. “I believe when a child understands how a subject affects their daily life, they get excited about learning.”

Some of those “out-of-the-box” methods include his so-called magic pen, which he added to the mix last year. A camera records his stroke marks and a microphone records his voice. Students can sign on every day to a Web site to watch and hear their teacher solve every equation on every homework assignment.

Zerrer also gives students the answers to upcoming quizzes. If he circles an equation on the homework, that means they’ll be seeing that same equation on a quiz—but never a test, Zerrer said.

“I’m notorious for this,” he told parents, pointing to a circled example on a recent homework assignment. “When I say, ‘This question is going to be on the quiz,’ what I mean is, ‘This question is going to be on the quiz.’ ”

Technically, the students could cheat on the homework, but there are just too many equations to solve with too many steps for students to memorize all of the answers on quizzes, he said. “You had better perform while you’re in front of me. There simply are no excuses."

While Zerrer has always been a numbers geek and has experimented with technology in the past, his desire to improve his students’ STAR results had its impetus in the April 2010 teachers’ strike. He was surprised at the anger parents had toward teachers. He took it to heart.

“I hate being part of the problem. I don’t want anybody to look my way and say, ‘Yeah, that’s not good,’” he said.

Despite his zeal for getting outstanding STAR results, the test itself is flawed—it's too easy, Zerrer said. There are 65 problems on the math portion of the test, which also tests for English and language arts. To get a designation of proficient or above, students must score 41.

But really, they have to know only 33 answers, Zerrer said. Statistically speaking, even if they guess on the remaining questions, they’ll get at least eight right to score in the proficient range.

There’s that obsession with numbers again.

“As much as the STAR test is flawed, it has enhanced my teaching,” he said. “It comes down to how can I maximize my results? There’s a lot you can strip away. It’s a bit of a game [to figure out] how I can I teach this stuff so it will stick.”

Zerrer's presentation won over the parents Thursday night. They cheered and applauded at the end of each period’s presentation.

“I’m so excited,” said Lisa Carrera, mother of Sami, after listening to Zerrer. “Math is my worst subject. I wish I'd had him in seventh grade.”