Stateline Literacy Council’s Intensive Math Program Sees Success, Inspiration
Some things are universal – including the fact that math can be intimidating. For the students in Stateline Literacy Council’s intensive math program, this sentiment was both a challenge and an opportunity.
“They were under pressure every day,” says Gabriela Gutierrez, the program’s instructor. “They’ve been learning things at a speed that I’m very, very proud of.”
Led by Gutierrez with support from SLC teacher Karla Robledo, the inaugural course took place over six weeks in the summer of 2025. Six students met for two-and-a-half hour classes, three times a week, for the duration and were led through a progression of basic mathematics principles, algebra, and geometry.
It was especially important that the lessons focused on real world applications, as many of the students hoped to leverage the skills learned to improve their career prospects and inspire their loved ones. “They put themselves out there,” Gutierrez says. “They want the GED, they want a better job. They want to teach their family members.”
Because the student population featured primarily adults who were returning to education after time spent in the workforce and raising families, Gutierrez focused on supplementing their existing mathematical proficiencies. “They can improve what they were doing, their natural skills,” she says.
Toward the end of the course, students took several practice and official GED tests to gauge their preparedness for degree completion. Three students successfully passed the final math test, which SLC Executive Director Ann Ward describes as “nothing short of a miracle.”
“For six weeks to do it is really amazing,” Ward says.
Equally valuable was the sense of support and inspiration fostered between the students and instructors. Gutierrez was particularly impressed by her students’ dedication to helping each other, their families, and their communities as a whole.
“At the beginning, we were just doing two-plus-two,” Gutierrez says. “And at the end, we were talking about, ‘please take time to go and see each other.’ You can see the difference.”
Ward emphasized the integral aid that Wisconsin Literacy lent to the program, from providing test codes to textbooks and computers to enhance the learning experience. “[These assets] are extraordinarily valuable and expensive for us,” says Ward. “It would be nearly out of reach if we didn’t have the support from Wisconsin Literacy.”
Next, the team at SLC hopes to secure additional funding to build upon the course. “It’s essential for us to reproduce something special like this, for the students to have personal attention, because math is very challenging for anybody,” Ward says.
As a new season of programming begins, the staff and volunteers involved with the math intensive remain encouraged and energized by this summer’s success.
“The students make everything,” Gutierrez says. “They have all this motivation to be a better person. They demonstrate that there are no limits.”
