Last fall, Woodlawn Elementary's math teachers locked up their textbooks in a music room closet. Faced with FCAT scores that figured in the school's D grade in 2007-08, the teachers decided to get radical and overhaul their math curriculum. It paid off. The school went from a D to a B this year, logging impressive gains on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, especially in math.

Instead of textbooks, teachers used games, group assignments and other materials. They also focused on showing students different ways to solve the same problem.

"We get to pull activities targeted for higher level of engagement with students, rather than using textbooks or worksheets," said teacher Denise White, who helped rewrite the curriculum.

"It was scary for people at first, but just about everybody embraced the idea of what we were trying to do," she said.

Students seemed to respond.

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