Parents & Educators for a World-Class Math Education For Washington State Students. |
Parent Guide to Math in Bellevue by Daniel Wu (pdf, 15 pages)
This guide is written from the perspective of Bellevue parents who are concerned about the K-12 math curriculum and instruction in Bellevue schools. Our hope is to raise the understandings of parents regarding the state of mathematics in BSD and to give an informed perspective on the classroom math education in our schools.
By Bob Dean
Gov. Chris Gregoire had no choice but to put the brakes on the state’s mandatory math graduation requirement. Denying the number of kids who have failed this test a high school diploma is just not politically feasible.
There is no doubt that the math education in this state is in total shambles. The accountability for our present situation has to lie at the feet of Terry Bergeson, the state superintendent of public instruction. She has carved out the disastrous path we have been on for more than a decade. The question is, has Washington learned?
Discovery lessons, students writing to learn mathematics, the teaching of so-called general problem solving concepts, field trips, math lab lessons, alternate assessments, collaborative partner tests, student presentations, and open-ended problems should all be used sparingly. I use some of them, but they have limited value. Pencil-and-paper analytic solutions are the heart of mathematics education.
-Michael Stueben in Twenty Years Before the Blackboard
Click here to download the Washington Exemplary Mathematics Standards: 2008 - Revision 2 (PDF).
Your are encouraged to compare the revised Washington Exemplary Mathematics Standards:2008 to OSPI’s latest math standards revision and take the online survey for your input.
