SPS HS Math Board Work SessionIs the SPS Titanic going to miss the Iceberg?

Report on School Board Work Session for High School Math
4-09-2008 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Carla had to be elsewhere, so Rosalind Wise and Linda Hoste gave the presentation. MG-J was a late arrival. She had another meeting that she came from.

Ted Nutting and I watched as Rosalind went through her usual line of edu-Speak in the presentation.

[I think she uses the Ed Jargon generator to prepare for these.]


Ted Nutting and I sat there, as it certainly appeared that IMP was the recommendation to be put in place for next year in buildings that would choose it.

When Rosalind got done, she asked if there are any questions. It looked like she had said please bury my continuing incompetence under an avalanche of thoughtful questions and statements.

Any??? questions??? from the board?

I was amazed as apparently the board had been listening to our 14.5 months of testimony about math.

They tore Rosalind into tiny pieces.

Peter Maier said: I a bit confused you said that teachers would have a choice. Does each teacher have a choice as to IMP or something else or will this be done by schools? What if IMP is not on the State list when it comes out?

A lot of their questions were very similar to my questions but from the Mouth of Michael DeBell and others...

Let's look at what works internationally it appears the USA is the only place that uses this constructivist stuff and IMP is one of the most radical examples.
Canada does not use this and they are in the top 5 internationally.

More money for CMP2 training how long will this Professional Development be needed forever?

Harium M-M said...
I have received a lot of complaints about CMP I am very concerned about the middle school and what kind of supplementing we should be doing the there.

Sherry Carr: I certainly agree with all the concerns raised by the other board members.

By the time the dust cleared 6 of the 7 board members took a turn or two or three making comments or asking questions all questioning the admin's continual promotion of reform math. Cheryl Chow said something but I do not remember what it was. She was not offering a defense of math nonsense curricula, I just don't remember what she said.

MG-J said: the board can assume nothing about the direction of her administration in regard for math direction, because we will wait for the State recommendations. That was after Ms Wise and Ms Hoste had made a pitch that had been rejected soundly by the board.

I was a beautiful day.

After 14.5 months of testimony by myself, friends, and others many of whom I don't know. We have finally begun to turn the corner on Reform Math Lunacy.

I think the board has finally figured out: Authentic Algebra is coming as Mr. DeBell also made reference to End of Course testing coming in the future. It appears that the board finally gets it. How long until the pathetic direction and programs receive attention and how long before the Senior math leadership crew of MG-J, Ms Santorno, Ms Hoste, and Ms Wise get it?

I gave Harium M-M a package of all the Blueprint for the Foundations of Algebra Materials that I gave Linda Hoste about 10 days ago.

Somehow I think Linda Hoste may actually need to look at those materials after what the board did to the SPS senior staff planning to continue the k-12 no authentic algebra ever campaign.

Earlier in the presentation RW and Linda had spoken about the plan in place to get all the I-5 Puget Sound schools involved in a Math Summit meeting to look at materials used and talk about math (A subject RW knows very little about despite her title of Math program manager) and the math materials these districts thought would be appropriate. Then lobby the state for those materials.

Harium liked the idea of getting lots of folks together but had a major modification for that. How about we get another Summit composed of SPS HS math educators (i.e. teachers) together with the UW, SU, WWU Profs and have the college profs tell us what they see in our grads in regard to math prep and what they would like to see in the way of HS prep for the future success of the kids.

Then we can have another meeting between the SPS HS and SPS middle school teachers and the HS can tell the middle schools what they see and what they would like to see.

Holy Sufferin’ Succotash Batman that sounds like listening to the factory floor rather than Edu-Crats, we've never done that in the SPS. This could be the effective new leadership we’ve waited for.

.... get to your local barricade join the revolution of 1789 all over again. The Centralized Autocratic Dictatorship of the MG-J Royal Family is an inadequate form of leadership. Well at least on one issue anyway. That is the biggest start that I've seen or heard about in the SPS in the last I do not know how many years. The board took on a real leadership role rather than reaching for the rubber stamp.

When I was leaving I had a talk with an SPS security guard, of Asian descent who said:
Hey Mr Dempsey good job I heard you on KIRO.

Maybe someday we will adopt math books with more numbers and less words. I am sure the Asian, Black, Hispanic, Low Income, White, Green, Red, Brown, Pink, Purple, and Lavender students would like that. I know their parents and most teachers would.

Hey It was a really great day.

Dan