He's Back

I was doing some research on Connecticut math standards when I happened across the Connecticut Academy for Education and a reference to the Algebra I Curriculum Project. Channeling the eternal optimist, I wanted to believe that perhaps there was hope and that CT might finally be on the path to joining the ranks of those states with world-class algebra standards.*

One click led to another and I ended up learning that in December 2008, the CT DOE opened up the bidding process for a curriculum grant for the Connecticut Algebra I Model. They don’t appear to have had an overwhelming response given that of 25 available spaces at the bidder’s conference, only 4 were taken. Four. Not yet ready to abandon all hope, I trudged on to the winning proposal submitted by the Connecticut Academy for Education folks.

I was stopped dead in my tracks when I hit page 8, regarding personnel:

“The Steering Committee includes a diverse group of individuals, respected within the state, nationally, and internationally, who will provide vision and guidance for the work. The committee members are Steve Leinwand…”

Leinwand.

This would be the same Steven Leinwand who in February 1994 said, It’s Time to Abandon Computational Algorithms.

"It's time to recognize that, for many students, real mathematical power, on the one hand, and facility with multidigit, pencil-and-paper computational algorithms, on the other, are mutually exclusive. In fact, it's time to acknowledge that continuing to teach these skills to our students is not only unnecessary, but counterproductive and downright dangerous."

The same Steven Leinwand who in September 1998 sealed our doom with CT Math PIRK. The very man who can take all much of the credit for our failing math standards -- earning an “F” as well as a place on the list of “states to shun”. His hand in our state standards is glaringly obvious and the result of his handiwork makes it no surprise that 40% of incoming freshman at Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Connecticut state universities are ending up in remedial math. (Courant)

The same Steven Leinwand who made decisions on which math programs recommended by the Department of Education to the tune of billions of edu-dollars, would be rated “exemplary” or “promising” despite having “personal connections with ‘exemplary’ curricula.” (Math Problems) The very programs which have prompted districts such as my own to sink boatloads of taxpayer money into well-hyped and expertly marketed snake-oil.

Yes. He’s back.

He’s crept back into the Connecticut math standards game and that’s a very, very bad thing.

In fact, I'd say it's "counterproductive and downright dangerous".


*Not surprisingly, Connecticut is NOT on the list of states with standards for Algebra I and II courses. (National Mathematics Advisory Panel Final Report: Report of the Task Group on Conceptual Knowledge and Skills- Figure 2)

turning lead into gold

Well, at least the Wright Group/McGraw Hill, publisher of Everyday Math, is attempting to clean up the mess they've created. On the same day the National Math Advisory Panel was busy making their report available to the public, Wright Group was introducing Pinpoint Math.

CHICAGO, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Wright Group/McGraw-Hill (News) has published a new math intervention curriculum, Pinpoint Math. The supplemental program, with both online and print components, was designed for students in Grades 1-7 who are one to two grade levels behind in mathematics.Pinpoint Math can be used successfully with any basal mathematics program. It incorporates the three essential elements necessary for improvement of mathematics performance among struggling students:

-- Diagnostic Assessment: Identify areas of weakness for individual students.

-- Targeted Instruction: Provides content in an individual Student Action Plan that meets the needs of the student with both print and animated tutorials.

-- Progress Monitoring: For ongoing assessment of students' advancement on individual topics in both formal and informal formats.

Districts who buy the supplemental program better be ready to fork up some serious cash. Not very good news for cash strapped districts in just about every neighborhood.

On the bright side of things, piggybacking on Everyday Math sales is definitely good news for the Wright Group. After all, they have managed to worm their way into 175,000 classrooms and still counting. That's a whole lot of potential sales generated by a whole lot of students who will require a whole lot of remediation.

Conveniently, Pinpoint Math "can be used successfully with any basal mathematics program." That way, schools can help those struggling students "who are one to two grade levels behind in mathematics."

This is edu-business at its finest. First, you sell schools a math curriculum that results in a significant population of struggling students who end up one to two grade levels behind, and then you sell them a scaffolding tool to remediate the problem you created in the first place. Remember, it's all about the children.

Nice job Wright Group/McGraw-Hill. Way to keep the stockholders happy.



Cross posted at Kitchen Table Math: the sequel

Landing in the garbage with a thud...

This week, after two years of deliberation, the National Mathematics Advisory Panel released their report aimed at improving math education in this country. And you could almost hear the sound of textbooks--that heavy one in your kid's backpack, and a stack of high-stakes math tests, the kind your kid take every year--landing in the garbage can with a thud.

Wow. That's a little harsh. I think that all those Everyday Math books and pitiful standardized tests that mirror them still have some value. They should at the very least be recycled into usable paper products. That way, trees would not have died in vain and all that garbage won't take up space in our nation's landfills.

*reduce * reuse * recycle

Calculating a New Approach
A report on math education fuels the debate about the Singapore model. What is it--and would it work here?

Peg Tyre Newsweek Web Exclusive
Mar 14, 2008 Updated: 4:33 p.m. ET Mar 14, 2008

It's FINAL - National Math Panel Report

National Mathematics Advisory Panel Releases Final Report

On March 13, 2008, the National Mathematics Advisory Panel presented its Final Report to the President of the United States and the Secretary of Education. Copies of these ground-breaking reports, rich with information for parents, teachers, policy makers, the research community, and others, are provided below.

Foundations for Success: Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel

Final Report PDF (851 KB) Word (1 MB)

A glimpse of how it could be

This is a story of great teaching. It’s also a story of great administration. It’s certainly a shining example of what could be.

When Lisa Suben was 23 years old, she accepted a job as a fifth-grade math teacher at a KIPP school in our nation’s capital. Although this Teach for America graduate didn’t yet have a shining track record and was still a little wet behind the ears, she believed that she could improve upon the math program KIPP was already quite successfully implementing in their schools.

Suben had guts and determination and the KIPP adminstration trusted her instincts. They handed her the ball with the expectation that she would run with it, and boy did she run!

After a grueling 10-hour day at KIPP, Suben would spend another 3 hours at home writing her own lessons on her trusty laptop. She created her own math workbook to get her kids where they needed to be. Fast forward one year and Suben’s students jumped from the 16th percentile to the 77th. It was more than any other KIPP school (or any school, for that matter) had ever seen.

This is inspired teaching that touches the lives of children forever. Could it have happened in our public schools? I’m afraid that given the current models in place—probably not.

The trust placed in this teacher was certainly a risk, but a risk worth taking. It takes an administration with a vision and the guts to take on change in such a dynamic way.

But one of the secrets of KIPP's success in attracting the brightest young teachers and raising achievement for low-income children throughout the country is its insistence on letting good teachers decide how they are going to teach. KIPP principals, such as Johnson, have the power to hire promising young people such as Suben and let them follow their best instincts, as long as the results -- quality of student work, level of student classroom responses, improvement in standardized test scores -- justify the teacher's confidence in her approach.

New Teacher Jolts KIPP, Jay Matthews

Sometimes, you’re lucky enough to find a public school teacher who has hung in there long enough to make a significant difference. Rafe Esquith comes immediately to mind. But at what personal, financial and emotional cost to these visionary teachers? Where are the Rafe Esquiths that our public schools so desperately need?

Public schools make it difficult, if not impossible, for such dynamic, engaging teachers to survive the bureaucratic rhetoric and the endless red-tape. Too many potentially life-changing teachers decide it’s just not worth the effort to fight the uphill battle everyday. These individuals are lost to our children forever. In turn these children and their potential are lost to our society as well.

Would Lisa Suben have been such a force in a public school setting? Would she have had the freedom and responsibility to make such a difference? The honest answer is NO. This could only happen outside the confines of our typical public school system.

Lisa Suben and KIPP are but a glimpse of how it could be if we had choice. This story is precisely why I believe in it.

CBS "Reform Math" Story

I was watching the CBS story about "Reform Math" that aired on Saturday, May 26th. On the one hand, I'm encouraged that the controversy with reform math programs like Everyday Mathematics made the network news and found its way into living rooms across America. On the other hand, I dissapointed that the story wasn't more balanced.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/26/eveningnews/main2855775.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_2855775

CBS highlighted interviews with a parent who is supplementing with traditional math at home and one of the authors of Everyday Mathematics. However, there were no interviews with mathematicians or scientists or leaders of the many grassroots parents groups that oppose reform math, there was no data about the decline of our nation on international standards assessments like TIMSS (Trends for International Math and Science Study), they didn't even mention the National Mathematics Advisory Panel that is in the process attempting to sort out the state of math education in our schools. And so, for the most part, the story was unbalanced. But hey, it was a two minute piece and at least it got a few people thinking about this issue that might not have otherwise.

So, what bothered me most about this story? It was something that Amy Dillard, one of Everyday Mathematics authors, said:

"We're preparing kids now for jobs that we don't even know are going to exist, and we can't be teaching them the same mathematics that we did years and years ago, we really have to prepare them for the workforce that they'll be headed to,”
says Amy Dillard, author of “Everyday Mathematics,” a reform math textbook.

Message to Amy Dillard: How could you possibly know how to prepare someone for a job that you don't even know is going to exist? How are you so certain that students should rely on the "spiral" to get them to where they need to be in the future if you admitedly have no idea what that future holds for them? Are you even aware that there's an entire world that is producing generations of mathematicians and scientists using methods of teaching mathematics that continue to respect the value of traditional algorithms? These high performing nations aren't teaching reform math, that is for certain.

"Asian countries are setting the pace in advanced science and math."
-Ina Mullis, codirector of the International Study Center at Boston College that manages the TIMSS.

And guess what, Ms. Dillard, you won't find Asian countries touching reform math with a ten foot pole. In fact, they must be thanking you for increasing their competitive advantage.

Everyday Mathematics: When Comedy Becomes Reality

Experiment:
I showed my kids a couple of comedy gags from the 50's about math without telling them what they were about and refrained from making any comments to gauge their reaction.

Sample Data:
If you haven't watched Abbott and Costello or Ma and Pa Kettle "do math", you might want to do that now:

Abbott and Costello Math

and

Ma and Pa Kettle Math


Reaction:
My fourth grade daughter said, "Hey mom, that's just like Everyday Math! They're using invented algorithms" as she giggled uncontrollably. My first grade son said, "Mom, those answers are wrong." He then proceeded to tell me the right answer for each equation and asked if he was correct. (Which he was) but being new to the mysteries of Everyday Math, he seemed somewhat perplexed.

From the mouths of babes.

I just can't wait to hear what they have to say about Lisa Simpson's take on constructivist math ideology:
(The Simpsons on math)


It's a sad statement that what was a funny gag a half century ago and what is clearly satire in our generation is eerily similar to what's happening in constructivist classrooms today.

Comedy has become reality and I'm not amused.

Everyday Math: A Nimble Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Okay, I think I’m going to be sick….

My first grader, who loves math and finds it quite easy, sat down to do his Primary Mathematics (Singapore) and Kumon work. This day's work involved word problems requiring subtraction of double digit numbers with regrouping. He said, “Mom, do we have a number chart?” I said, “A number chart? You haven’t used one of those since you were learning to count. Why do you need one now?” “Because” he said, “that’s how we’re subtracting at school.” “Well, you know how to subtract without one. Just set up your problem and then you can do the math!” It took him no more than five minutes to complete the entire exercise of world problems.

Why did he think he needed a number chart to subtract when he’s done this type of math before successfully? To think of him counting back to find the answer on some number chart for each question when he already knew a much more efficient way to do it is disconcerting. He finished and promptly asked if he could work ahead on the next exercise.

This is another reason to dislike Everyday Mathematics. I feel likes it's a constant fight to keep the efficient algorithms in play lest my children come under the false notion that the EDM way is actually better, cooler, or newer. The teacher is teaching it, their friends are using, so maybe it's better and mom hasn't caught on yet. I don't mind if he learns about them but doesn't EDM pride itself on letting students choose? I strongly believe that most every additional algorithm is a collosal waste of time and who has time to waste? (If you don't believe me, just check out this video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKld7lQHKRg )

I find them to be inefficient, unnecessary. I also believe that dependence on manipulatives, charts and calcuators certainly does not allow children's minds to do all the amazing things they are capable of. These methods reinforce and even reward laziness and when they rely on these "crutches" children fail to exercise their brains and train them to work nimbly.

And a nimble mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Open Minded Mathematics

I came across this quote this morning:

“You know, we don’t grow most of the food we eat. We wear clothes other people make. We speak a language that other people developed. We use a mathematics that other people evolved… I mean, we’re constantly taking things. It’s a wonderful, ecstatic feeling to create something that puts it back in the pool of human experience and knowledge.” --Steve Jobs

It got me thinking about math. Of course, what else occupies my mind these days? Anyway, I was wondering what some people find so offensive about looking toward other countries for examples of successful math curricula. Other countries like Singapore or Japan, for example. I'm not saying that our history, experiences, culture and social values don't differ. I'm not saying that Singapore and Japan aren't small homogeneous countries as compared to our very large and diverse one. But we didn't invent math in this country and I'm not certain that we need to throw away what we already know, what others have found out along the way, or what is being done around the globe today that is actually working. Are we so vain as to think that anything of value must come from the USA and that to look outside our borders is somehow unpatriotic and wrong?

I find it interesting that certain educators and adminstrator's take this concept of looking towards Singapore's math curriculum, or any other country's curricula so offensive. Offensive is a strong word, but the bickering that goes on between well educated people who should know better is little more than that. In fact, they can get so caught up in the rhetoric that they forget that ultimately we really share the same objectives. Or, at least we should share the same objectives. We want to find the best possible way to prepare our children for the future. I think we would all agree that math is an integral part of that equation.

What I am saying is that we are all human, and we want what's best for our children. We want to prepare them for the future, and we want them to go out and do something productive and useful with their lives. What is so wrong with looking at another country's proven track record of success in math and asking what they are doing that is working so well? How can we make that work for our children? How can we add our own spin to it? How can we make it even better? How can we "put [something] back into the pool of human experience and knowledge"? Why do we need to reinvent the wheel? National Pride? Ego? Hubris?

If we're going to find our way out of global warming, make the world a safer place, secure the future of our country in the global economy, and find the cure for cancer we are going to have to open our minds. We are going to have to stop thinking that we're the only ones who know what we're doing. We're going to have to teach our children this important lesson too. I want my children to be inspired, to be motivated, to be driven. I want them to learn to collaborate, to share, and to spread their wings and soar.