tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49833345209331012772024-03-19T06:04:30.887-07:00Welcome to " The Math UnderGround " -- Seattle & Washington StateContact: Dan Dempsey at dempsey_dan@yahoo.com .......
The Math Underground is part of a national coalition, originated by NYC HOLD. .. a coalition of groups of citizens NOT vested in continually reinventing the wheel in order to justify our own existence, jobs or expertise. ........ Check the Blog list for Seattle Math Group.dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comBlogger1275125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-20609846567535402212017-05-22T11:38:00.001-07:002017-05-22T11:50:33.493-07:00MVP and Alignment thoughts vs What is known to Work.Recently I was reading the introduction to the Mathematics Vision Project (MVP) and was immediately reminded of (IMP) the Interactive Mathematics Program. See <a href="https://mathimp.org/">this link on IMP</a>.<br />
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Upon a first reading of the link you might find it hard to believe that IMP was a complete and total failure when used as part of the University of Washington NSF funded 5 year professional development "PD Cubed" at Cleveland High School in Seattle, WA. ... from 2004-2005 through 2008-2009. IMP was used for three years as the school based project. [06-07; 07-08; 08-09.] See <a href="http://mathunderground.blogspot.com/2008/12/what-is-nsf-possibly-thinking-my.html">this link for Cleveland HS data</a>.<br />
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As incredibly poor as these Cleveland math results were, these types of results are far from unusual when the "experts" produce or rate programs as worthy of use. The 1999 Exemplary and Promising Mathematics Programs were largely a complete bust. See <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED434033">this link </a>as to how these programs gained the "Exemplary or Promising" rating. Reading the beginning one-paragraph abstract from the 71 page download is quite revealing and demonstrates how wrong "supposed math experts" can be.<br />
Exemplary = Cognitive Tutor Algebra; College Preparatory Math; Connected Mathematics; Core-Plus Mathematics Project; Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP)<br />
Promising = Everyday Mathematics; MathLand; Middle-school Mathematics Through Applications Project (MMAP); Number Power; University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP)<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #1c1c1c; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The USA suffers from extremely poor decision-making in many aspects of k-12 education. <a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/05/21/33turnaround.h29.html">In 2010 the US Department of Education announced a $3.5 billion project to turnaround "failing schools" </a>through the use of four turnaround models. In <a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2017/01/school_improvement_fund_final_report.html">January of 2017, it was announced</a> that the program had cost <b>$7 billion</b> and had been a complete failure as none of the four models had increased any measure of student proficiency.</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: inherit;">... in the final evaluation, Mathematica and the American Institutes of Research found none of the program's four school improvement models led to significant gains in students' math or reading test scores, graduation rates, or college enrollment, when compared to similar struggling schools who had not participated in the grants. Researchers had compared student achievement at schools that barely did or did not make the cutoff to be identified for turnaround under the grant. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: inherit;">"There were such high expectations for the program when it first started, that these would become dramatically different and better schools," said Robin Lake, the director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington at Bothell. "<b>They didn't hit dramatically different; unfortunately, they didn't even hit better.</b>"</span></i></div>
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In 1995 the first TIMSS International Mathematics Testing occurred and every four years TIMSS is given. The most recent TIMSS occurred in 2015. The highest scoring TIMSS countries are in East Asia and each of these far surpasses the USA. It is particularly interesting to examine <a href="http://www.educationviews.org/singapores-math-results-it/">what takes place in Singapore</a> and contrast it with <a href="http://www.educationviews.org/nctm-fooled-twice/">the bizarre recommendations that occur in the USA</a>.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: inherit;">Singapore bases its instructional program not on “inquiry” or “student-centered design” but on<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #1c1c1c; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> a combination of teacher-centered Traditional Instruction with Direct Instruction and then builds from this to Teaching for Understanding. Why is the USA not doing the same?</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #1c1c1c; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In the USA over the last 25 years there has been a large increase in holders of the Math Education degree and these individuals have had a huge impact on decision-making. Note: very few of these individuals have a degree in Mathematics. The US Math Education degree holders have very little use for data and much prefer to follow strongly held beliefs in making decisions. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #1c1c1c; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">From the introduction to MVP: <b><i>The Mathematics Vision Project was created as a resource to teachers who wish to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) using a task-based approach that leads to skill and proficiency in mathematics by first developing understanding.</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #1c1c1c; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Since the "New Math" of the late 1950s attempts to have conceptual understanding precede the development of skill and proficiency in mathematics have been incredibly unsuccessful. MVP is founded on an incredibly flawed idea for which there is no supporting data but it falls right in line which what math education degree holders believe should work. Do these folks ever inquire as to how mathematics is taught in Singapore? How many of these believers have at least an undergraduate degree in mathematics? <a href="http://www.mathematicsvisionproject.org/mvp-team.html">Here is the MVP crew.</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #1c1c1c; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Digital Learning Department of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Olympia, WA finds no problems with MVP. <a href="http://www.mathematicsvisionproject.org/mvp-materials-review.html">Here is its review.</a> The review focused specifically on alignment with Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. That narrow focus misses the fact there is no data to support the "flawed approach" used in this program. Procedural efficiency precedes the development of conceptual understanding in effective efficient math programs. MVP's task-based approach ignores this fact.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; border: 0px; color: #1c1c1c; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr. Donald Pedersen, principal of Eagle Ridge High School in Klamath Falls, OR said: <i>My school is a Project Based Learning high school. We use Project Based Learning for all subjects except math <b>because Project Based Learning does not work for math.</b></i></span></span></div>
dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-47156986679660841462017-05-07T11:31:00.001-07:002017-05-07T11:35:08.138-07:00ESSA and DeVos: Is it time for Reykdal and Ferguson to Resist?Recently WA State Attorney General has been at the forefront in resisting federal actions. Chris Reykdal is WA State's recently elected Superintendent of Public Instruction. <b>Would they together resist the current Secretary of the US Department of Education, Betsy DeVos, in her request for submitting a plan to her department for approval in regard to WA State's plans to fulfill ESSA,</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana";">When DeVos says, "Power has been returned to state and local entities to be able to decide what standards and what expectations they are going to have of their students," she is referring to ESSA. <b>ESSA requires states to submit their<a href="https://ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/index.html"> ESSA</a> plans to her for approval</b>. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana";">How is that local control? It is a step towards federally mandated local control.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "verdana";">The US Constitution is very clear that many areas are reserved for control by the individual state. Education is such an area. WA State should assert its sovereignty and refuse to comply on constitutional grounds. Superintendent Reykdal should not submit education plans to Secretary DeVos.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "verdana";">WA State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has done a good job resisting President Trump, why stop now? </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "verdana";">Did we learn nothing about the manipulation of education issues from 8 years under Obama/Duncan/King and the 2002 No Child Left Behind act? Time to ignore these Charlatans once and for all, because the US Constitution says we can.</span></span><br />
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dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-75136617887811771842017-05-04T20:42:00.000-07:002017-05-05T01:39:42.234-07:00Seattle Excludes JUMP Math from middle school math adoption consideration<a href="https://www.seattleschools.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=627&pageId=24450150">Here are the materials under consideration</a> for adoption by Seattle Public Schools.<br />
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This is a school district that supposedly seeks stakeholder engagement. Seriously? Such engagement is only sought after the materials from which the selection can be made has been determined.<br />
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<br />dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-76584269457740573862017-05-04T18:45:00.002-07:002017-05-04T18:52:14.263-07:00Equity has been a big emphasis, here are NAEP statsI compared the NAEP 2011 and 2015 for various population groups at grade 4 and grade 8.<br />
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Here are the 2015 8th grade average NAEP scores<br />
followed by the cohort improvement<b> (+__ ) </b>from 2011 4th grade averages.<br />
and [percent of students below standard] in grade 8 in 2015<br />
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307 [ 12 ]: Asian Students<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>306 (+50)</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [ 13 ]: Asian/Pacific Islander Students</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">276 [ 37 ]: Pacific Islander Students</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>296</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [16]: Not eligible for Reduced Price Meals</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>292 (+43)</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [ 18 ]: White Students</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>282 (+41)</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [ ]: All Students</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>270 (+41)</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [ 40 ]: Hispanic Students</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>268</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [42]: Eligible for Free and/or Reduced Price Meals</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>260 (+36)</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [ 52 ]: Black Students</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>257 (+47)</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [ ]: Low Density schools American Indian / Alaska Native students</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">--- (---) [ 43 ]: </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">American Indian / Alaska Native students</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>247 (+51)</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [ ]: High Density schools American Indian / Alaska Native students</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Low density public 2011 - 210 2015 - 211 grade 4 (+1)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Low density public 2011 - 258 2015 - 257 grade 8 (-1)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">High density public 2011 - 196 2015 - 198 grade 4 (+2)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">High density public 2011 - 244 2015 - 247 grade 8 (+3)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Low Density AI/AN Cohort improvement 2015-2011 = 257-210 = 47 points</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">High Density AI/AN Cohort improvement 2015-2011 = 247-196 = 51 points</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gap between High and Low density public schools</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 4 2011 14 pts Grade 4 2015 13 pts</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 8 2011 14 pts Grade 8 2015 10 pts.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National Average Scores</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 4 2011 241 Grade 4 2015 240 (-1)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 8 2011 284 Grade 8 2015 282 (-2)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All student Cohort improvement 2015 -2011 = 282-241 = 41 points</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gap between National Average and High density public schools</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 4 2011 45 pts Grade 4 2015 42 pts</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 8 2011 40 pts Grade 8 2015 35 pts.</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National Average Scores White Students</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 4 2011 249 Grade 4 2015 248 (-1)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 8 2011 293 Grade 8 2015 292 (-1)</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">White student Cohort improvement 2015-2011 = 292-249 = 43 points</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National Average Scores Black Students</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 4 2011 224 Grade 4 2015 224 (0)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 8 2011 262 Grade 8 2015 260 (-2)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Black student Cohort improvement 2011 to 2015 260-224 = 36 points</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National Average Scores Hispanic Students</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 4 2011 229 Grade 4 2015 230 (+1)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 8 2011 270 Grade 8 2015 270 (0)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hispanic student Cohort improvement 2011 to 2015 270-229 = 41 points</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National Average Scores Asian/Pacific Islander Students</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 4 2011 256 Grade 4 2015 257 (+1)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 8 2011 303 Grade 8 2015 306 (+3)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Asian/Pacific Islander student Cohort improvement 2011 to 2015 306-256 = 50 points</span></div>
<br />dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-72315116515973958792017-05-04T08:47:00.001-07:002017-05-04T21:35:57.335-07:00Math history 1999 and CCSS thoughts todayIn 1999 US Secretary of Education, Richard Riley endorsed the use of a selection of math programs judged Exemplary and Promising. This endorsement of selected programs was not based on any large successful implementations. These were <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 14px;">math programs that experimented with nontraditional teaching methods.</span><br />
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<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1999/nov/18/news/mn-34859"><span style="font-size: small;">Experts Attack Math Teaching Programs</span></a></h1>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Education: Top mathematicians and scientists urge U.S. to withdraw endorsement of methods that leave out basic skills. Federal official says change is unlikely.</span></h2>
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<i style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><b>Nearly 200 top mathematicians and scientists, including four Nobel laureates,</b> are urging U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley to withdraw the government's endorsement of math programs that experiment with nontraditional teaching methods.</i></div>
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<b><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">The strongly worded letter expresses outrage that some of the 10 widely used programs leave out such basic skills as multiplying two-digit numbers and dividing fractions.</i></b></div>
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<i style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><b>"These curricula are among the worst in existence,"</b> said David Klein, a Cal State Northridge math professor who was one of the letter's authors. "To recommend these books as exemplary and promising would be a joke if it weren't so damaging."</i></div>
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<i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Those signing the letter fear that a government endorsement of the programs will be a powerful force pushing teachers and school districts to use "dumbed down" instructional materials and methods. Several said they see the letter, which is to be publicized widely today, as providing a countervailing argument.</i></div>
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<b><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Steven Leinwand, a member of the federal panel that judged the books, defended the selection process.</i></b></div>
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<i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">"<b>Every one of the programs designated as exemplary had real, clean data that showed test scores going up," said Leinwand</b>, a consultant to the Connecticut Department of Education.</i></div>
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<i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">But he acknowledged a difference of opinion among mathematicians as to what constitutes good mathematics. "These programs do not teach kids to do five-digit by three-digit long division problems," he said. </i><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">"Instead, they teach all kids, not just a few kids, when and why people need to divide."</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">(But many of the programs failed to teach division. Then district math program directors wondered why students had so little number sense.)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">But Leinwand was a poor judge of materials as most of these programs tanked and 10 years later the (NCTM) National Council of Teachers of Mathematics released <a href="http://www.nctm.org/curriculumfocalpoints/">Focal Points (2009),</a> which attempted to correct the incoherence that the <a href="http://www.nctm.org/store/Products/Curriculum-and-Evaluation-Standards-for-School-Mathematics--Executive-Summary/">1989 NCTM Math Curriculum and Evaluation Standards</a> produced..... As they say: A day late and a dollar short for students, except it was 20 years late.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Common Core State Standards, which Leinwand likes, do not require proficiency in addition and subtraction with the common historical algorithms until the end of grade 4.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">While the CCSS have some strengths over the previous math standards in certain states, the Washington State Math Standards of 2008 were significantly better.</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">In California, at least, the traditionalists have gained the upper hand. The state adopted standards for math classes th</i><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">at stress memorization of multiplication tables and only limited use of calculators, as well as an understanding of concepts such as place value.</i></div>
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<i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">As a result, the state rejected, or did not consider, all of the math programs recommended by the federal government except for a part of one, so school districts are prevented from using state textbook funds to buy them. </i><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">[This was true in 1999 but today California is a Common Core Math State.]</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Unfortunately many districts in Washington State, like Seattle bought these defective "exemplary and promising" instructional materials. Washington State has the legacy of Math Education believers that continually buy into recommended stuff with no track record of success. CCSS is the latest of these.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.csun.edu/~vcmth00m/riley.html">AN OPEN LETTER TO UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION, RICHARD RILEY</a></span></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Dear Secretary Riley:</i><br />
<i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">In early October of 1999, the United States Department of Education endorsed ten K-12 mathematics programs by describing them as "exemplary" or "promising." There are five programs in each category. The "exemplary" programs announced by the Department of Education are:</i><br />
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<ul><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Cognitive Tutor Algebra<br />College Preparatory Mathematics (CPM)<br />Connected Mathematics Program (CMP)<br />Core-Plus Mathematics Project<br />Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP)</i></ul>
<i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">The "promising" programs are:</i><br />
<ul><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Everyday Mathematics<br />MathLand<br />Middle-school Mathematics through Applications Project (MMAP)<br />Number Power<br />The University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP)</i></ul>
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<b>So how is the Common Core Math program implementation going?</b><br />
<b>Early indicators signal not well.</b><br />
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NAEP 2015 (National Assessment of Educational Progress)<br />
results showed a statistically significant decline in grade 8 math scores from 2013.<br />
<a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2015/#mathematics/state/scores?grade=4"><br /></a>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2015/#mathematics/state/scores?grade=4">Fourth-grade mathematics scores</a> increase in 3 states/jurisdictions and </span>decrease in 16 compared to 2013.. <span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2015/#mathematics/state/scores?grade=4">WA state drops 1 point</a></span></h4>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2015/#mathematics/state/scores?grade=8">Eighth-grade mathematics scores</a> increase in 1 jurisdiction and </span>decrease in 22 states compared to 2013.. <span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2015/#mathematics/state/scores?grade=8">WA state drops 3 points</a></span></h4>
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Hillsborough County Florida (Tampa) was an early CCSS adopter with huge funding from Gates and the district. The<a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2015/#mathematics/district?grade=4"> Urban NAEP revealed in 2015</a> an enormous proficiency score differential from grade 4 to grade 8 of 16 points (43 to 27), while the nation declined 7 points (39 to 32). Grade 8 2013 - avg score 284: 2015 avg 276... 2013 below standard 27%; 2015 below standard 36%.<br />
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While WA State dropped 3 points from 2013 to 2015, the percent of grade 8 students scoring at below standards rose from 2013 - 21% to 2015 - 26%. <b>Just like Hillsborough, WA State scores from the last testing cycle reveal a big weakness in the performance of struggling learners.</b><br />
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In WA State in grade 4 NAEP showed an overall decline of 1 point but at the Advanced Level an improvement of 1 point (from 2013 - 11% to 2015 - 12%. Once again for struggling learners the picture was not pretty. At below standard: 2013 - 14% ; 2015 17%.</div>
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<b>Most early indicators especially from jurisdictions pushing CCSS the soonest show much poorer performance at grade 8 in 2015 than in 2013. Especially so for struggling learners at both 4th and 8th grades in WA State.</b></div>
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dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-11245208814932536552017-04-27T07:04:00.001-07:002017-04-27T07:05:45.366-07:00A former student writes - with Thank You<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Some 49 years ago, teachers had a lot more latitude than is permitted today. </span><b style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Now administrators call teachers "Professionals" but treat them more like young children.</b><span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> Here is a note I just received from one of "my kids" I began teaching in fall of 1968 in grade 7.</span></span><br />
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<i style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">I recently retired and during my career I became a story teller. I used stories to create emotion in listeners as a leadership tool. I had lots of stories about being raised in a small town and about lessons from my parents. I was also known for being a lifelong learner. I took classes every year I worked (picked up three masters degrees along the way).<br /><br />When asked about my quest for learning, I shared a story about my seventh grade teacher. After having been taught by nuns for six years, a young teacher moved into this small town and lit a fire in me. He cared about all of us and taught me how to learn through his passion for mathematics. Using a high school math text, he challenged our ability to absorb new topics. The mathematical concepts served me well though high school and college. I wasn't really challenged again until college. Your gift for teaching became the basis for my BS and MS in Engineering which provided a path to leadership at Avista. I pointed to your math and teaching skills as the platform for all of my professional success.<br /><br />I was very blessed to have you as my teacher at a pivotal time in my life. In case I never told you before, thank you for caring about me and for your guidance.</b></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">In that remote town, I fantasized about how great it could be to teach in a larger setting with all the support one might receive from administration. Well that is exactly what it was a fantasy. Today there are many intrusions from upper decision-makers that hinder teachers from being more effective and make the teaching job more difficult. I with the help of other teachers could create an enormous list.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">If it had not been for the fabulous time I had teaching initially, I would have dumped this teaching gig long ago. It is extremely difficult to find a math teaching job in Western Washington in which suitable instructional materials are available for use. Way too many districts are using the Danielson Evaluation model because it is one-size fits-all, while being largely useless to math teachers. Some places are moving to "Standards based grading" what a waste of energy. </span><b style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The focus should be on great instruction not grading. Leadership today is defective it resembles "bullying" not "cooperative guidance".</b><span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> PLCs, Professional Learning Communities are now a cover for more top-down edicts and indoctrination.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I am flying to Albuquerque today to interview tomorrow for a School Year 2017-18 math position at Ramah Middle/High School in Ramah, NM. The school is grades 6-12 with 195 students, 80% American Indian, 10% Anglo, 10% Hispanic. I've heard good things about the principal ... <b>Hopefully Ramah is not required by the district to use "no books EngageNY" the latest round of instructional lunacy, so popular in the Olympia, WA area.</b></span>dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-58623056679429537442017-04-27T04:43:00.001-07:002017-04-27T04:43:29.588-07:00Singapore’s Math Results, How Do They Do It?<h1 class="title" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: "OFL Sorts Mill Goudy TT", Georgia, serif; font-size: 36px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
Singapore’s Math Results, How Do They Do It?</h1>
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the link <a href="http://www.educationviews.org/singapores-math-results-it/">http://www.educationviews.org/singapores-math-results-it/</a></div>
dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-29246388768930659082017-04-26T16:09:00.001-07:002017-04-26T16:09:16.301-07:00NCTM Fooled Me Twice, but No More<a href="http://www.educationviews.org/nctm-fooled-twice/">http://www.educationviews.org/nctm-fooled-twice/</a><br />
<br />
My article appears in Education News.<br />
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<br />dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-3255484455570941282017-04-24T00:43:00.001-07:002017-04-24T00:43:51.056-07:00Add, Subtract, and more ... a plan for competence. [unlikely]<span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am continually amazed at the relatively poor performance of USA math students relative to the East Asian countries of Korea, Japan, Singapore, etc.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">While legislators discuss how to change various aspects of college to deal with apparent inadequacies of incoming students a couple of things are clear:</span><br />
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</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">(1) There is little if any real interest in analyzing Singapore's instructional approach. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">TIMSS 2015 -- grade 8 USA 518 Singapore 621 gap 103 pts.</span><br />
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</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">(2) Basing grade level promotion on skill acquired is not likely to happen. [Florida's requirement to read well to enter grade 4 is a remarkable exception.]</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is well past time that the National Council of the Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) figured out that 60 years of trying to create better results their way has been remarkably inefficient. Today NCTM still pushes that Understanding should precede Procedural Fluency.... yet the high performing nations see conceptual understanding arising from Procedural Fluency. In short knowing how to accurately add and subtract is a skill that will make it easier to understand what addition is all about. It is possible to teach the four historic algorithms of arithmetic before "understanding" them. This is done in East Asia all the time.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">While East Asia leaves us in their mathematical dust the NCTM plods along with a failed ideology.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">8th grade TIMSS math results with percent of students able to achieve benchmarks</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">country - <b>advanced</b> -- high --- intermediate -- low</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Korea -------43% -- 75% -- 93% -- 99%</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Singapore</b>- <b>54%</b> -- 81% -- 94% -- 99%</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Japan ----- 34% -- 67% -- 89% -- 98%</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>USA </b> -------- <b>10%</b> -- 37% -- 70% -- 91%</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Instead of figuring out how to cut corners, we should learn from others how to improve instruction. Tell me about the Common Core, the big emphasis on (STEM) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math careers and talk about what a great job we are going to do, <b>after you explain the difference between Advanced 54% and 10%.</b></span>dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-67940238818063309932017-04-20T21:21:00.002-07:002017-04-20T22:32:37.237-07:00NO Links version- Singapore Crushes USA - who cares?<div id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210177" style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_212901" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">The Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210927" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">Dear Nasue Nashida,</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_214601" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">I initially listened to the Jana Dean webinar of 4/13/17 because among other things it was advertised as dealing with Singapore's math program. I am deeply disappointed.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_245404" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">As a "math person" who was a member of the State Board of Education's Math Advisory Panel, which was involved in the formulation of the 2008 Math Standards, I am particularly disappointed in WA State's current NAEP performance and the direction math instruction has been headed.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_245405" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">Advertising Ms. Jana Dean's presentation as having anything to do with Singapore's math practices was incredibly misleading. I think your organization needs to do more to improve instructional practice.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210663" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been puzzled by the lackluster performance in math of USA 8th graders on the TIMSS testing for two decades and recently a drop on NAEP 2015. It seems inexplicable to me that the Math Ed gurus at the state and school district level have very little interest in how Singapore consistently scores so far above the USA. Does saying USA ranks in top 10 suffice?</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210666" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve reached the conclusion that the current USA math education gurus believe so strongly in their current ideologically-based pedagogical superiority that there is no reason to consider anything else. It is downright anti-science.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210669" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Singapore vs USA compared from grade 4 2011 to </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210670" style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">grade 8 2015</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210672" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">------------grade 4 :: </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210673" style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">grade 8</span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210674" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> :: change over 4 years for the cohort</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210676" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">USA ------- 541 :: </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210677" style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">518 </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210678" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:: change -23 lower</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210680" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Singapore -- 606 :: </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210681" style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">621</span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210682" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> :: change +15 higher</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210684" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">USA Gap : : -65 :: </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210685" style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-103</span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210686" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> :: </span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210689" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 29, 2016 at the 13th International Conference of Mathematical Education in Hamburg, Germany, Berinderjeet Kaur, PhD of Singapore, presented the in depth pertinent information about teaching practices in Singapore. Ms. Dean was in attendance at this presentation. I've watched Dr. Kaur's presentation online and downloaded her slides. Unfortunately USA persons of authority in math leadership positions take at best a passing interest in Singapore's consistently outstanding performance. (Reminds me of Lilly Tomlin’s We don’t care, we don’t have to. We’re the phone company.)</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210692" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Kaur's Findings from Singapore: close-up lens</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210695" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that students deemed a mathematics lesson as a good one when some of the following characteristics were present.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210698" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teacher</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210701" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(1) explained clearly the concepts and steps of the procedure</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210704" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(2) made complex knowledge easily assimilate through demonstrations, the use of </span><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">manipulatives, and real life examples.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210709" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(3) reviewed past knowledge</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210712" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(4) introduced new knowledge</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210715" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(5) used student work/group presentations to give feedback to individuals or the whole </span><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">class</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210720" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(6) gave clear instructions related to mathematical activities for in class and after class </span><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">work.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210725" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(7) provided interesting activities for students to work on individually or in small groups</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210728" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(8) </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210729" style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">provided sufficient practice</span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210730" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> tasks for preparations towards examinations</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210732" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-----------------------</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210734" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a lesson there may be more than one instructional </span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210736" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">objective but the structural patterns of the lesson </span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210738" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">are done in sequence.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210741" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Instructional approaches may involve:</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210743" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">D - Whole class demonstration (aimed to develop students' understanding mathematical skills and concepts)</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210745" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">S - Seatwork</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210747" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R - whole class review of student work</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210749" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">M - Miscellaneous - managerial and administrative </span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210751" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Q - Group Quiz</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210753" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">T - Test</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210755" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[D] [S] [R] were present in all 3 classrooms observed</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210760" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Singapore bases its instructional program not on “inquiry” or “student-centered design” but on a combination of teacher-centered Traditional Instruction with Direct Instruction and then builds from this to Teaching for Understanding. Why is the USA not doing the same?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "monaco" , monospace , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;"><br id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210761" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210763" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The evidence is all there, if anyone wants to read it and believe it. But THEY DON’T! Evidence of this claim is seen in Jana Dean’s presentation at the 4/13/17 webinar. She simply IGNORED the information presented in the well detailed Singapore talk by Berindarjeet Kaur. It didn’t compute in her ideologically bound frame of reference. Ms. Dean reduced Dr. Kaur’s presentation to “Singapore focuses on testing”. Apparently Ms. Dean is representative of the entire US K-8 ed corps, with a few exceptions. Why are agents like OSPI, school districts, and The Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession not intelligently applying the relevant data to greatly improve USA math practices and performance? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Isn’t a 123 point gap enough to elicit some interest in change?</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">Sincerely,</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_214618" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">Danaher M. Dempsey, Jr.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">Olympia, WA</span></div>
dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-61099136272310597332017-04-20T19:11:00.000-07:002017-04-20T22:30:34.657-07:008th grade Math - Singapore Crushes USA - who cares?<div id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210177" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_212911" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">To: Executive Director </span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_212901" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">The Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210927" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">Dear Nasue Nashida,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;"><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_214601" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">I initially listened to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H50ryIxooVw&t=2810s">Jana Dean webinar of 4/13/17</a> because among other things it was advertised as dealing with Singapore's math program. I am deeply disappointed.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_245404" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">As a "math person" who was a member of the State Board of Education's Math Advisory Panel, which was involved in the formulation of the 2008 Math Standards, I am particularly disappointed in WA State's current NAEP performance and the direction math instruction has been headed.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_245405" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">Advertising Ms. Jana Dean's presentation as having anything to do with Singapore's math practices was incredibly misleading. I think your organization needs to do more to improve instructional practice.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210663" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been puzzled by the lackluster performance in math of USA 8th graders on the TIMSS testing for two decades and recently a drop on NAEP 2015. It seems inexplicable to me that the Math Ed gurus at the state and school district level have very little interest in how Singapore consistently scores so far above the USA. Does saying USA ranks in top 10 suffice?</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210661" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "monaco" , monospace , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210893" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;"><br id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210664" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210666" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve reached the conclusion that the current USA math education gurus believe so strongly in their current ideologically-based pedagogical superiority that there is no reason to consider anything else. It is downright anti-science.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "monaco" , monospace , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;"><br id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210667" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210669" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Singapore vs USA compared from grade 4 2011 to </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210670" style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">grade 8 2015</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210672" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">------------grade 4 :: </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210673" style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">grade 8</span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210674" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> :: change over 4 years for the cohort</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210676" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">USA ------- 541 :: </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210677" style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">518 </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210678" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:: change -23 lower</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210680" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Singapore -- 606 :: </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210681" style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">621</span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210682" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> :: change +15 higher</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210684" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">USA Gap : : -65 :: </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210685" style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-103</span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210686" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> :: </span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210689" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 29, 2016 at the <a href="http://icme13.org/">13th International Conference of Mathematical Education</a> in Hamburg, Germany, Berinderjeet Kaur, PhD of Singapore, presented the in depth pertinent information about teaching practices in Singapore. Ms. Dean was in attendance at this presentation. I've <a href="https://lecture2go.uni-hamburg.de/l2go/-/get/v/19771">watched Dr. Kaur's presentation online</a> and downloaded <a href="http://plenary-lecture-kaur-icme-13.pdf/">her slides.</a> Unfortunately USA persons of authority in math leadership positions take at best a passing interest in Singapore's consistently outstanding performance. (Reminds me of Lilly Tomlin’s We don’t care, we don’t have to. We’re the phone company.)</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210692" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Kaur's Findings from Singapore: close-up lens</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210695" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that students deemed a mathematics lesson as a good one when some of the following characteristics were present.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210698" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teacher</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210701" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(1) explained clearly the concepts and steps of the procedure</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210704" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(2) made complex knowledge easily assimilate through demonstrations, the use of </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">manipulatives, and real life examples.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210709" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(3) reviewed past knowledge</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210712" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(4) introduced new knowledge</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210715" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(5) used student work/group presentations to give feedback to individuals or the whole </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">class</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210720" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(6) gave clear instructions related to mathematical activities for in class and after class </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">work.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210725" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(7) provided interesting activities for students to work on individually or in small groups</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210728" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(8) </span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210729" style="font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">provided sufficient practice</span><span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210730" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> tasks for preparations towards examinations</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210734" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a lesson there may be more than one instructional </span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210736" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">objective but the structural patterns of the lesson </span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210738" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">are done in sequence.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210741" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Instructional approaches may involve:</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210743" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">D - Whole class demonstration (aimed to develop students' understanding mathematical skills and concepts)</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210745" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">S - Seatwork</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210747" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R - whole class review of student work</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210749" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">M - Miscellaneous - managerial and administrative </span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210751" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Q - Group Quiz</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210753" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">T - Test</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210755" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[D] [S] [R] were present in all 3 classrooms observed</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210758" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">----------------------------</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210760" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Singapore bases its instructional program not on “inquiry” or “student-centered design” but on a combination of teacher-centered Traditional Instruction with Direct Instruction and then builds from this to Teaching for Understanding. Why is the USA not doing the same?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "monaco" , monospace , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;"><br id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210761" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_210763" style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The evidence is all there, if anyone wants to read it and believe it. But THEY DON’T! Evidence of this claim is seen in Jana Dean’s presentation at the 4/13/17 webinar. She simply IGNORED the information presented in the well detailed Singapore talk by Berindarjeet Kaur. It didn’t compute in her ideologically bound frame of reference. Ms. Dean reduced Dr. Kaur’s presentation to “Singapore focuses on testing”. Apparently Ms. Dean is representative of the entire US K-8 ed corps, with a few exceptions. Why are agents like OSPI, school districts, and The Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession not intelligently applying the relevant data to greatly improve USA math practices and performance? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Isn’t a 123 point gap enough to elicit some interest in change?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">Sincerely,</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3514851030yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492681235003_214618" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">Danaher M. Dempsey, Jr.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: small;">Olympia, WA</span></div>
dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-90546809852763665222017-04-20T00:12:00.000-07:002017-04-20T02:14:35.354-07:008 thoughts from SingaporeAt the International Conference on Mathematics Education held in Hamburg, Germany in July 2016, Berinderjeet Kaur gave a presentation on <a href="https://lecture2go.uni-hamburg.de/l2go/-/get/v/19771">mathematics classrooms studies.</a> She is the foremost authority in Singapore on mathematics education. At minute 38:45 came this observation from data:<br />
about the student perspective on good lessons.<br />
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Findings: close-up lens</div>
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Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed<br />
that students deemed a mathematics lesson as a<br />
good one when some of the following<br />
characteristics were present.</div>
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Teacher</div>
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(1) explained clearly the concepts and steps<br />
of the procedure</div>
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(2) made complex knowledge easily assimilated<br />
through demonstrations, the use of<br />
manipulatives, and real life examples.</div>
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(3) reviewed past knowledge</div>
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(4) introduced new knowledge</div>
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(5) used student work/group presentations<br />
to give feedback to individuals or<br />
the whole class</div>
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(6) gave clear instructions related to<br />
mathematical activities for in class<br />
and after class work.</div>
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(7) provided interesting activities for<br />
students to work on individually<br />
or in small groups</div>
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(8) <b>provided sufficient practice</b> tasks for<br />
preparations towards examinations</div>
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<div style="font-size: 16px;">
-----------------------</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">In a lesson there may be more than one instructional </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">objective but the structural patterns of the lesson </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">are done in sequence.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">[[at minute 29 of video]]</span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Instructional approaches may involve</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">D - Whole class demonstration (aimed to develop </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> students' understanding of mathematical skills</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> and concepts)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">S - Seatwork</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">R - whole class review of student work</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">M - Miscellaneous - managerial and administrative </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Q - Group Quiz</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">T - Test</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">[D] [S] [R] were present in all 3 classrooms observed</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">----------------------------</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Singapore bases their program on a combination of Traditional</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Instruction with Direct Instruction and then builds from this </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">to Teaching for Understanding. </span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-18573812821632305512017-04-15T22:17:00.001-07:002017-04-17T04:39:20.078-07:00Math in Singapore - Where is the data?<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Recently I attended a 60 minute webinar, originally attracted by the inference that information about Singapore's techniques and methods that contributed to its great TIMSS math results would be revealed. The only thing that was revealed is that students in Singapore consider their teacher good if the teacher teaches them so that they do well on tests. Whereas in the USA students consider their teacher great if they have a good relationship with their teacher.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It was also mentioned that the USA ranks in the top ten of TIMSS countries and that apparently is good enough.</span><br />
<br />
====================================<br />
I maintain that Singapore ranks far above USA on grade 8 TIMSS, that Singapore has teachers that are much more prepared to teach math, that Singapore requires much greater competence at each grade level so that promoted students know their stuff. Traditionally Singapore has developed books that are very effective whereas the USA has not. Now in some districts there is a move away from books to computers, yet there is no pilot data indicating this is a good idea. Once again some locations in Education USA are going to the leading bleeding edge without relevant data.<br />
<br />
Singapore vs USA compared from grade 4 2011 to <b>grade 8 2015</b><br />
---------grade 4 :: <b>grade 8</b> :: change over 4 years for the cohort<br />
USA ------ 541 :: <b>518 </b>:: -23 lower<br />
Singapore -- 606 :: <b>621</b> :: +15 higher<br />
USA Gap : : -65 :: <b>-103</b> :: -38 worse<br />
<br />
This performance collapse of the cohort in grade 8 USA TIMSS Math testing should be of great concern, yet is hardly noticed by so many current leaders. For a long time this fall from higher grade 4 scores to much lower grade 8 scores has been evident. --(What me Worry? - A.E. Newman)<br />
<br />
USA and Singapore <a href="http://timss2015.org/timss-2015/mathematics/teachers-and-principals-preparation/teachers-majored-in-education-and-mathematics/">teacher academic math background at grade 4</a><br />
<br />
2015 grade 4 Math country name<br />
then percent of teachers in Category 1 and their student scores<br />
then percent of teachers in Category 2 and their students' scores<br />
then percent of teachers in Category 3 and their students scores<br />
<br />
CAT 1 -------- || --- Cat 2 -------------- || --- <b>Cat 3</b> || Cat 4<br />
<br />
Major in Primary Ed || Majored in Primary Ed || <b>Majored in</b> || Other<br />
and specialized or || no Math specialization || <b>Math but no</b>|| Major<br />
Majored in Math || || <b> primary Ed</b><br />
<br />
<b>Singapore </b> --- 59 (621) :: 14 (629) :: <b>14 (611)</b> :: <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">11 (598)</span><br />
<br />
Taipei -------- 37 (599) :: 44 (594) :: <b>3 (602)</b> :: 15 (599)<br />
<br />
Japan -------- 17 (593) :: 73 (595) :: <b>2 (??)</b> :: 7 (594)<br />
<br />
Florida -------<span style="background-color: #ea9999;">11 (566)</span> :: 68 (549) :: <b>4 (536) </b> :: 16 (535)<br />
<br />
England ----- 12 (548) :: 57 (543) :: <span style="background-color: #ea9999;"> <b>4 (582)</b></span> :: 27 (552)<br />
<br />
Ireland ------ 12 (547) :: 78 (545) :: <b>3 (556)</b> :: <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">6 (560)</span><br />
<br />
<b>USA</b> -------- 13 (537) :: 73 (540) :: <b>2 (??) </b> :: 12 (541)<br />
<br />
Finland ----- 10 (535) :: 82 (536) :: <b>0 (??)</b> :: <span style="background-color: #ea9999;"> 7 (521)</span><br />
<br />
Denmark ---- 38 (534) :: 12 (527) :: <b>30 (536)</b> :: <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">13 (548)</span><br />
<br />
Quebec ------- <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">6 (519)</span> :: 86 (537) :: <b>5 (531)</b> :: 3 (530)<br />
<br />
Canada ------ <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">6 (495)</span> :: 79 (513) :: <b>3 (518)</b> :: 12 (501)<br />
<br />
It should be noted that Singapore with 59% of its 4th grade teachers being specialized in both Elementary Ed and Mathematics is the highest scoring country.<br />
<br />
Florida had for many years been a low performing state until it required students to be able to proficiently read to advance to grade 4. With a large focus on reading to get to grade 4 things changed a lot in Florida. Notice FL out scores USA.<br />
<br />
For most countries there is not much variation across the four categories. Scores of more than 10 points variation from countries average of four scores are highlighted. <br />
=====================================<br />
<br />
USA and Singapore <a href="http://timss2015.org/timss-2015/mathematics/teachers-and-principals-preparation/teachers-majored-in-education-and-mathematics/">teacher academic math background at grade 8</a><br />
<br />
2015 grade 8 Math country name<br />
then percent of teachers in Category 1 and their student scores<br />
then percent of teachers in Category 2 and their students' scores<br />
then percent of teachers in Category 3 and their students scores<br />
<br />
CAT 1 -------- || --- Cat 2 ----------|| --- <b>Cat 3</b> ------|| Cat 4<br />
<br />
Major in || Major in || <b>Majored in</b> || Other<br />
Mathematics and||Mathematics but no|| <b>Math ED but no</b>|| Major<br />
Math Education || Math Education || <b> Math Major</b><br />
<br />
<b>Singapore </b> --- 53 (625) :: 31 (614) :: <b>6 (645)</b> :: <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">10 (595)</span><br />
<br />
Taipei -------- 31 (610) :: 50 (600) :: 4<b> (599) </b> :: <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">15 (577)</span><br />
<br />
Korea ---- 18 (610) :: 30 (606) :: <b>49 (603)</b> :: 3 (618)<br />
<br />
Japan ---------- 41 (582) :: 40 (593) :: <b> <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">6 (562)</span></b> :: 13 (592)<br />
<br />
Hong Kong --- 42 (574) :: 25 (610) :: 9 (597) :: 23 (610)<br />
<br />
Russian Fed -- 58 (544) :: 41 (530) :: 0 (??) :: 1 (??)<br />
<br />
Florida ------- 26<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> (498)</span> :: 24 (506) :: <b> 14 (532) </b> :: <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">35 (489)</span><br />
<br />
England ------- 44 (520) :: 37 (526) :: <span style="background-color: #ea9999;"> <b>4 (475)</b></span> :: 15 (504)<br />
<br />
Ireland -------- 33 (519) :: 36 (532) :: 8<b> (534)</b> :: 22 <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">(510)</span><br />
<br />
<b>USA</b> ---------- 35 (521) :: 12 (512) :: <b>22 (513) </b> :: 31 (522)<br />
<br />
Sweden ----- 50 (506) :: 17 (495) :: <b>21 (497)</b> :: <span style="background-color: #ea9999;"> 11 (489)</span><br />
<br />
Quebec ------- 43 (557) :: 16 (543) :: 2<b>5 (561)</b> :: <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">15 (522)</span><br />
<br />
Canada ------ 19<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> (545)</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span> :: 8 (537) :: 15<b> (546)</b> :: <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">59 (521)</span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: #ea9999;"><br /></span></div>
====================================================<br />
8th grade Teachers with<br />
NO "strong academic" Math background Cat 3 + Cat 4 (nation's 8th grade 2015 score)<br />
<br />
<b>Singapore </b> --- 16% (621)<br />
Korea --------- 52% (606)<br />
Taipei -------- 19% (599)<br />
Hong Kong -- 32% (594)<br />
Japan ---------- 19% (586)<br />
<br />
Quebec ------- 40% (543)<br />
Russian Federation <b>1%</b> (538)<br />
Canada ------ 74% (527)<br />
<br />
Ireland -------- 30% (523)<br />
<br />
England ------- 19% (518)<br />
<br />
<b>USA</b> ---------- 53% (518)<br />
<br />
Sweden ----- 32% (501)<br />
<br />
Florida ------- 49% (493)<br />
<br />
===========================<br />
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492312092074_21959" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">TIMSS grade 8 Math 2015</b></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492312092074_21960" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">The five East Asian countries </b><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492312092074_21961" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan </b><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492312092074_21928" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">increased the gap above #6 to 48 points </b><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492312092074_21929" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">in 2011 the gap was 31 points.</b></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492312092074_19672" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">It is way past time to start emulating </b><b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">the curriculum and practices used in </b><b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">these five countries.</b></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492312092074_19672" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></b></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492312092074_19672" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">While citizens of Singapore and Hong Kong are very </b><b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">wealthy, the citizens of the other three East Asian </b><b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">countries are not any where near as wealthy.</b><br />
<b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></b>
<b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">It is time to put an end to the obsession for unguided inquiry and develop effective efficient programs of instruction, which emphasize greater procedural fluency in elementary school. It is time to learn from the highest performing countries.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-5417458848470910282017-04-15T04:26:00.001-07:002017-04-15T04:26:04.892-07:00CCSS-M It fails in its design because the authors went home instead of remaining on the jobCCSS-M It fails in its design because the authors went home instead of remaining on the job.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9P-l4y6FqI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9P-l4y6FqI</a><br />
<br />
Richard Innes of the Bluegrass Institute explains the defective nature of the Common Core State Standards. dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-30877623088011361272017-04-14T23:04:00.001-07:002017-04-15T02:37:15.632-07:00Master in Teaching Year 1 - training to teach effectively or ??<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I've been wondering <b>why the performance of the math students in the USA in TIMSS at grade 8, NAEP at grades 4, 8, and 12, and PISA (15 year-olds) is not impressive</b> in comparison to high performing nations. I may have stumbled onto a partial answer: teacher training, in some places is more about allegiance to an ideology of social change than about training teachers to construct and </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">deliver efficient effective lessons.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Consider the Masters in Teaching Year 1 program at the Evergreen State College.</b> Evergreen offers no undergraduate route to teacher certification preferring to offer a two year Masters program leading to a Masters of Education and a teaching credential.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://evergreen.edu/catalog/offering/master-teaching-year-1-14236"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Masters in Teaching Year 1:</span></a><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(242, 242, 242, 0.952941); box-sizing: inherit; font-family: proxima-nova, Avenir, "Proxima Nova", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin-bottom: 0.833333em; margin-top: 0.416667em;">
More than two decades ago, educator Marilyn Cochrane-Smith asked, "<b><i>Can prospective teachers learn to be both educators and activists, to regard themselves as agents for change, and to regard reform as an integral part of the social, intellectual, ethical and political activity of teaching?</i></b>” In the MiT 2015-17 program, we take up this challenge as <b><i>we prepare teachers who recognize teaching as a political activity and knowingly take on the role of activist </i></b>based on a commitment to eliminate the inequities that exist in classrooms and the broader community.</div>
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If we are to be effective advocates for our students and to empower our students to transform their own lives, we must deepen, and perhaps challenge, our current beliefs about teaching and learning. As teachers we must develop within ourselves the emotional and intellectual attributes needed to understand, support, and teach our future students, and to meet their diverse needs.</div>
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Future teachers can expect to see a more diverse population of students. The MiT program prepares teachers who can draw on the strengths of students from a wide range of ethnic origins, languages, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds. Further, these students will live in a society requiring people to engage diverse cultures through effective collaboration and creative problem-solving grounded in integrated technological skills and active use of a wide range of information resources. Thus, <b><i>the MiT program will support candidates to develop as critical, reflective educators who not only care deeply about issues of race, class, poverty, and justice but are prepared to act on these issues to support student achievement.</i></b></div>
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Experiences in classrooms serve as vital parts of the MiT program. Field experiences in urban, rural, and suburban communities enable teacher candidates to mediate their understanding of theoretical ideas and concepts presentedin program coursework. Likewise, our academic investigations inform teacher candidates’ experiences in the field. These two sites for learning are bridged through meaningful activities that require teacher candidates to integrate what they learn across classrooms and coursework.</div>
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<b>Among the questions that will engage our study and practice are:</b></div>
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<li style="box-sizing: inherit;">What effective teaching practices encourage students' curiosity and lead them to shape their own questions and pursue their own answers using critical and reflective thinking?</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;">How does teachers’ knowledge of learning theory, research-based pedagogy and neurobiology contribute to children's and adolescents' learning and development?</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><b><i>How are questions of democracy, equity and excellence related to success or failure in our public schools and civic engagement in a democratic society?</i></b></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;">How are the more traditional literacies of reading, writing, and quantitative reasoning <b><i>related to personal, economic, and political oppression and power?</i></b></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;">How can teachers respond to and work with family and cultural belief systems that shape children's lives? How can teachers draw on community resources to connect content knowledge to students' lived experiences?</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Apparently students who desire to learn how to best deliver effective efficient lessons to students may be in the wrong place at the Evergreen State College, as this program emphasizes political and social change. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Is this program strengthening the teaching profession?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Is this program contributing to instruction that reduces the achievement gap for educationally disadvantaged learners?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>===================</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>The Masters in Teaching Program Y</b></span><b style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">ear 1 at Evergreen has 9 instructors and apparently none of them has as much as a B.A. in Mathematics. Are we to believe that the training of teachers will have a focus to produce better teachers of Math, Science, Engineering, or Mathematics? </b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b></span>
====================<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="http://evergreen.edu/catalog/offering/master-teaching-year-2-16589">Masters in Teaching Year 2 </a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Taught by <b>Terry Ford</b></span> -<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(242 , 242 , 242 , 0.952941); font-family: , "avenir" , "proxima nova" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>B.A., English, Whitman College</b>, 1983; Ed.M., Secondary Education, Washington State University, 1988; Ph.D., Literacy Education, Washington State University, 1993.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(242 , 242 , 242 , 0.952941); font-family: , "avenir" , "proxima nova" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(242 , 242 , 242 , 0.952941); font-family: , "avenir" , "proxima nova" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Erica Hernandez-Scott</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(242 , 242 , 242 , 0.952941); font-family: , "avenir" , "proxima nova" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>B.A., Elementary Education, Rockhurst University</b>, KCMO, 200; M.A., Curriculum and Instruction (Emphases: Multicultural and Urban Education), University of Missouri at Kansas City, KCMO, 2008; Ph.D., Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies and Educational __</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(242 , 242 , 242 , 0.952941); font-family: , "avenir" , "proxima nova" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">=======================</span><br />
<b><span style="background-color: rgba(242 , 242 , 242 , 0.952941); font-family: , "avenir" , "proxima nova" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(242 , 242 , 242 , 0.952941); font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Apparently none of these 11 instructors in the Masters in Teaching program could be certified to teach high school math in Washington State, yet they are training teachers. The state has supposedly increased the emphasis on producing better prepared students to eventually pursue jobs in STEM fields.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="background-color: rgba(242 , 242 , 242 , 0.952941); font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">===============</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Will new elementary teachers be prepared to offer instruction equivalent to that provided by k-6 teachers in Singapore?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Math preparation of USA and Singapore Teachers</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Grade 4</b> teachers:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Major in primary education and major (or specialization) </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">in mathematics.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">59% Singapore / about 4.5 times US</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">13% USA</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">International Average 27%</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">===============</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Grade 8</b> teachers:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Major in Mathematics Education and Mathematics</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">53% - Singapore / about 1.5 times US</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">35% - USA</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">international avg 36%</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">------</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Major in Math but no major in Math Education</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">31% - Singapore</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">12% - USA</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">international avg 36%</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">------</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Major in Math Ed but no major in Mathematics</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>6% - Singapore / less than 1/3 of US</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>22% - USA</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>international avg 13%</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">=============</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My observation is that:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Most current leaders in USA school districts and state offices of education directing math decisions are holders of degrees in Math education but very often no degree in Mathematics.</span></span><br />
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dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-86458931654264949412017-04-14T20:15:00.003-07:002017-04-15T03:22:32.560-07:00A Letter to Nasue Nashida - Executive Director of Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession April 14, 2017<br />
to: Executive Director of <a href="http://cstp-wa.org/">Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession</a><br />
Nasue Nashida<br />
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63256" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">Dear Nasue,</span><br />
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63260" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">I thank you for your efforts to improve teaching.</span><br />
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63264" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">I have some major concerns about the failure to use relevant data in decision making.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">I find the following statement totally incorrect yet it appears as a truth in a questionnaire</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">in "final sounding board on CCSS".</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">[[</span><span style="color: #141412; font-family: "sofiaproregular" , "myriad pro" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Here are the summaries of Sounding Board responses to issues on </span><a href="http://cstp-wa.org/cstp2013/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Sounding-Board-Teacher-Eval.pdf" style="color: #1478dc; font-family: SofiaProRegular, "Myriad Pro", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">teacher evaluation</a><span style="color: #141412; font-family: "sofiaproregular" , "myriad pro" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://cstp-wa.org/cstp2013/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/FINAL-Sounding-Board-on-CCSS.pdf" style="color: #1478dc; font-family: SofiaProRegular, "Myriad Pro", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Common Core State Standards</a><span style="color: #141412; font-family: "sofiaproregular" , "myriad pro" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> and the </span><a href="http://cstp-wa.org/cstp2013/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/FINAL-Blueprint-summary.pdf" style="color: #1478dc; font-family: SofiaProRegular, "Myriad Pro", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">President’s Blueprint for Education</a><span style="color: #141412; font-family: "sofiaproregular" , "myriad pro" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">.]]</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63271" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">bottom of page 2</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63278" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;"><i id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63277" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63276" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">OSPI Benefit: Boost the competitive advantage of American Students, who for the first time will have the opportunity to meet the academic standards set by top performing countries. </b></i></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63284" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">I wonder who made this statement and how and why it was placed in this questionnaire?</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63289" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">Jason Zimba, a lead writer of CCSS-M, admitted that <u>these standards did NOT </u></span><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63293" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;"><u>meet the academic standards set by top performing countries. </u></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63299" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">If you were to compare the Common Core Math standards to the math standards used by any of the highest performing countries on TIMSS you would find that any of the high performing East Asian 5 countries have far higher standards than CCSS-M.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63305" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">I also found many of the thoughts put forth by Jana Dean in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H50ryIxooVw">the webinar of April 13, 2017 </a>pushed math practices that are less than optimal.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63310" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">It is time to recognize declines in both NAEP and TIMSS performance and revise recommendations.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">I am all for the push for increased competence in</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63315" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">#1 Procedural Fluency</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63318" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">#2 Problem Solving</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">#3 Conceptual Understanding</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">but I find the recommendations being made will not accomplish maximal increases in these three areas.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">I urge you to compare JUMP Math against EngageNY.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/a-better-way-to-teach-math/?_r=0" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/a-better-way-to-teach-math/?_r=0</a></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63327" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">John Mighton, founder of JUMP Math, believes that the most efficient and effective route to conceptual understanding is founded in procedural fluency. Currently I believe that an over-emphasis on the Standards for Mathematical Practice and inquiry needs to be avoided. The content standards need to receive more emphasis, even though the standards for arithmetic proficiency in the early grades are far behind those of the East Asian 5.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">Sincerely,</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63333" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">Danaher M. Dempsey, Jr.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;">Olympia, WA</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63337" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://mathunderground.blogspot.com/2017/04/a-perfect-storm-of-data-we-must-take.html" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1492207008423_63336" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">http://mathunderground.blogspot.com/2017/04/a-perfect-storm-of-data-we-must-take.html</a></span></div>
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dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-80034644891169634082017-04-14T16:54:00.003-07:002017-04-14T17:26:40.999-07:00NCTM - strategic Priorities<div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>What follows is a list of Strategic Priorities from the NCTM. </b> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately NAEP, TIMSS, and PISA results for the USA indicate a startling lack of progress. Is it time to look for accountability from the Math Education Establishment?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">If not now, when?</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> <b>A better course of action than what is promoted by the NCTM is needed.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Access, Equity and Empowerment:</b> Advance knowledge about, and infuse in every aspect of mathematics education, a culture of equity where each and every person has access to and is empowered by the opportunities mathematics affords. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Advocacy:</b> Engage in public and political advocacy to focus policymakers and education decision makers on improving learning and teaching mathematics. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment:</b> Provide guidance and resources for developing and implementing mathematics curriculum, instruction, and assessment that are coherent, focused, well-articulated, and consistent with research in the field, and focused on increasing student learning. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Professional Development: </b>Provide professional development to all stakeholders to help ensure each and every student receives the highest quality mathematics education. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Research:</b> Ensure that sound research is integrated into all activities of the Council. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Technology: </b>Promote strategic use of technology to advance mathematical reasoning, sense making, problem solving, and communication.</li>
<i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px;"> (Approved by the NCTM Board of Directors, October 20, 2012)</i><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px;"><div>
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dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-69299813074673992892017-04-14T15:17:00.001-07:002017-04-15T19:42:32.484-07:00A Perfect Storm of Data: We Must Take Action -- by NCTM President Matt LarsonJanuary 17, 2017<br />
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<a href="http://www.nctm.org/News-and-Calendar/Messages-from-the-President/Archive/Matt-Larson/A-Perfect-Storm-of-Data_-We-Must-Take-Action!/">A Perfect Storm of Data: We Must Take Action</a> -- by NCTM President Matt Larson<br />
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Mr. Larson wrote the following:<br />
<i>"<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">I am empathetic to these perspectives: the assessments are imperfect and do not capture all that is important with respect to mathematics teaching and learning. Despite these limitations, there is still much we can learn from a combined analysis of the results of the 2015 fourth- and eighth-grade and the 12th-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">These results paint a mixed picture of U.S. students’ mathematics achievement. <i><b>At the elementary and middle levels, the evidence suggests the U.S. is making progress in mathematics teaching and learning.</b></i> "</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">----</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">Not quite so in grade 8 math : 2015 TIMSS for grade 8 shows a <b>very large point decline</b> for the cohort of 2011 grade 4 to 2015 grade 8. <b> <a href="http://mathunderground.blogspot.com/2017/04/usa-timss-analysis.html">SEE THIS</a></b> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Notice the decline of 23 points</b>, that certainly does not indicate progress for that cohort.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">================</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"> <i><i>"</i></i></span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Because opportunity to learn is a strong predictor of what students actually learn, <b>the most recent fourth- and eighth-grade TIMSS and NAEP results are to be expected—scores declined in areas that received less instructional emphasis.</b> Mathematics achievement at the elementary and middle levels in the United States has been trending positive over the long term—even in an international context. Not enough, not fast enough, and certainly not for each and every student, but positive nonetheless. In a country as large, decentralized, and complex as the United States, <b>incremental but steady improvement should be viewed positively.</b>"</i></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;">=================</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14px;"><i>"High school is another story. <b><i>High school mathematics scores as measured by NAEP have remained flat for more than a decade, and <u>have been sliding relative to our international peers</u> as measured by TIMSS Advanced and PISA.</i></b>" </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14px;">=================</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_g12_2015/#mathematics"><b>2015 Grade 12 NAEP Math</b></a> results are statistically significantly lower than in 2013.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">The big change was in <b>2013 35% of students were below basic and in 2015 38% of students were below basic. -- </b>That is a significant variation in the performance of students at the lowest level.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>Which raises questions about the NCTM stated "supposed" emphasis on Equity.</b></span></span><br />
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Percent of Students at or above proficient by ethnicity (2015):</span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>47% ASIAN</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>32% White</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>12% Hispanic</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>10% American Indian/ Alaska Native {AIAN}</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>7% Black</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://timss2015.org/advanced/"><b>2015 Math TIMSS Advanced</b> grade 12</a> In 2015 USA results unchanged since 1995.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Notice that the highest performing countries in East Asia do not take TIMSS advanced testing, apparently they fail to see the point. Given the performance of the top 5 in 8th grade TIMSS and the size of the score difference above the rest, perhaps TIMSS advanced testing is not advanced enough for these countries to learn much from the results.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">===================</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">THE BOTTOM LINE - I believe the NCTM has been responsible for some changes that have been damaging to student learning (as revealed by data). I am very skeptical of the NCTM's ability to correct this downward trend.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">While I agree with the NCTM stated position about the need for increased:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">#1 Procedural Fluency</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">#2 Problem Solving</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">#3 Conceptual Understanding</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">the NCTM has failed to bring about positive changes to instructional materials and practices to bring 8th & 12th grade improvement about. Quite the contrary NCTM and NSF actions have in many cases produced negative changes.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">The NCTM seems incapable of changing what needs changing. The position that 8th grade results are improving to me seems incomprehensible.</span></span><br />
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<b>USA is at 518 and ranks 9th in 2015</b><br />
<b>with Singapore at 621</b><br />
(USA 103 points behind Singapore)</div>
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(This table shows score difference from 500)<br />
(Singapore 500 + 121 = 621 at grade 8 in 2015)</div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"></span></span><br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">2011</td><td style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">2015</td><td style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"grade 4"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">grade 4</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"grade 8"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">grade 8</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"change"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">change</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Singapore"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">1. Singapore</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":106}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">106</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":121}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">121</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Korea"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">2. Korea</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":105}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">105</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":106}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">106</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Taipei"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">3. Taipei</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":91}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">91</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":99}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">99</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":8}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">8</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hong Kong"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">4. Hong Kong</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":102}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">102</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":94}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">94</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-8}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-8</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Japan"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">5. Japan</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":85}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">85</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":86}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">86</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Russian Fed"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Russian Fed</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":42}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">42</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":38}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">38</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-4}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-4</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Kazakhstan"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kazakhstan</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":28}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">28</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":27}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">27</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"England"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">England</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":42}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">42</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":18}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">18</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-24}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-24</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"USA"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>9. USA</b></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":41}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>41</b></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":18}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>18</b></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-23}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>-23</b></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Slovenia"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Slovenia</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":13}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">13</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":16}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">16</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":3}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hungary"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Hungary</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":14}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">14</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-1}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-1</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Lithuania"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Lithuania</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":34}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">34</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":12}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-22}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-22</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Australia"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Australia</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":16}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">16</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":5}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-11}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-11</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Sweden"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Sweden</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":4}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-3}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-3</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Italy"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Italy</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":8}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">8</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-6}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-6</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-14}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-14</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"NewZealand"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">NewZealand</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-14}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-14</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-7}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-7</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":7}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">7</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Norway"}" style="padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Norway</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-5}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-5</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-13}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-13</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-8}" style="padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><br />
<div>
-8</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /><b>Please notice the large gap between Japan the lowest of the Top 5 and the rest. 2011 grade 4 Japan - USA = 44 pts. 2015 grade 8 Japan - USA = 68 points. This is hardly incremental improvement for USA 8th graders.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>NCTM is in Spin Mode. "We must take Action" - </b></span></span> </div>
dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-69074122907331343032017-04-14T15:11:00.000-07:002017-04-15T01:22:31.114-07:00The Elusive Search for Balance - (with some history) by NCTM President Larson<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">February 20, 2017 from NCTM President Matt Larson</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.nctm.org/News-and-Calendar/Messages-from-the-President/Archive/Matt-Larson/The-Elusive-Search-for-Balance/"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The Elusive Search for Balance</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Mr Larson gives a summary of US Math education history and begins with:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> <i>“The Common Core math standards seek to bring a peaceful end to the ‘math wars’ of recent years <b>by requiring equal attention to conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and application (applying math to real-world problems). Yet striking that balance has not been easy.</b> We see in these results several examples of teachers over- or underemphasizing one component to the detriment of another”</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">His observation sure nails that correctly that "<b><i>balance has not been easy</i></b>" yet fails to say the failure to balance is at least partially because of NCTM and NSF actions.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Historically the NSF funding of "New Math" produced a disaster for many students (I was one). But in later years a windfall for institutions developing "reform math" materials via NSF grant dollars.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> <i>"</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>The late 1950s and 1960s were the era of “New Math.” Proponents of new math worked to make the pendulum swing from rote learning to <b>discovery teaching approaches</b> that emphasized developing students’ understanding of the structure of mathematics, how mathematical ideas fit together, and the reasoning (or <b>habits of mind</b>) of mathematicians."</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">In regard to habits of mind - elementary grade students are largely in need of procedural fluency for the habits of mind of mathematicians depend on underlying competencies.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">What Mr Larson neglects to mention is that the abandonment of efforts to produce procedurally fluent students produced confusion and chaos for many students. This same chaos was repeated decades later by Core-Plus materials. After 4 years of Core-Plus in high school many hopeful engineering students found themselves completely unprepared for math in college. Students <b>discovered</b> that they had been tricked.</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">In 1989 NCTM gave birth to the standards-based education reform effort with the release of </span><a href="http://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/More-NCTM-Standards/Curriculum-and-Evaluation-Standards-(1989)/" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; color: #0086b8; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">, and subsequently NCTM followed up this transformative publication with a series of other standards publications, culminating in </span><a href="http://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Principles-and-Standards/" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; color: #0086b8; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Principles and Standards for School Mathematics"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Principles and Standards for School Mathematics</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> (2000). By the mid-1990s over 40 states had created state math standards or curriculum frameworks consistent with the NCTM standards. But by the late 1990s the pendulum began to swing back to the basics when the “math wars” erupted in California and then spread across the country as parents and others demanded a renewed emphasis on procedural skills and direct instruction."</span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The NCTM standards were likely responsible for the NSF funding the development of programs like Core-Plus. There were many others that were also ineffective yet served as a cash cow for colleges and other institutions involved in their development.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">By 2006 the NCTM had issued the <a href="http://www.nctm.org/store/Products/Curriculum-Focal-Points-for-Prekindergarten-through-Grade-8-Mathematics-A-Quest-for-Coherence/">NCTM focal points </a>in an effort to bring the necessity for Procedural Fluency back into the picture.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">----------------</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Most of Mr Larsen's "Search for Balance" is excellent. Today the question remains why are the results of international math performance finding the USA students way less competent than those in high performing nations? Why are Black/African American students scoring so poorly on NAEP math when the NCTM emphasizes equity?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">There is a major need for a change of direction. Yet this need goes unrecognized.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Is the plan for more H-1B visas for STEM professionals?</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Consider <a href="http://timss2015.org/timss-2015/mathematics/performance-at-international-benchmarks/performance-at-the-international-benchmarks-of-mathematics-achievement/">TIMSS 2015 advanced 8th grade students by percent</a>:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>54% - Singapore</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">44% - Chinese Taipei</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">43% - Korea</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">37% - Hong Kong</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>34% - Japan</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">15% - Kazakstan</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">14% - Russian Federation</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">13% - Israel</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">12% - Hungary</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>10% - USA</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">10% - England</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">7% - Canada</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">7% - Australia</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">7% - Ireland</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">...</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">5% - Norway</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">3% - Sweden</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">...</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0% - Egypt</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0% - Lebanon</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0% - Morocco</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0% - Botswanna</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0% - Saudi Arabia</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0% - Jordon</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">===============</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Grade 4 teachers:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Major in primary education and major (or specialization) </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">in mathematics.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">59% Singapore / about 4.5 times US</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">13% USA</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">International Average 27%</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">===============</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Grade 8 teachers:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Major in Mathematics Education and Mathematics</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">53% - Singapore / about 1.5 times US</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">35% - USA</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">international avg 36%</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">------</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Major in Math but no major in Math Education</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">31% - Singapore</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">12% - USA</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">international avg 36%</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">------</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Major in Math Ed but no major in Mathematics</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>6% - Singapore / less than 1/3 of US</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>22% - USA</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>international avg 13%</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">=============</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My observation is that:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Most current leaders in USA school districts and state offices of education directing math decisions are holders of degrees in Math education.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span>dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-6543648961596975742017-04-11T01:52:00.002-07:002017-04-14T14:14:15.294-07:00The White - Black "Opportunity Gap"; Any Real Progress in Seattle Schools?<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The Seattle Schools on 4/11/2017 <a href="https://www.seattleschools.org/">webpage</a> has a first </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">link to:</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> <b>"</b></span><b><a href="https://www.seattleschools.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=627&pageId=14245065">Eliminating Opportunity Gaps</a></b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>"</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Where you can learn the <b>"supposed"</b> good news.</span></span><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"><br /></i>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"><b>The good news is that since 2011, the number of gap eliminating</b></i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"><b>schools </b></i><i style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"><b>has increased.</b> </i><i style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px;">We now have eight schools that are </i><br />
<b><i style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px;">rapidly increasing </i><i style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px;">achievement for students </i></b><b><i style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px;">we have </i></b><br />
<b><i style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px;">not historically </i></b><i style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"><b>served well.</b> </i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px;">These schools have a common foundation and approach.</i><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #282828; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div class="clear" style="clear: both;">
<div class="">
<div class="ptl_portlet_vertical" style="display: block; height: auto; overflow: hidden; width: 745.398px;">
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<div style="font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 15px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>They are focused on:</i></span></div>
<ul style="font-weight: normal;">
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>data driven decisions;</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>matching the right support and interventions to student need;</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>teachers collaborating to innovate and problem solve;</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>supporting leadership from strong instruction-focused principals;</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>partners working with staff to provide whole child supports; and</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>teachers’ unwavering belief in their students is reflected in the school culture, </i></span></span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the rigor in the classroom and students’ sense of belonging.</i></li>
</ul>
<ul style="font-weight: normal;">
</ul>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>=====================================</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But is Seattle's Good News connected to reality or<b> is it only an attempt to </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>make you believe </b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>significant progress is being made</b> in closing the gaps? </span></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Look at those six bullet points are </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">they making a difference?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Check the Seattle 8th grade MATH data</b> for </span></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">White - Black / African American gaps from State testing 2016 in Math:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Level 4 exceeds standard : </b> </span></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">White = 51.4% :: Black = 12.1% </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[<b>White results are over 4 times "Black" results at level 4</b>]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Level 1 well below standard:</b></span></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">White = 7.6% :: Black = 37.5% </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[<b>Black results are about 5 times "White" results at level 1</b>]</span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">----</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>English Language Arts</b></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check the Seattle 8th grade ELA data for </span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">White - Black / African American gaps from State testing 2016 in ELA:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Level 4 exceeds standard :</b> </span></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">White = 41.3% :: Black = 5.9% </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[<b>White results are 7 times "Black" results at level 4</b>]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Level 1 well below standard:</b></span></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">White = 4.5% :: Black = 29.1% </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[<b>Black results are over 6 times "White" results at level 1</b>]</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">===============================</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">There is a term "<b>Instructionally disabled</b>"</span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">in which a student appears to have a learning disability,</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">but there is no organic disability. <b>That child has been</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>"disabled" by poor instruction.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Check the data. Why are things allowed to continue this way?</b></span></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">===============================</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Teachers are now in a system, which may be convenient</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">for administrators but is poorly serving students who may</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">live in less than ideal circumstances.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The one-size fits-all method of evaluating teachers is</span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">based on largely measures of compliance with practices </span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">pushed from the top on down. These practices are</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">not working well but woe be to the teacher that chooses</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">to do something different.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There have been a profusion of changes and demands </span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">on teachers with zero payback in learning for many</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">students living in less than ideal circumstances.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Why no protest over this?</b> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-43674434277332229992017-04-09T13:43:00.002-07:002017-04-09T14:34:23.158-07:00White - Black math gap in WA State<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
Some HS Math teachers in Seattle often bemoan the SPS failure to emphasize PRACTICE as a tool to reduce the "Opportunity Gap".</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
Although the politically correct term is "the opportunity gap", I have no idea whether these results are strictly due to opportunity</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
BUT supposedly the NAEP does measure math achievement.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
In the last decade there have been a profusion of committees at district and state levels concerned about this gap problem. <b>They never actually address instructional materials and practices but comment about social conditions and other factors beyond school control.</b> Looking at WA State NAEP data, these folks simply <b>wasted a lot of time.</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
Here are the White - Black (achievement) gaps for students each year from 2003 to 2015 for Washington State <b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">grade 8 students</b>.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
22 2003</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
23 2005</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
26 2007</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
27 2009</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
29 2011</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
27 2013</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18165" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">37</b> 2015</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<b>2013 to 2015</b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
White scores drop from 296 to 294 (-2)</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<b>Black scores drop from 269 to 257 (-12)</b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<a class="enhancr2_d6682a3e-deff-751e-bef5-cdb2b661d10d" href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2015/#mathematics/state/gaps?grade=8" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18069" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: blue; cursor: text !important; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">NAEP - 2015 Mathematics & Reading Assessments</a></div>
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<div class="yahoo-link-enhancr-card ymail-preserve-class ymail-preserve-style" data-category="article" data-embed-url="" data-size="medium" data-type="yenhancr" data-url="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2015/#mathematics/state/gaps?grade=8" dir="ltr" id="enhancr2_d6682a3e-deff-751e-bef5-cdb2b661d10d" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; max-width: 400px; position: relative;">
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<tr id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18229" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><td id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18318" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 16px 0px 16px 12px; vertical-align: top;"></td><td id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18228" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 16px 12px; vertical-align: middle; width: 330px;"><h2 class="card-title" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18295" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">
NAEP - 2015 Mathematics & Reading Assessments</h2>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18146" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_17563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
Here are the White - Black (achievement) gaps for students each year from 2003 to 2015 for Washington State <b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18203" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">grade 4 students</b>.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18204" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<br id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18205" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18206" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
19 2003</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18207" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
15 2005</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18208" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
26 2007</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18209" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
20 2009</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18210" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
22 2011</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18211" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
21 2013</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18212" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">22</b> 2015</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18214" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<br id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18215" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18216" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
2013 to 2015</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18217" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
white scores drop from 251 to 251 (-0)</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18218" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
black scores drop from 231 to 229 (-2)</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18218" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18218" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
==========================</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18218" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
TIMSS scores for the Nation show a big drop for the cohort</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18218" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
from grade 4 2011 to grade 8 2015.</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18218" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<b>In regard to Black students Math gap in WA comparing 2011 grade 4 NAEP cohort with 2015 grade 8....</b> <b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18508" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">White-Black Score gap went from 22 to 37 ... gap expanded greatly in 4 years, 15 points larger.</b></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18218" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></b></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491762988500_18218" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Courier New", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-top: 0.1em; padding: 0px;">
<b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Does anyone have the courage to question the direction provided by the Math Ed dictators running this system? Too many students are </b><b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">victims of the current unchallenged Math Oligarchs. </b><br />
<b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></b>
<b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></b><br />
"To improve a system requires the intelligent application of relevant data." -- W. Edwatds Deming (1900-1993)<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">----</b><br />
The score gap between eligible for free or reduced price lunch students and those not eligible increased by 3.24 points from 2013 to 2015.<br />
----<br />
<br /></div>
dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-39934306548989723462017-04-08T21:15:00.002-07:002017-04-08T21:33:58.294-07:00Cognitive Science and the Common Core Math Standards<a href="http://www.chemreview.net/CCMS.pdf" style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><b>Cognitive Science and the Common Core Math Standards</b></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><br />
a .pdf link from Chem Review<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This extensively documented 10 page paper contains the truth that current pushers of Reform Math do not wish to acknowledge. This paper has a well reasoned analysis of various aspects of the CCMS - Common Core Math Standards. It looks at cognitive science and learning.</span><br />
<br />
Overview: The OECD tested <b>numeracy (solving problems with mathematical content) </b>in 22 nations and <b>USA placed last at #22 out of 22.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Between 1984 and 2011, as a percentage of bachelor's degrees awarded, the percentage of degrees awarded in physical sciences and engineering fell by 40%. Nearly 60% of Freshman who declared their intent to major in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM fields) failed to attain those degrees within 6 years.</b><br />
---------<br />
The paper explains what went wrong.<br />
<br />
It covers Cognitive Architecture.<br />
<br />
It does a standards analysis over the years.<br />
<br />
Covers CCSS adoption.<br />
<br />
It looks at addition and subtraction and automaticity.<br />
<br />
Learning facts- sequence and timing<br />
<br />
Standard Algorithms. --<br />
<br />
Theories of Learning<br />
Reasoning vs Algorithms<br />
Discovery and Misconceptions<br />
Activities and Conceptual Understanding<br />
<br />
Conclusion : CCMS are an improvement over 1989 NCTM type standards.<br />
<b>However the repeated delays and omissions in memorization result in learning strategies that simply do not work.</b> The 2010 Math standards are at odds with 2017 Cognitive Science. A re-examination is required.dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-55297810803167093022017-04-07T18:07:00.002-07:002017-04-09T09:21:18.337-07:00USA - TIMSS math analysis<b>The 2011 4th grade country cohort is followed four years to the 2015 8th grade.</b><br />
500 is the mean score on TIMSS Math for all countries<br />
the large number of counties scoring below 500<br />
are not shown. Countries needed TIMSS scores at grade 4 2011<br />
and grade 8 2015 to appear in the table.<br />
<br />
<b>USA was in 8th place at 541 in 2011</b><br />
<b>with Singapore at the top at 606</b><br />
(USA 65 points behind Singapore)<br />
<br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">2011</td><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">2015</td><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"grade 4"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">grade 4</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"grade 8"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">grade 8</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"change"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">change</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Singapore"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">1. Singapore</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":106}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">106</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":121}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">121</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Korea"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">2. Korea</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":105}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">105</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":106}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">106</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hong Kong"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">3. Hong Kong</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":102}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">102</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":94}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">94</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-8}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-8</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Taipei"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Taipei</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":91}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">91</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":99}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">99</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":8}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">8</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Japan"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Japan</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":85}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">85</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":86}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">86</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"England"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">England</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":42}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">42</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":18}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">18</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-24}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-24</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Russian Fed"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Russian Fed</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":42}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">42</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":38}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">38</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-4}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-4</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"USA"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>8. USA</b></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":41}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>41</b></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":18}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>18</b></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-23}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>-23</b></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Lithuania"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Lithuania</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":34}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">34</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":12}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-22}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-22</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Australia"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Australia</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":16}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">16</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":5}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-11}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-11</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hungary"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Hungary</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":14}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">14</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-1}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-1</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Slovenia"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Slovenia</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":13}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">13</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":16}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">16</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":3}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Italy"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Italy</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":8}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">8</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-6}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-6</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-14}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-14</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Sweden"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Sweden</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":4}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-3}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-3</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Kazakhstan"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kazakhstan</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":28}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">28</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":27}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">27</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Norway"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Norway</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-5}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-5</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-13}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-13</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-8}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-8</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"NewZealand"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">NewZealand</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-14}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-14</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-7}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-7</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":7}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">7</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
<b>USA is at 518 and ranks 9th in 2015</b><br />
<b>with Singapore at 621</b><br />
(USA 103 points behind Singapore)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">2011</td><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">2015</td><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"grade 4"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">grade 4</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"grade 8"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">grade 8</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"change"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">change</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Singapore"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">1. Singapore</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":106}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">106</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":121}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">121</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Korea"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">2. Korea</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":105}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">105</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":106}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">106</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Taipei"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">3. Taipei</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":91}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">91</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":99}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">99</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":8}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">8</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hong Kong"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Hong Kong</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":102}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">102</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":94}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">94</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-8}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-8</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Japan"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Japan</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":85}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">85</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":86}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">86</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Russian Fed"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Russian Fed</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":42}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">42</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":38}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">38</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-4}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-4</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Kazakhstan"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kazakhstan</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":28}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">28</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":27}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">27</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"England"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">England</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":42}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">42</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":18}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">18</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-24}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-24</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"USA"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>9. USA</b></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":41}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>41</b></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":18}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>18</b></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-23}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>-23</b></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Slovenia"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Slovenia</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":13}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">13</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":16}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">16</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":3}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hungary"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Hungary</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":14}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">14</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-1}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-1</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Lithuania"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Lithuania</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":34}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">34</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":12}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-22}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-22</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Australia"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Australia</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":16}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">16</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":5}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-11}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-11</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Sweden"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Sweden</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":4}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-3}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-3</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Italy"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Italy</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":8}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">8</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-6}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-6</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-14}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-14</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"NewZealand"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">NewZealand</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-14}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-14</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-7}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-7</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":7}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">7</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Norway"}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Norway</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-5}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-5</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-13}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-13</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":-8}" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">-8</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
The USA has been criticized in the past for a mile wide inch deep math curriculum. For the USA fourth grade scores are usually better than 8th as the broad exposure to many topics may produce good scores in grade 4.<br />
<br />
But in grade 8 more skill is needed and USA scores tend to drop.<br />
<br />
<b>While at first glance the drop from #8 in 2011 to #9 in 2015 would not case alarm the change of -23 indicates a large problem. Especially for a STEM focused country.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Among high scoring countries USA and England appear to have serious problems with math performance after grade 4.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The USA k-12 math education leadership has been dominated by reform math ideology. Top scoring Asian countries using a different ideology pull away. It is past time for the USA to change math practices, if improvement is expected in the future.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Math learning focuses on:</b><br />
<b>1. Procedural Skill 2. Problem Solving 3. Conceptual Understanding.</b><br />
<b>An overemphasis on the attempt to teach conceptual understanding has been damaging. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Practice is currently needed rather than Problem Based Learning. </b><br />
<b>2015 USA PISA math low at 470 .... 2015 USA NAEP not good... </b><br />
<b>It is time to look seriously at Math Education Leaders.</b></div>
dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-53321196632374806142017-04-05T21:52:00.001-07:002017-04-06T07:43:06.713-07:00Crazy or What? - using STEM to sell any idea no matter how bad<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>We now have some high schools attempting to teach every mathematics class without books and "supposed" experts telling us that math homework is unnecessary,</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> even in the preparation of students for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) professions. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-e9a337e5-4185-f924-7fa2-4123fccc8653" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First of all very little “Education Research” will meet the normal standards employed in scientific research. The National Math Panel (final report March, 2008) </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as a whole reviewed more than 16,000 research studies and related documents. Yet, only a small percentage of available research met the standards of evidence and could support conclusions.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many of today’s articles and research papers seem closer to “People Magazine” than science. Many arguments are advanced based on “Closing the Opportunity Gaps” or better preparing students for “Successful STEM Careers”. Often the arguments are barely linked to those two concerns if at all.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The NSF and in particular NSF - EHR (National Science Foundation - Education and Human Resources) has through grants supported many elements of Mathematics Reform. In the last decade Stanford’s Jo Boaler has become an influential leader in the reform math movement. Unfortunately many of the ideas and practices she advances as beneficial can not withstand careful scrutiny. Many of the practices she recommends are often accepted by school district administrators without careful inspection or analysis. Many of her current recommendations will prove damaging.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jo Boaler’s recent April 3, 2017 article "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>OPINION: It’s time to stop the clock on math anxiety. Here’s the latest research on how"</i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">purports to improve the chances for students to successfully pursue STEM careers. I believe what she recommends, if widely put into practice, will substantially lessen students chances for a successful STEM career.</span><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She claims students using her methods improved 1.6 years in 18 days but fails to provide the evaluation tool or the data.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3679999999999999; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She claims</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Anyone can learn to high levels </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">but she provides </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">no definition of high levels. Does </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“anyone”</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> include every handicapped SpEd student with multiple handicaps? Her sentence has the ring of a pep rally cheer not reality.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She references a report that uses PISA math scores of 15 year-old students, but PISA is not testing the academic mathematics needed for STEM success. PISA claims to measure mathematical fluency and problem solving, not rigorous mathematics. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She attempts to link a measure of math anxiety to student under-performance. She finds little use for math homework.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her article in “The Hechinger Report” titled</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://hechingerreport.org/opinion-time-stop-clock-math-anxiety-heres-latest-research/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">OPINION: It’s time to stop the clock on math anxiety. Here’s the latest research on how</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> links to a paper</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Math Anxiety-Performance Link: A Global Phenomenon</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-e9a337e5-4187-7f2f-5e53-7c34ab33cbd8" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This paper’s attempt to link anxiety to mathematics under-performance in regard to potential STEM students fails completely. Yet Jo Boaler proceeds with lots of recommendations as if the anxiety-under-performance link has been well established, when it clearly has not been established.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I reference page 53 of the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Math Anxiety </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">paper and its graph.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From Boaler’s article:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #2a272b; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"The highest achieving students had the most striking negative relationship between math anxiety and performance." </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was puzzled by this when I first read this sentence.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It seems to me that if we use the data present from nations, the reference would not be to "the highest achieving students" but rather reference to "Students from the highest scoring nations". Currently there is a national concern about preparing more STEM professionals.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">=====</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The anxiety-STEM connection debunked.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Check out page 53 graph in the linked - Math Anxiety Global Performance paper.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Look at Countries with a mean anxiety index of around 0.00</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shanghai, Canada, Australia, Latvia, Norway, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Kazakhstan</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So does this list mean anything? The scores from the graph range from 600+ to around 420.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is interesting about a STEM conversation is that </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">the 7 highest performing countries have anxiety indexes from about 0.00 to 0.35</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first full paragraph on page 53 addresses these highest performing countries and anxiety but fails to point out.... that</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b> there are no countries no matter what anxiety level that perform at the level of these 7 countries. </b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In thinking about STEM is the goal high performance or low anxiety?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Low anxiety champs in order of declining PISA 2012 math performance from pg 53 are:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">High performing champs in order of math anxiety are:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Japan, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Macau-China, Singapore, Hong Kong - China, Shanghai-China</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let us look at 2015 PISA and TIMSS grade 8 math scores (percent of </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>students achieving advanced benchmark</b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) for these countries (if available) :Note only Sweden in the low anxiety countries takes the 8th grade TIMSS thus the * scores are from 2015 4th grade TIMSS math</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>TIMSS</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [PISA]- country </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Liechtenstein, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">---[521]Switzerland, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4* [512]-Netherlands, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8* [511]-Finland, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5* [506] -Germany, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">12*[511] -Denmark, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">---[488]-Iceland,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 [494]-Sweden,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">========================</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10 [470] - USA</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">========================</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">34 [532]-Japan, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">44 [542]-Chinese Taipei, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">43 -Korea, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">---[544]Macau-China, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">54 [564]-Singapore, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">37 [548]-Hong Kong - China, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Shanghai-China</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Whether using TIMSS advanced group percent or PISA score</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">there are two clear groupings:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">#1.. the lower anxiety low math performance group</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">#2.. the higher anxiety much higher math performance group.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">It should be obvious which group's instructional methods would better prepare prospective STEM professionals.</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A friend once told me :</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Research shows exactly what it needs to show for the researcher to get the next grant.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e9a337e5-4189-75a9-1e63-7a29bdea18d3"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Jo Boaler is a true master of the research grant. She gets her nonsense accepted as wisdom by telling the uncritically naive exactly what they wish to hear “fairy-tales”. It is well past time to stop putting fairy-tales into practice.</b></span></span></span></div>
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dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-980061747837817552017-04-04T00:35:00.000-07:002017-04-17T05:22:54.116-07:00More Math Nonsense masquerading as thoughtful researchThe Hechinger Report often publishes items of great interest, but occasionally prints opinions of dubious worth. Jo Boaler frequently publishes in a wide variety of publications. On April 3, 2017 came this opinion of dubious worth:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://hechingerreport.org/opinion-time-stop-clock-math-anxiety-heres-latest-research/">Opinion: It's time to stop the clock on math anxiety. Here's the latest research on how.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Boaler advocates for a different way to teach math, but uses straw-men about the way she presents math as currently taught in the US.</span><span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Boaler uses a link to a study by University of Chicago Psychologists, complete with a graph plotting anxiety vs achievement. The study makes references to the need for STEM professionals but</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> uses PISA math data</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The use of PISA math results seems inappropriate in this context as PISA is hardly a measure of the mathematical progress needed by 15 year-old students on their way to becoming STEM professionals.</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The place to look for relevant international data is TIMSS. Results of 2015 4th grade math </span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Percent of students scoring at the advanced level:</span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">50% - Singapore</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">45% - Hong Kong</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">41% - Korea</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">35% - Chinese Taipei</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">32% - Japan</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">---------</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">27% - Northern Ireland</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">20% - Russian Federation</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">17% - England</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">16% - Kazakhstan</span></span><br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">16% - Florida, USA</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">14% - United States</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c45c5e-37d8-f889-cf14-668237d895b8"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">14% - Ireland</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">14% - Norway</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TIMSS 2015 8th grade math results:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">54% - Singapore</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">44% - Taipei</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">43% - Korea</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">37% - Hong Kong</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">34% - Japan</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">15% - Kazakhstan</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">14% - Russian Federation</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">13% - Israel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">12% - Hungary</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10% - United States</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10% - England</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10% - UAE</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9% - Quebec, Canada</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7% - Florida, USA</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7% - Canada</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7% - Australia</span></div>
5% - Norway<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Notice how the top five countries have separated from the others as most of the other countries have declined in percent of students scoring at the advanced level in grade 8.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Dr. Boaler has been selling her stories about how to teach math for a long time. The top five scoring countries are not following her guidance. If the USA is planning on increasing its supply of native born STEM professionals, it is past time to dismiss Dr. Boaler’s poor advice and pay more attention to instructional practices that produce advanced students.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>It seems there is a growing cottage industry blending psycho-babble with concern about how feelings are effecting math achievement. Unfortunately many administrative decision-makers are unable to separate wheat from chaff. If only there was more concern about finding, developing and using effective instructional materials and practices, what a wonderful world it might be.</b></span></div>
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dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.com2