Friday, May 23, 2008

The New Washington Math Standards
.........Will the Laughing Continue?

“The newly revised standards represent an incremental improvement, but fall vastly short of the initial recommendations by Strategic Teaching (8-07-2007).

Under these new standards school districts can apparently continue to support the attempted learning of K-12 mathematics through non-example based instructional materials for their children and still believe that they are in full compliance with the new math standards.”

It is essential that the public insist on Textbooks with Example Based Instruction if our children are to make significant progress in mathematics.


USA k-12 math education could likely remain the laughing stock of the developed world with Washington State K-12 Mathematics remaining a prime source of the laughter.

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from Sudhakar:

EXAMPLE BASED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS should also be accompanied with sufficient material that allows SKILL BUILDING through PRACTICE

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from Mike:

This all boils down to the main problem we face; getting people to realize that those in charge are not being truthful with parents or the public.

The reformists will cherry-pick data, draw inaccurate inferences, change the assumed meanings of words/phrases, unfairly marginalize and/or ignore contrary evidence, and outright lie in order to placate legitimate concerns. This includes those supporters of reform in your school, that you’ve spoken with face-to-face. You cannot trust them.

The most honest of them will tell you that they cannot share their honest opinions with you. It is very hard for parents to come to the realization that they cannot trust the people to whom they entrust their children on a daily basis. But they must, if they are to understand the magnitude of the problem.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Reform supporters at school - this includes the apathetic losers who don't have the courage to be honest with their administrators.

I know these dopes (or a..holes), because they don't know what classroom control is and they don't worry much about it either.

At my last school - they liked teaching the advanced classes because unlike their colleagues who have to put up with hellish transitional math classes, their classes have mostly no kids to speak of. Who says school isn't segregated?

Some departments actually 'share' the workload. If you favor reform math, then you should be made to teach it!!

Core 1 anybody? I'd like to live out my adult life. No thank you.