Where’s The Math?

On January 21st, Where’s The Math released a K-12 math standards document produced by Washington State teachers.  These standards were created at no cost to Washington taxpayers, and have been reviewed extensively by education, math and science experts from around the state and across the nation.  We’re pleased to announce that the second draft of the Washington Exemplary Mathematics Standards: 2008 is now posted for public review and comment.

The original Washington Exemplary Mathematics Standards:

• Are built from existing highly rated math standards, including Indiana, California, and Singapore
• Feature concise, pedagogy-free expectations for student performance
• Were aligned and refined against the NCTM Focal Points and A+ countries
• Have been downloaded over 10,000 times in the past month
• Include well developed K-8 strands and course-level standards for Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics

Feedback from the first revision has been significant and very positive, justifying a second release to incorporate all the helpful suggestions.

Revision2 of WEMS now includes:

• Updated K-8 standards with improved topic definition, development of mathematical concepts, and grade-to-grade coherence
• Explicit connections between foundational math standards and algorithms
• High school standards refined based on public feedback
• New pre-calculus standard added
• Comprehensive 3rd math credit recommendation
• Online feedback survey for YOUR comments and suggestions

Please take the time to read the Washington Exemplary Mathematics Standards, and compare them to the current draft from Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Dana Center.  The OSPI/Dana draft can be viewed at www.utdanacenter.org/wamathrevision/standards.php

An online survey had been generated to collect public comments.  Share your feedback on the content, layout, and future of these standards in this brief questionaire

Washington State leaders have a once-in-a-decade opportunity to adopt the best math standards in our nation.  Careful and detailed review of the Washington Exemplary Mathematics Standards: 2008 must be a fundamental part of this decision.

Legislators are at a critical juncture in determining whether Washington adopts world-class math standards…. or continues to settle for standards that will allow for more of the same programs that have failed our children for the past decade. 

There are two work-in-progress bills (HB 3317 and SB 6534 ) in the legislature.  One will end up providing OSPI and SBE with the direction on how to complete the process of adopting new math standards. Legislators will be determining the specifics of them next week.   NOW IS THE TIME TO LET YOUR LEGISLATORS KNOW WHAT YOU WANT!

This is your best opportunity to ensure Washington adopts the world class standards necessary for our children to succeed in the global economy.  It is imperative to let your legislators know what needs to be done.  This weekend, please send your representatives a message (email or call) that includes the following points, with a brief personal experience or note.  Please urge others to join in this effort by contacting their legislators.

• Washington has a golden opportunity
  to develop ‘A’ quality math standards, equal to or better than any other state. Great standards lead to:
• Wise curriculum choices
• Proper professional development
• Meaningful instruction
• Valuable and actionable assessment 
• To determine if OSPI’s revised standards meet the rigor, clarity, focus and balance, called for in HB 1906, a detailed evaluation is required by the national consultant, Strategic Teaching, who made the widely agreed upon initial findings and recommendations to the State Board of Education (SBE). 
• The Washington Exemplary Math Standards: 2008, was written by Washington teachers and citizens to meet the SBE criteria and exemplary standards outlined in HB 1906 and Strategic Teaching’s recommendations.  It should also be evaluated and considered by Strategic Teaching. 
• Our children cannot afford to have this process drawn out any longer.  It is urgent that the revision process be completed by Strategic Teaching, under the direction of the SBE, so we can come to a clea and balanced resolution as soon as possible and move forward to the curricula selection and assessment revision.
• I believe this is the best way to ensure a world-class math education and I’m counting on your support to make it a reality for our children.   

You can find contact information for your legislators at http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature/.  Select “Find Your District,” and enter your address.  You also can call the legislative hotline at 800-562-6000.

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 public input.

Thank you for your support and assistance to bring world class math to Washington children!  Please know your financial support is appreciated and needed. You can donate here.

Freshmen’s weak math skills worry UW faculty

Many college freshmen can’t do basic math, and some instructors are dumbing down their classes to accommodate them, a group of University of Washington math, science and engineering professors warned in an open letter released Thursday.

“This is a big issue for us at the University of Washington,” said Cliff Mass, a professor in the UW’s atmospheric sciences department who gathered the 60 signatures on the letter.

He and his colleagues have noticed a rising number of students in their freshman classes who are unable to solve math problems at even a middle school level, indicating there are serious problems with how the subject is taught in the state, he said.

Continue reading in the Seattle Post Intelligencer

To all parents,

I am holding a meeting at the Marysville Library to discuss reform math and what it all means to us and our children.

Date/Time
Tuesday March 4th, 2008
7:00pm - 8:45pm

Location
Large Meeting Room @ the Marysville Library

Agenda
Introduction
Overview of Reform Mathematics
Presentation of Research
Impact On Your Child’s Future
How to Get Involved
Next Steps
Q & A

Please pass this along to any parents that have issues and/or questions about the reform math that has been or is being introduced into our schools. I hope we can get as many parents as possible involved.

Thank you,
Gary Thompson (Marysville School District Where’s The Math contact)

In Prince William and elsewhere in the country, a math textbook series has fomented upheaval among some parents and teachers who say its methods are convoluted and fail to help children master basic math skills and facts. Educators who favor the series say it helps young students learn math in a deeper way as they prepare for the rigors of algebra.

The debate over “Investigations in Number, Data, and Space,” a Pearson School series used in thousands of elementary classrooms, including some in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Howard counties, is one of the newer fronts in the math wars. Such battles over textbooks and teaching methods are fueled in part by the anxieties of parents who often feel powerless over their children’s education, especially in subjects they know.

Read article in the Washington Post

One of their major concerns with the official draft is that they think it will force teachers to use a more “reform” or “inquiry-based” style of teaching math, instead of letting school districts decide. Reform math emphasizes learning concepts and letting students discover them on their own.

Rick Burke, a Seattle parent and engineer who helped write the alternative advocated by Where’s The Math, said he thinks it’s not too late to try to find a compromise between the two versions.

Read the entire article in the Seattle Post Intelligencer

Japanese schoolchildren will spend more time on core subjects such as math and science under guidelines unveiled on Friday, in an effort to boost academic standards months after the country slipped in global education rankings.

The changes, to be implemented gradually from next year, reverse reforms implemented in 2000 to create a more “relaxed” environment that would foster creativity and reduce rote learning.

Continue reading at Reuters

This column in the Seattle PI gives a brief history of the Mathematics standards issue in Washington state. It starts with the adoption of HB 1906 as a reaction to complaints from parents the dissappointing math WASL scores in 2006. HB 1906 prescribed the process of reviewing and improving the Washington state math standards. A review by Strategic Teaching found the existing math standards lacking in every aspect. OSPI then hired Dana Center to revise the standards, and a draft was presented. However, Prof. Mass writes:

Although the state’s draft is a modest improvement over our current failed standards, why should Washington students settle for C or D standards, when A standards, comparable to those used by leading states and countries, are so easily achievable? Consultant Strategic Teaching has reported that these standards are particularly poor for high school grades and have substantial deficiencies for K-8.