tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762201600804179432.post7255562093301544533..comments2023-12-15T07:51:27.673-08:00Comments on Betrayed - Why Public Education Is Failing: Public forums offer look at math curriculaLaurie H. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367210923946752695noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762201600804179432.post-86097087868658896812010-06-05T12:45:49.575-07:002010-06-05T12:45:49.575-07:00Anonymous, you must not be from around here. Stude...Anonymous, you must not be from around here. Students in Spokane have reform and discovery all through their K-12 experience. They are not prepared to begin Holt Mathematics because they are lacking basic skills such as fluency with multiplication, long division, fractions, decimals, percentages, conversions, etc. The reason they're lacking these skills is simply because they have not been taught these skills.<br /><br />Just because certain skills are now in the PEs, it's doesn't mean the teachers are allowed to teach these skills. I have argued for HOURS – and to no avail – with several local administrators about the value of arithmetic. How crazy is that? Ask teachers if they've been allowed to teach arithmetic and standard algorithms over the last five years. But you'll have to promise them anonymity and immunity. Most are afraid to talk about it, due to a heavy administrative boot on their neck.<br /><br />I doubt very many of the students are sitting there saying "I've been doing this same math since 5th or 6th grade." I WILL bet that most of them are itching to grab for their calculator to work out the simplest of calculations.<br /><br />The remediation rate at local two-year colleges for recent SPS high school graduates is 87.1% (verfied). Of those students, most test into elementary algebra (verified). Of the students who take all remedial classes at the two-year colleges, about 47% of them flunk or withdraw from their remedial classes (also verified). <br /><br />SPS administrators probably will be delighted to blame this on the colleges, students, parents, and society. But the failure is here, in Spokane Public Schools, which is married to reform and discovery beyond all data, all reason, all requests from parents and students, and all feedback from area professionals.<br /><br />Holt was designed with our students in mind. The Spokane Public Schools program that is currently being built (to <b>supplant</b> Holt Mathematics) is being built with reform and discovery in mind. It has nothing to do with helping these students become college or work ready.<br /><br />If the students are ready to skip past Page 1, their teachers can determine that very easily, instead of being micromanaged to skip past it by administrators who are not in the classroom and who do not know the students.<br /><br />I have no doubt that <b>every</b> teacher out there would agree with me on that.Laurie H. Rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18367210923946752695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762201600804179432.post-89991090690794129512010-06-05T12:14:29.476-07:002010-06-05T12:14:29.476-07:00You say: "Teachers will not be allowed to beg...You say: "Teachers will not be allowed to begin on page 1 of the Holt textbook. "<br /><br />Do you realize that the first three chapters of the Holt text book are middle school PE's? Chapter 1 is operations with integers and is Unit 1 of 7th grade Math! You take a bunch of highschoolers and start out the year with a few weeks of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing with integers and you've lost your engagement. Move on to solving one step equations and they are all sitting there thinking I've been doing this same math since 5th or 6th grade.<br />Don't we want a challenging and engaging math curriculum where students are asked to think and solve problems? I don't have too much problem with the Holt textbook, but I think it would be sad to think teachers should just start on page 1. What happens then when teachers don't make it through the rest of the 800 pages before June? We should just not worry about all those challenging math concepts at the end of the text? About 800 pages in 180 days of school? How would teachers accomplish all of the state's Algebra PEs if they spend weeks on 7th and 8th grade PEs? How would teacher's accomplish all of the Algebra PEs if they do not "Instead, start with a later chapter, then skip around the book"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com