SPS second math meeting was 12-11-2008

Here we go again.....second meeting for the coming high school math adoption in Seattle happened on Thursday 12-11-2008.

There can be little improvement without an admission that there is a problem. I am not talking about a recovery from alcoholism or the AAA rated bonds that turned to junk almost over night, I am talking about Seattle Schools math direction.

Over the last decade there has been a widening math achievement gap and an increase in percentage of students in need of math remediation at Seattle Community colleges, the Seattle Schools still operate as if there is no problem. This district has ignored their own policies for over a decade by refusing to offer interventions for those lacking grade level necessary skills in math. Now the district is choosing to ignore the state math standards. The SPS have posted k-8 grade level performance expectations for elementary and middle school on the SPS website. These expectations come from the state math standards. Unfortunately the SPS instructional plans for the classroom have nothing to do with these expectations. K-5 the district prefers to follow the pacing plan from Everyday Mathematics. It seems that to do otherwise would be an admonition that all is not well. That the multimillion dollar Everyday Math adoption was not well planned or researched.

Fact 1: The SPS still has the same defective definition of math guiding them.

Fact 2: The SPS is ignoring the National Math Advisory Panel recommendations in following the Everyday Math pacing plan.

Fact 3: More than 50% of students are coming to high school unprepared to be successful as 9th graders in an authentic algebra class. So look for the SPS to adopt a program like the differentiated instruction integrated math selections that they pushed in the past {perhaps not IMP but something that requires less than a good knowledge of arithmetic}.

Fact 4: There is a High School math adoption coming. Since the SPS has never changed direction or admitted inadequacy it is likely a third poor math selection will be made.
Spring 2006 – Connected Math Project 2 - for middle school
May 2007 – Everyday Math – for elementary school
Spring 2009 - the selection high school selection will probably make the district 0 for 3 on recent successful math adoptions.

Fact 5: The people have lost control of the administration at not just the National Level but also at the local school level.