Two Meridian schools welcomed math coaches to their staff last month as part of a statewide effort to boost student achievement.

Parkview Elementary and Carver Middle School were two of the 30 schools chosen by the Mississippi Department of Education to participate in a pilot program throughout the state.

MPSD Superintendent Amy Carter said the district was excited to see the progress students would make with the help of the new coaches.

“We have some amazing math educators at Parkview Elementary and Carver Middle School,” she said. “We are excited to welcome these coaches into these schools and I look forward to seeing the progress at these schools once these coaches are able to work with our teachers and students.”

The math coaches were made available through a $1.6 million State Board of Education contract with TeachingLab to provide mathematic coaching services.

State Superintendent for Education Carey Wright said the state has worked to expand its coaching staff to help schools improve student success. Math coaches, she said, were the next step.

“We’ve been anticipating adding mathematics coaches to MDE’s current effective coaching model,” she said. “With the new coaches in place, schools and teachers will receive significant support in math instruction to help students progress even more.”

The coaches started work on Feb. 22 and will be on hand through the rest of the school year. While in Meridian, the coaches will work with teachers and administrators to help develop lessons, assist in the classroom, and provide feedback to improve instruction and help students learn.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.