Pursuit of Excellence in Camdenton Public Schools

Because you asked....

2009-10-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

Camdenton Elementary School MAP Test Scores 2009 vs. 2008

These scores are taken directly from http://www.dese.mo.gov/ (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

MATH:

Osage Beach Elementary:
Math 2008 81.5% Proficient or Advanced
Math 2009 70.0%
= 11.5% Drop

Hurricane Deck Elementary:
Math 2008 45.5% Proficient or Advanced
Math 2009 37.0%
=8.5% Drop

Hawthorn Elementary:
Math 2008 41.8%
Math 2009 45.9%
=4.1% Gain
(This is the school where we fought for supplements all year, and got them. Glad to see those gains here. )

COMMUNICATION ARTS:

Osage Beach Elementary:
Comm Arts 2008 59.3% Proficient or Advanced
Comm Arts 2009 60.0%
= .7% Gain

Hurricane Deck Elementary:
Comm Arts 2008 43.2% Proficient or Advanced
Comm Arts 2009 32.6%
=10.6% Drop

Hawthorn Elementary:
Comm Arts 2008 39.5% Proficient or Advanced
Comm Arts 2009 35.7%
=3.8% Drop

So Proud To Be A Part....

2009-07-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

As a result of this journey I have met so many amazing people who are so very devoted to this issue. None of them see a dime for all of the countless hours they put into this cause on a regular basis. They do it for the simple fact that they are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the children of our state and our nation need the bar raised while being offered a quality public education.

Please check out:

The Missouri Math Coalition http://missourimath.webs.com/index.htm
AND
The United States Coalition for World Clas Math http://usworldclassmath.webs.com/

Put these sites in your favorites and stay tuned. There are so many good people hard at work with reference to this issue all over your state and nation. Get involved. Stay educated. Remember... Knowledge is power.

NOTE: I think you will find of special interest the link on the "Design Principles..." and "False Dichotomy".

Take a look at #1....

2009-04-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

As you go to the polls on Tuesday remember one thing. It seems that we hear an awful lot about the school board and the need to keep the budget in check. There is a lot of talk lately about the "role" of the board being financial. This is true... in part. However, if one looks into www.camdentonschools.org and visits board policy...and then pulls up the school board member ethics portion, you will notice the #1 role and responsibility of a school board member in the Camdenton RIII school district. (I know that Tosh Stamper recognizes this, as does Jason Taylor.) And while the finance part is important...it is not the most important. Take a look below what our own district policy says about the most important role of each school board member....

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER ETHICS

Members of the Camdenton R-III School District Board of Education accept the responsibility to improve public education in the Camdenton R-III School District. To that end, all Board members will:

1. Remember that the first and greatest concern must be the educational welfare of all students attending the public schools.

Please remember to vote on Tuesday!

"It's only when voices speak out that they're heard..."

2009-03-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a great article articulated by a mom in Spokane, Washington. She has an awesome website you should check out. We are certainly not alone in our fight and continued disbelief that this math that our elementary children are forced to endure has been chosen without the consent of the majority of teachers or parents in our district...yet imposed on our beloved children without any real data nor research to back up such a choice in support of the "good" that will come from such an endeavour. Laurie Rogers imparts some incredible insights. Take a look at her website at http://betrayed-whyeducationisfailing.blogspot.com/. The following is her post from earlier today.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Your child's education is up to you
Over the last 27 months, I’ve come to see public education as an immoveable force. Administrators are fond of talking about “accountability,” but it doesn’t mean much, not in any real sense. Today's administrators know that all they have to do is produce upward ticks in pretend numbers. The only real accountability comes when unhappy parents leave the school district. Although a few thousand Spokane families have done that over the last five years, local administrators have so far declined to say publicly that the enrollment drops have anything to do with how the schools operate.

Meanwhile, things stay fairly quiet, which is what bureaucrats generally prefer.

My comments here could be seen as “cynical” or “critical,” but I see them as “realistic.” With realism comes truth. With truth comes knowledge. With knowledge comes power. With power comes change – even if it’s change for just one child. When it’s your child, one child is a lot.

My husband and I have therefore taken control of our daughter’s education. We now know it isn’t enough to just be involved in the school or the classroom; we need to know what she’s learning. We also must have some idea of what she should be learning. When the school curriculum or learning environment fails her, we must fill in critical gaps. This isn’t a game we’re playing. Her future is at stake. Six short years from now, it won’t matter whether we helped out with field trips or cut paper for the class every Friday. What will matter is the knowledge she takes with her to college.

Although several people in this district care about our daughter – most notably her teachers and principal – no one at the district level has expressed even a sliver of interest in what kind of experience she must have had that would lead me to do an intense and focused two-year investigation of public education. To them, I’m sure she’s just a bit of data in a long string of data. I doubt they know who I am. Over two years, I've interviewed three curriculum coordinators, two board members and other sundry district staff. I’ve sat down with district Superintendent Nancy Stowell and asked her pointed questions. I’ve written about Dr. Stowell on my blog and run into her a half a dozen times at various meetings. She still introduces herself to me as if we've never met. Clearly, she doesn’t feel the need to retain any information about me or my concerns.

Over 27 months, I've come to believe I could be brilliant, have the best research, find the most perfect words and fill up school board meetings with the most knowledgeable people – and administrators would still operate as if I don’t exist. If I ever manage to effect positive change in this district, I have no doubt that the minute I turn my back, someone will begin working to erase it.

I have two main goals now:

1. Help parents cut through the fake statistics and “edu-speak” so
they can see things more clearly.

2. Tutor students in math. I looked into earning an education degree,
but colleges of education tend to train teachers by using discovery learning
methods and reform philosophy. I'm 47 and a college graduate. I get hives at the thought of sitting in groups to hash out simplistic problems I could easily solve on my own. I’ve therefore chosen the math program over the education program.

In these two small ways, I hope to help the children succeed. I yearn for revolution, but perhaps some of the improvement will just have to come one person at a time.

“Laurie … I have to tell you, I'm going through a kind of personal revolution right now. I've always felt that I was hindered by a lack of knowledge, betrayed, if you will, by my own public education, and would just sound ignorant if I spoke out on the things I felt strongly about (education, political issues, etc.), so I said and did nothing. Besides, I'm just one little suburban mother. What difference could I possibly make? I have long felt that the public education system has failed us as a nation, and that this is now more apparent than ever. I've been very concerned about the direction our nation is heading at such a rapid pace, so I've been educating myself on American history and government. For the first time in my life, I've been following the actions of the government, communicating to my representatives, and I'm 33 years old. My own public education didn't come close to preparing me to be an active, educated citizen in the community, let alone in the nation (yet I still cast my vote at every election). I've been compelled to educate myself and take a more active role. I just can't sit complacently by anymore, and I've realized that everyone who has a part in making a difference is just one person. It's only when voices speak out that they're heard.

“I spent 13 years in public school, 2 years in community college, and 3 more at a state university, and I have always felt ignorant and uneducated! There is definitely something wrong there, and the last thing I want is for my kids to grow up that way, too. So, I offer no more excuses for being part of the
problem. I want to be part of the solution, and I do feel that it all comes down to education. I thank you for doing your part to improve the state of education (and, therefore, the country) and I want to do mine as well, so count me in!
“I did go to bat for my own child last week, and I wish I had done it a year
ago. (My son) has been complaining about school in general and math in
particular. I think he's bored with the math in 1st grade and especially the
pace of the class. Last year, I had the same issue with (my daughter) and (the teacher) danced around it, asserting that she was challenged in class in a variety of ways. My naive mistake was giving her the benefit of the doubt and not pushing any farther than bringing the issue up again at conference time. Last week, I went straight to (the principal). I have to say, I was very pleased with his reaction and the result. By the end of the day it was arranged (that my son) would go to (the next grade) for math. …”
This mother acknowledged, however, that the curriculum in the next grade is also insufficient, so she is tutoring her children in two traditional programs –
“Singapore Math” and “Saxon Math.” She expressed concerns about the calculators in the elementary grades and wondered how I felt about it. I told her I’m opposed to introducing calculators in elementary school, that there is no need for it, and that it’s my belief that they interfere with the learning of necessary arithmetic skills. I asked the mother if I could quote from her email, and she said I could:
“I hope it can help encourage other parents to get involved or even just
interested. One of the greatest things I took away from homeschooling was the attitude that my children's education is my ultimate responsibility, whether I choose homeschool, public school, or somewhere in between. That realization has been very empowering.”

I couldn’t have said it better.

Rogers, L. (March, 2009). "Your child's education is up to you." Retrieved March 21, 2009 from the Betrayed Web site: http://betrayedwhyeducationisfailing.blogspot.com

Yet Another Government Review Finds Investigations a FAILURE!

2009-03-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

Another brand new study by the United States Federal Government that ranks Investigations in last place after studying which math curriculum is most effective. Any big surprise? Of course not.

The article:Feb_09_US_Dept_of_Ed_-_Saxon_Beats_TERC.pdf
The Ed Week Article on the findings: SaxonExpressionsmath.pdf

Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula: Findings from First Graders in 39 Schools Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula:

Findings from First Graders in 39 Schools reports on the relative impacts of four math curricula on first-grade mathematics achievement. The curricula were selected to represent diverse approaches to teaching elementary school math in the United States.

The four curricula are Investigations in Number, Data, and Space; Math Expressions; Saxon Math; and Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics. First-grade math achievement was significantly higher in schools randomly assigned to Math Expressions or Saxon Math than in those schools assigned to Investigations in Number, Data, and Space or to Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics. This study is being conducted as part of the National Assessment of Title I. The report cleared IES peer review on February 2, 2009.

Is This What Success Looks Like?

2009-03-02T06:04:00.000-08:00

To really get a full look at what "success stories" according to Pearson (the publisher of Investigations) really looks like.. just take a look and see:

Vestavia Hills West Elem School, AL
DROPPED

Naperville CUSD 203, IL
DROPPING

Framingham School District, MA
DROPPED

Anoka-Hennepin ISD 11, MN

DROPPING

Inver Grove District 199, MN
DROPPED

Little Falls ISD 482, MN
DROPPING

Staples-Motley ISD 2170, MN
DROPPED

Stillwater District 834, MN
DROPPED

Waconia District 110, MN
DROPPED

White Bear Lake 624, MN
Text Book Review Underway (may drop – confirm in late 3/09) Grant MSP (Math Science Partnership) funds now depleted

Columbia District 93, MO
DROPPED

Greece, Central, NY
DROPPING

Penfield Central, NY
DROPPED AS CORE PROGRAM

Pittsford Central, NY
DROPPED AS CORE PROGRAM

Syracuse City School District, NY
DROPPED

Coventry Local School District, OH
DROPPED

Lebanon City School District, OH
DROPPED

Painesville City School District, OH
DROPPED

Three Rivers Local School District, OH
DROPPED

Wickliffe, OH
DROPPED

Gervais School District 1, OR
DROPPED

Sutherlin School District 130, OR
DROPPING

Chariot Regional District, RI
DROPPED

Alpine District, Utah
DROPPED
(Banned by USOE as primary text materials 2007)
Utah State Office of Education; state legislature initiative 2009 requires funding for Singapore Math

Arlington District 16, WA
DROPPING

Bellevue District 405, WA
DROPPING

Clover Park District 400, WA
DROPPING

Eastmont School District 206, WA
DROPPING

Lake Stevens District 4,WA
DROPPING

Oak Harbor, WA
DROPPING

Richland School District 400, WA
DROPPING

Black River Falls, WI
DROPPING

La Crosse, WI
DROPPING

River Falls, WI
DROPPING

Superior, WI
DROPPING

For anyone on the fence as to whether or not Investigations is failing your child (despite the fact that your child is getting an A or B as EVERY other child is)...take a look at all of the schools from across the United States and tell me that our children are not on the fast track to failure. As I have said over and over again...it is only a matter of time before our scores will force the administration to rethink this decision they have made for our children. How many of you want for it to take 6-7 years to figure it out? If these are "success stories" according to the publisher of Investigations from just 2 years ago, can you imagine what the failures must look like?

As we were reminded in a recent school board meeting by an administrator..."You cannot always believe everything the publisher says". We could not agree more after looking at these FACTS! So, the question remains..."why are we using this type of teaching? Show us some real success stories. Show us the FACTS! We are having lots of trouble believing since no one is telling us anything. Tell us why you are doing this to our kids, please. For some of us parents, we believe the clock it ticking and our childrens' futures are at stake. We do not trust at this point. Our childrens' reading scores tell the story, and now you have taken them down the fast track to failure with this new very controversial choice of math. Forgive us if we believe time is of the essence! We need change NOW!

If you are growing weary of no explanations or any offer to communicate with us, then remember how important it is to vote in April!

Please read this whole report at: Independent_Survey_-_Math_Investigations_Success_Stories.pdf It is a MUST READ!!!

"Success Stories"?????

2009-02-26T10:06:00.000-08:00

I got an email this morning from a friend in Virginia, Greg Barlow. www.pwcteachmathright.com. He sent me a divine piece of research that beautifully illustrates the FACT that Investigations is not a proven method by which to teach children. A group of parents there took it upon themselves to find out if the "success stories" touted by Pearson (the publisher of Investigations) were REALLY TRUE. They conducted their own study on a national level. They picked up their phones and got on their computers and contacted these "success stories" to find out what was really going on. Their results were eerily familiar to those results that a few of us moms in Camdenton experienced when our administration handed out a list of schools in Missouri using Investigations. We all found the same results. I think you will find those results very alarming, as well!

The following report in entirety can be read here:
Independent_Survey_-_Math_Investigations_Success_Stories.pdf It is a MUST READ!!!

Excerpts taken from the above mentioned article:

Independent Research & Analysis
A Survey of School Districts Profiled in
Pearson Scott Foresman Publishers’
January 2007 Publication,
"Investigations in Number, Data, and Space: Evidence for Success"i
(Data as of February 24, 2009)

Survey Purpose and Methodology

The purpose of this survey was to examine claims of success regarding districts and schools utilizing Pearson Publishers’ elementary mathematics curriculum, Investigations in Number, Data, and Space as profiled in the publisher’s marketing / validation study.

In considering the adoption of the Investigations elementary math curriculum, school districts regularly cite the Pearson document as "research" to support school system selection of the materials. Each of the school and district "data cases" presented in the Pearson document are said to represent, "Cross sectional information about the schools and districts included."ii The Pearson document further asserts, "The data, taken as a whole, document the success of this Scott Foresman instructional material across a wide range of situations, including differing student body compositions (socioeconomic and ethnic), and urban, suburban and rural locales," and finally, "In designing this study, the aim was to provide the kind of information that schools and districts already use to support their curriculum decisions."iii

Survey Purpose and Methodology (Continued)

Though lauded as "success stories" in the January 2007 Pearson publication, many of the included schools, districts, and in fact state Departments of Education have rejected Investigations outright and have long since ceased using the curricula and materials. Many others are in the process of removing the curricula and materials from primary/basal use in mathematics instruction in their districts. The following is a compilation of findings from contact made with those schools, districts, and state level agencies associated with the schools and districts cited as Math Investigations success stories in the January 2007 edition of the Pearson Scott Foresman "Evidence for Success" publication.

The information presented puts the Pearson Scott Foresman "Success Stories" in a larger achievement-oriented perspective in light of the high numbers of districts no longer using or in the process of abandoning Investigations in Number, Data, and Space in districts and states across the country. In the spirit of a "Caveat Emptor" (buyer beware) concern for districts and schools considering adoption of this mathematics curriculum, the authors of this survey remain optimistic that these such agencies will have the foresight to look beyond the glossy publisher sales brochures when considering the mathematical content that should be provided in instructional programs to the children in public school systems .

Part I – Summary of Findings

A majority of districts reporting have either discontinued using the Investigations curriculum and materials or are in the process of dropping the program as of February, 2009.

• 62 of 70 "Evidence for Success" school districts responded to the survey
• 36 of these districts have discontinued use or are
in the process of discontinuing the use of Investigations (58% of districts responding; 51% of districts overall) So...more than half of all of the "success stories" have dropped Investigations.
• 17 of these districts currently using Investigations are Title I (schools/districts and/or receiving National Science Foundation funding and/or other grants for continued implementation of the curricula (27% of districts responding; 24% of districts overall). So another 1/4 of those "success stories are getting funding or incentives in the form of grants to use this inquiry based form of teaching.
• 8 of the districts using Investigations are using supplemental material to support gaps in the mathematical content of the program. (7 of these districts are comprised of 7 elementary schools or less; the 8th has only 15 elementary schools) Soooo...it appears that most schools who still do use Investigations believe it MUST be supplemented to fill in all of those GAPS!
• Only two district responding were using Investigations without supplementation (3.2% of districts responding; 2.9% of districts overall) (I would LOVE to see their test scores...true test scores).
• To date (24 Feb 2009) 8 districts had yet to respond; 6 of these are Title I districts).

Part II –District Math Curriculum Director/Coordinator Remarks
Testimony of School District Math Curriculum Directors and Coordinators on Math Investigations
February, 2009
"Success Stories"?

Coventry Local School District, OH – Curriculum Director

"I find it somewhat funny that we dropped Investigations around the 2002-2003 school year. It was not a successful program in our school district, and we decided to return to a more traditional program k-12. So, I am not sure why Pearson has us listed as a success story. We saw the dramatic increase in state test scores AFTER we dropped the program and went with a more traditional approach........ (This is classic. On the list that was given to us by our administration we even found there were schools on the list that had never heard of Investigations.)

..........In my opinion, the program was created by professors and researchers who do not deal with the day to day situation of elementary classrooms. It could be a nice supplemental to a traditional math program but it is nothing more than that."
(I love this one...we got this answer more than once in Missouri.)

Lebanon School District, OH - Director of Instruction and Tech.

"We do not use MI as our core textbook because it had many gaps in the alignment to our state standards ......
........We discovered the gaps in MI after the fact when implemented. Scores increased in grades k-4 but then dropped in grades 5-7 .
[Email dated 2/5/09]

Black River Falls School District, WI – Curriculum Coordinator

The activities were too "open-ended" for some of our teachers. We decided to switch in order to get more consistent use by all teachers. There seems to be a very positive attitude toward the change."
[Email dated 2/6/09]

Naperville School District, IL – Gifted Coordinator & Math Project Manager

"We supplemented with Investigations only since 2000. In fact, we never purchased the student work books. Rather, we created our own math curriculum - binders for our 14 elementary school math teachers... We are now reviewing two new text books and will not be considering Investigations for ’09-‘10.
[Telephone conversation of 2/6/09]

La Crosse School District, WI– Director of Math/Curriculum

"No improvement at all with the math scores since 2002. We dropped MI and are now using a different text book. We are very happy to date."
[Telephone conversation of 2/6/09]

Columbia School District, MO – Curriculum Director

"We will not be using MI as of the Fall of ’09. MI is not among the materials we are considering......

......"we will return to a traditional program"

.......Our scores at the elementary level have fallen the past few years.
[Email dated 2/5/09]

Framingham School District, MA – Director of Curriculum & Staff Development:

"We have just completed a math pilot review and are dropping MI. We found, through the current pilot programs that Investigations did not meet current MA curriculum standards. For example, Kindergarten time and money. We also found that professional development was based on how to use the text. Our new text book focuses on Mathematics… more important to us."
[Email dated 2/6/09]

Three Rivers School District, OH – Curriculum Administrator

Last year the math adoption team chose a replacement for MI.
......One of the major concerns of our staff members was that students were lagging behind in basic computational skills. We believe our new text book will help us close that gap.
[Email dated 2/5/09]

Chariho School District, RI – Curriculum Director
"We no longer use MI. ....
.....The curriculum should align with the standards without relying on supplementation. A balanced approach to teaching math is an undertaking I’d not dare implement with MI....
.....I would never recommend a text book that doesn’t align with our state standards.
[Telephone conversation of 2/4/09]

Gadsden School District, NM – Director for Instructional Support
We received a grant to provide monies to sustain professional development to support teachers to implement reformed pedagogy and the materials that best exemplify that pedagogy is MI.
[Email dated 2/5/09]
Please look at all of Greg's research!!! It is so interesting. I think it validates the truth that so many of us already know. It would appear that the research used to support the implementation of Investigations is VERY flawed...not just in Missouri, but all over the United States.
Our district is trying to make the argument that schools that have not liked Investigations was because they were using the OLD version. They say that we are using version 2 which is soooo much better. No one can answer why they believe that to be true. I would love to see the research within our own state that supports that notion, but when asked at the last school board meeting where it has been used and who believes it to be better, it was said that our district is one of the first to go to Version 2. Do you feel like our kids are research? Some of us sure do! If the success stories provided by the publisher have been so consistently weak...does it now make sense why we are demanding answers and why those answers are nowhere to be found?
So, draw your own conclusions from the data taken from cities all over the country. Do we want to continue in a program that is consistently being dropped over and over and over again? Do we want to wake up in 4 or 5 years and realize that we should have done something differently? Our kids cannot lose these their most formative learning years to this garbage. If all of Pearson's "success stories" are dropping it left and right...why should we stick around and try it out? Remember...these are Pearson's SUCCESS STORIES! If this is success in their opinion, then what does failure look like...do you find that thought scary? You should.
i http://www.pearsonschool.com/live/assets/200749/InvestigationsVM-17-3005-I-May2007_4561_1.pdf, "Evidence of Success with Investigations in Other School Districts." Mathematics Online, Prince William County Schools. February 2009. February 6, 2009 http://www.pwcsmath.com/Success.htm;
ii http://www.pearsonschool.com/live/assets/200749/InvestigationsVM-17-3005-I-May2007_4561_1.pdf
iii http://www.pearsonschool.com/live/assets/200749/InvestigationsVM-17-3005-I-May2007_4561_1.pdf
iv http://www.nysed.gov
v http://www.pwcteachmathright.com/
Independent_Survey_-_Math_Investigations_Success_Stories.pdf

Very Important Message....

2009-02-15T17:48:00.000-08:00

As I have said many times, this debate is about math. There are many things in life far more important. My mother-in-law forwarded these reminders to me to make life the best it can be. I loved this and thought I would share.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. Love your parents because they will be gone before you know it.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.

Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: In five years, will this matter?

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43.. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

With reference to #26...this disaster of math and the lack of content it is teaching our children really WILL matter in 5 years. That being said one last reminder: Some things in life ARE worth fighting for. Fighting for our children and the best quality of education that can be offered so we are not picking up the pieces in 5 years like Eldon now is...IS WORTH IT! Keep fighting the good fight parents. UNITED WE STAND. VOTE IN APRIL!

Questions Answered?

2009-02-09T05:52:00.000-08:00

There will be a monthly school board meeting held tonight at 5:30 in the administration building in Camdenton. Many of us are anxious to get the answers to the questions we have been asking for months now. We handed the school board this list of questions and we have been told more than once we will get answers. We expect those should come tonight. We have been waiting for a month now for the answers to questions that should have been answered very quickly, assuming that our district did their homework before engaging our children in this program. Some of us find it troubling that the questions appear to be so difficult to answer. Understand....we have had questions since our first board meeting in November with not any answers offered....ever. Many of us have attended every single board meeting....and NOT ONE time have we ever seen the school board have any true or meaningful dialogue with reference to this math. That is a huge concern. Understand ....that the Sunshine Law is very specific in the fact that if the school board is not discussing it in the public school board meetings, then by law they cannot have private conversations as a group about this subject. Understand....that after three prior board meetings where math WAS on the agenda and we were promised answers...in January the subject of math was not even put on the agenda. We are hoping that we will hear those answers that we are looking for tonight. I will keep you posted.

Questions For The School Board
Questions For The School BoardMath Curriculum For Hawthorn December 12, 2009

1. On what basis did we choose this math curriculum? Aside from information provided by the publisher, what independent research showed merit in using this curriculum?(Refer to earlier post done in the last week "Their Silence Is Broken".)

2. Name 5 schools in the state of Missouri who are currently using this as their core without any supplementation?(Remember the school has provided over 30 schools who we have called to find that none of them were using Investigations as their core without supplementation...and only 3 of them were using it as their core, but each of those schools said that they were REQUIRED to use supplements.)

3. Did anyone consider that this was a reading rich math curriculum? In light of the fact that our children in Hawthorn are not proficient readers overall, how did this oversight happen? Was that taken into consideration? How are we addressing the fact that those math problems are written by adults for adults? How are we ensuring that each child is reading and understanding each problem inside and outside of the classroom?

4. Now that we have been given the "green light" to supplement, what are we going to use to ensure that there is uniformity in the supplementation? Are the teachers going to be provided with materials to assist them in supplementation?(Osage Beach and Hurricane Deck have been allowed to use supplements ALL year long...we have not. Our teachers have been strong armed all year and NOT allowed to use supplements until right before Christmas. However, there was no direction on what those would be. It just came out publicly for the fist time that the other two schools in our district ARE using something that we have not been allowed to use.)

......Now more than ever the parents of Hawthorn students want to know WHY our kids are NOT using what Osage Beach has been using all year. We are not using the same material, and we want to know why. If they are not using Investigations then why do the kids in Hawthorn have to? Since the last board meeting is has been made pretty clear by parents talking to other parents at OBE that we are NOT doing even close to the same thing.

5. Why are we not using our own Osage Beach Elementary School as a guide to improve our elementary schools throughout the district? Why are Hurricane Deck and Osage Beach allowed to use supplements that were not offered in Hawthorn? Why is there no uniformity? (Few schools in the state do as well in testing as Osage Beach Elementary. It does not take a rocket scientist to see that. Why are we not doing what they are doing?)

6. Why was I, as a parent, not informed when my child was being experimented on with Investigations when it was piloted on her as a third grader? By the school's own admission on their website: "Without question, these programs do represent a completely new method of learning mathematics, which is foreign to parents and teachers alike and this creates discomfort."(Why was there not full disclosure to each parent of children in the three third grade classes that used this "whole hog" without supplements last year? Should there not be full disclosure for every parent when using a very controversial program that is considered "under review" by the What Works Clearinghouse? For most of us a nod of "under review" is not enough to use it on our kids in light of all of the overwhelming data to prove what a failure it has been and remains to be all over the United States.)

All Missourians Must Contact State Officials NOW!

2009-02-08T05:43:00.000-08:00

A new comment was sent this morning. It needs our attention and requires that we use our voices at the state level to not only help our children, but all children in the state of Missouri. We all want what is best for our children, but if you know this is wrong, then it would be just as wrong to keep your voices to yourself and not allow your state officials to hear from you. Ambivalence will have a price. I promise you. Find your voice and use it. Teachers, I have heard from SOOOO many of you in private, here is your opportunity to use your voices to help our children right now. Read the comment below and link to the information on how to contact our state officials.

concerned has left a new comment on your post "Great Editorial Done By Our Local Newspaper....":

My thoughts and prayers are definitely with the students, parents, teachers and school board members. As Missouri residents, we all have a responsibility to contact our elected and appointed officials and express our concern for the children.

If you click on "concerned" and go to the Math Education blog www.improvingmathed.blogspot.com , you will find contact information for your senators, representatives and the state board of education.

Our weak K-12 math standards are still awaiting state board approval. Now is the time to let you voice be heard.Districts across the state will continue to adopt mediocre programs until our standards are improved.

For more information see www.missourimath.org. You may also wish to review the released Algebra I End of Course exam posted on DESEs website. About 13 out of 35 questions are "authentic" algebra as described in the National Mathematics Advisory Panel's report.

Great Editorial Done By Our Local Newspaper....

2009-02-05T07:22:00.000-08:00

This is a great editorial piece done by our local free newspaper The Camden County Reporter. I appreciate their coverage of this issue. A reporter from The Camden County Reporter, Jeff Thompson, attended a recent forum to become educated on what the REAL issues were. I am so impressed with the measures he went to in order to make sure he heard from both parties and then reported a fair and balanced story.

Taken from http://www.theccreporter.com/ :

MIP (Math In Peril)

Studies have shown that the United States is behind many countries in math and science.

Over the years public schools have been “dumbing down” each successive generation which just makes the problem worse.

Curriculums are being used that are actually hurting more than helping.

Now the Camdenton School District is jumping on board with the mathematical farce called “Math Investigations Program”.

The school district should do research before forcing a program on kids that will actually keep them from learning math.

In an online forum at The Online Teacher Resource (www.teach-nology.com) a 22 year veteran teacher has been using the MIP program for four years – and it is doing more harm than good, according to her.

“First, the kids do not learn their basic facts with this program. I know I'm a veteran and have been teaching for 22 years, but I don't care who you are, you can't do math until you know those facts. So here I have a program that is very time-consuming in the classroom, and I feel the need to take extra time to teach the basic facts.”

Math was easy for me in school and one of the things that made it easy was actually being taught how to solve the math problem.

If the teacher would have asked me to “Write a story problem to go with this problem: 352 (divided by) 168 = ?”.

What? How about teaching the child HOW to solve the problem? Does the kid even know how to do division?

Here is another part of an actual worksheet found at www.mathinvestigations.com called “Candy Math”:

1. Estimate how many candies are in the bag.
2. Open your bag and count the candies. How many candies are in the bag?
3. How far off was your guess?
4. Group your candies into sets by color. Write the total for each color:

And then you come to number six.

6. Write a candy math word problem.

First of all you have the expense of buying bags of candy for grade school kids and then when you give grade school kids candy there won’t be any left to count.

You teach children how to do the math problem first and then you can investigate deeper.

And the school district’s solution if parents have a problem with the MIP program: make sure parent-help materials are sent home, monthly “Math Nights” to help parents with the MIP process.

So in other words teach the parents how to understand the program and they can help their children.

In that case what do we pay the schools for? If the parents are supposed to help the teachers then why not just pull the kids out of school and home school them?

In this world of modern technology we think we know more than those who lived and taught 20, 30 or 40 years ago, but in many cases we are wrong.

Want some proof? Give a grade school or even high school kid a math problem but don’t allow them to use a calculator.

Do they even know how to do it with paper and pencil?

Maybe this new program will help; maybe it will bring the Camdenton School District math scores to the highest in the country.

Then again, maybe it will prepare them for a future career where a single phrase will be their life blood:

“You want fries with that?”

Just don’t ask them to count the fries.

Differing Points Of View

2009-01-30T06:02:00.000-08:00

There have been several readers posting comments in the last couple of days. There have been a couple that I thought I would post. In the event you do not keep up with the comments, I thought you might find these to be of interest.

iteachmath said...

Stacy- You say you want to see some research so I am providing it. I care about our students and want what is best for them so please post the following (sorry it is so lengthy):

Regardless of what math program is used, every school will be eventually listed as “needs improvement” by the state. This is because the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act requires that all students be at 100% by 2014. It does not take a brain surgeon to figure out that this is an impossible task. If you look at the DESE website, it shows what level each school has to be at as the years progress. The levels increase each year as it approaches that 100% for 2014.

All the research I have done indicates that children will learn what they are taught no matter what the math program is. The research also indicates that providing data with an inquiry-based series is difficult when teachers do not all use it in the way it was intended.
My proof: http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11025&page=189 and http://www.nctm.org/news/content.aspx?id=12320 (look under “Research Evidence for Effectiveness”). I am sure that this is due to the fact that all math series require some kind of supplementation and not all teachers use the same supplement.

When I found out that I was going to be teaching Investigations this year, I was petrified. The reason being is that I knew I was going to have to learn new approaches to math. Now that I am over half way through the school year, I am in awe at the math language and processes students are using. As long as the teacher monitors and follows the grade level expectations, your child will learn. Teaching Investigations has made me become a better math teacher, and I now know what I have to do to reach all children. Do I have to supplement? Yes, a little. Did I have to supplement with the traditional math series. Yes, a little. The big difference I see now is that students are taking charge of their learning and exploring more in-depth to develop an understanding as to why certain processes work. For teachers who dislike the program, I cannot speak for them. If they are having difficulty with the program, I would hope that they would seek out help from those teachers who are experiencing success with it.

The proof that inquiry-based math does work is on the U.S. Department of EducationInstitute of Education Sciences. http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/elementary_math/topic/tabfig.asp The results of their research shows that Everyday Math does work. Everyday Math has been around for 25 years and has had 17 different research projects done on it. Investigations (also inquiry-based) is currently undergoing a 5 year study that will end in 2010. The description of the study can be seen at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/evaluation/index.asp

Again research on Investigations thus far has been difficult due to inconsistent implementation of the program. True research on Investigations has not been completed or done from what I can find. If you have found true research on it, I would like to see it. I know there are schools that can provide data based on using the program. My question would still be: Was there consistent implementation practices within that school district?

My thoughts are that if parents are so unhappy with Investigations, why not consider going with an inquiry-based math program that has proven itself… Everyday Mathematics? With being an inquiry-based math program, I doubt it is much different in its practices than Investigations. Again, the research proves it works if you trust the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Services.
January 29, 2009 2:06 PM

___________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

Stacy said...
Dear iteachmath,
I sincerely appreciate your commitment to our children and the fact that you do wholeheartedly believe in what you do. I can see that. I appreciate that you have research that you can offer to back up your beliefs and are willing to share that with us. I am familiar with most of your research. And I do have a response to most of it.

With reference to the WWC (What Works Clearinghouse). I do not find that research to be credible for several reasons. Please refer to the post "Their Silence Is Broken" it will go into depth as to why I believe that research to be outdated and unreliable.

As posted:
This is an archival copy of material that originally appeared at: http://www.textbookevaluator.com/?p=123
(And this information can be verified through the What Works Clearinghouse site as well.)

"Here’s what we know about the effectiveness of Everyday Math, based on the research reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse:Sixty-six studies have been found to focus on the effectiveness of Elementary School Mathematics programs. Of these 66 studies, 57 did not meet basic “evidence screens,” meaning that the US Department of Education does not deem these studies to have merit because of flaws in their research design. So most of the so-called “research” is thrown out at the get-go because the studies are too small, too poorly constructed, or otherwise shoddy.Only one of the studies passed evidence standards. You got that right: only 1 of 66 studies was considered to be reliable. That’s a whopping 1.5%, for you mathematicians out there.

The government’s review of this article focused on Scott-Foresman Addison Wesley mathematics concluded that the program had “no discernable effect” on mathematics performance. So to repeat, the only decent study on elementary school mathematics curricula tells us that the curriculum under review has no effect one way or another on student achievement. So no Holy Grail here, folks.

Four of the 66 studies “meet evidence standards with reservations,” meaning that these studies may or may not have spotted the Holy Grail. In other words, these four studies have imperfections: tehy are not so bad as to force them out of consideration, but they contain flaws that may (or may not) undermine their conclusions.

As it happens, fully 61 of the 66 studies cited the What Works Clearinghouse focus on Everyday Math, at least in part. Fifty-seven (57) of them were thrown out because they did not meet the evidence screen. None fully meets the evidence standards. Four (the same four described above) meet the standards “with reservations.”Based on only these four studies, each of which passes Department of Education standards for evidence “with reservations,” the What Works Clearinghouse declares in its “Intervention Report” on Everyday Math that the University of Chicago program has “potentially positive effects.”by:http://www.textbookevaluator.com/?p=123

It is also widely known as documented in an email from Stanford University Math professor James Milgram that the Everyday Math findings for the WWC were "flawed".
See his email below:On Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 9:17 AM, Jim Milgram wrote:

"I sent a request that they remove my name from their report. The people who did the original EM report were not renewed as contractors for the WWC web-site, and I believe a number of the studies are supposed to be redone. I think a key problem was the Everyday Math report, where they leaned heavily on the P. Noyce paper on EM in Massachusetts. But nobody reliable really believes it represents solid research, especially since Penny Noyce has refused to name the schools, and the results appear to be an isolated case."

With reference to Investigations there is NO conclusive evidence that it works when considered by our Department of Education. It is still "under review". After over 20 years of use in this country there is NO conclusive data to show that it works.

As well, I personally, have spoke to parents, administrators, and teachers from all over this country that can tell me what a huge disaster that it was for their children. Over and over and over again the stories are the same. It does not prepare children for Algebra. It does not give them the foundation to find success in true higher level mathematics. That fact is proven over and over again in talking to literally dozens and dozens of people who have been exposed first hand. Again, please refer to my post "Their Silence Is Broken" to see my rebuttal a little more in depth to this subject of the WWC.

The research is not enough to justify this method of teaching ESPECIALLY in light of the fact that our DOE has a new report out in March of 2008 called The Foundations For Success. It is a report handed out by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel mandated by our Department of Education. (All information was pulled directly from the "Foundations For Success Final Report 2008" the findings of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. My words follow each number in parenthesis)."

In all, the Panel reviewed more than 16,000 research publications and policy reports and received public testimony from 110 individuals of whom 69 appeared before the Panel on their own word and 41 others were invited on the basis of expertise to cover particular topics. In addition, the Panel reviewed written commentary from 160 organizations and individuals, and analyzed survey results from over 743 active teachers of algebra.

They found:
1. A focused, coherent progression of mathematics learning, with an emphasis on proficiency with key topics, should become the norm in elementary and middle school mathematics curricula. Any approach that continually revisits topics year after year without closure IS TO BE AVOIDED.(This condemns spiraling without mastery. Meaning that a child should learn to add before they subtract. They should learn to multiply before they can divide. Those subjects should be practiced and "mastered" before moving on to the next subject.)

2. By the term proficiency, the Panel means that students should understand concepts, achieve automaticity as appropriate, develop flexible, accurate, and AUTOMATIC execution of the STANDARD ALGORITHMS, and use these competencies to solve problems. (Most teachers will tell you that they have been preached at that memorization is a waste of brain power. Rote memorization is not part of Investigations and the teachers manuals for Investigations condemns memorizing. See earlier posts.Also encourages the standard algorithm which is not even introduced in some parts of Investigations until 5th grade. The standard algorithm is shown as one of many ways to solve a problem but never taught as the fastest most efficient way to solve a problem.)

3. The essence of the Panel's message is to "put first things first". Use should be made of what is clearly known from rigorous research about how children learn, especially by recognizing
a.)the advantages for children in having a strong start
b.)the mutually reinforcing benefits of conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and AUTOMATIC (i.e., quick and effortless)RECALL OF FACTS; and
c.)that effort, not just inherent talent, counts in mathematical achievement."(Again, the validity of memorizing key facts is essential...not allowed by Investigations.)see***

4.The Panel's survey of the nation's algebra teachers indicated that the use of calculators in prior grades was one of their concerns. "
(Remember that our 1st graders are using calculators as part of their math ALREADY. Right or wrong...this is not what our DOE is advocating. However if you read the teachers manual from Investigations/TERC recommends a text for teachers called "Beyond Arithmetic".
***In this book it says ...and I quote: traditional elementary math must be discarded because:
BA, Page 2• Requires that students "memorize many facts,procedures, definitions, and formulas."
BA, Page 2• "Focuses on learning a particular set of proceduresfor addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals."
BA, Page 2• Results in "over practiced students."
BA, Page 3• Ignores the fact that "today's students have an important tool available to them: the calculator."
(Proves that Investigations does not approve of memorizing facts.)

Also, (this is a biggie)the National Mathematics Advisory Panel; Foundations For Success also says: "U.S. mathematic textbooks are extremely long. With study guides and answers, they sometimes exceed 1000 pages. Even elementary school textbooks sometimes exceed 700 pages. Mathematics textbooks were much shorter in previous decades and continue to be much shorter in many nations with higher mathematics achievement than in the United States. Thus, the great length is not needed for effective instruction. " (Our 3rd and 4th graders have 9 editions in their math curriculum this year. NINE teachers manuals. Of which the principal from Hawthorn acknowledged at the last board meeting that it would not be possible to get through all NINE of those texts completely this year..Wow. Then why are we using it?)

Also...the National Mathematics Advisory Panel says pg.22: "The curricula of high achieving nations in the TIMSS study do not follow the single-subject sequence of Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II, but they also differ from the approach used in most U.S. integrated curricula. Instead Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry are divided into blocks. The teaching of each block typically extends over several months and aims for mathematical closure. As a result, these curricula avoid the need to revisit essentially the same material over several years, often referred to as "spiraling."(Mathematical closure...AVOID SPIRALING!!! Need I say more?)

Please read mathematician, Bill Quirk's article: 2008 TERC Math vs. 2008 National Math Panel Recommendations
TERC 2008 Math Fails to Provide the Foundations of Algebra
by Bill Quirk ( wgquirk@wgquirk.com)
For a brief analysis of TERC 2008 math, click on TERC 2008 Math vs. NMP 2008 Math: A Snapshot View.

With reference to your comment:"why not consider going with an inquiry-based math program that has proven itself… Everyday Mathematics? "
First of all...we do not believe that EM is proven. See the research with reference to the WWC and the what the National Mathematics Advisory Panel says about those fundamental beliefs of EM.Secondly...you must know that our elementary schools have used the inquiry based curricula only since 1994 as their core. EM has been around in the Camdenton Schools for over 15 years. If our math has not been working maybe we should go to a traditional approach for the first time in 15 long years and maybe try something that just may work. I think change is long overdue. Our children have weak skills because EM is weak. Our school recongnizes Investigations as being similar to EM (see www.camdentonschools.org note: the research section under math.)...so why not try something new? A more traditional approach may just work, why not give it a try?

I, too, apologize for my lengthy response. There is just so much to respond with.

I do appreciate your offering your research. I do not believe that it is strong enough to merit use on our children. Being that I have spent countless hours speaking with people who have had first hand experience with this type of math and confirm over and over what a disaster it has been for thier children along with the abundance of strong research that rejects this way of teaching...I cannot say that the research you have used is terribly convincing.Even though we may not agree I appreciate the dialogue on this matter. I think productive debate brings to light both perspectives and why we feel as strongly as we do. Again, thank you for offering your research. I appreciate your taking the time to present your argument.

______________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

Also from an anonymous math teacher in response to the initial research done by iteachmath:

iteachmathtoo said...
The commenter sortof conveys a mixed message. On the one hand he/she says that the programs must be implemented properly, but on the other hand he/she says they do supplement.
SO what is it?

Does the program contain appropriate content or not??

This passage, "Now that I am over half way through the school year, I am in awe at the math language and processes students are using. As long as the teacher monitors and follows the grade level expectations, your child will learn."
leads me to believe that maybe this teacher might be learning more than her students. She thinks the GLEs are good? Your child will learn. Learn WHAT is really the question, isn't it? What content is supplemented? And WHY buy a program that needs to be supplemented if you believe that it must be implemented "with fidelity"??

It makes no sense.

Another comment was "The results of their research shows that Everyday Math does work. Everyday Math has been around for 25 years and has had 17 different research projects done on it."
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/elementary_math/topic/index.asp
The findings in this topic report summarize the first wave of WWC elementary school math intervention reports produced in 2006–07. "We looked at 340 studies. Of these, 237 were assessments of interventions that qualified for our review; the other 103 could not be categorized by intervention. 3 Of the 237 studies, 9 studies of 5 curricula met our evidence standards, 2 without reservations and 7 with reservations. Altogether, the WWC looked at 73 interventions: 5 had studies that met WWC standards with or without reservations, 67 had studies that did not meet WWC evidence screens, and 1 had a single-case study, which is still under review. (The identification of eligible programs ended in September 2005, and that of eligible studies, in July 2006.) In looking at the one outcome domain for the five elementary school math curricula: Everyday Mathematics had potentially positive effects on math achievement "
----------------
I'm sorry, but I hardly call that evidence when it has been reported : (http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/01/15/west/education/0121cfj-rockmath0.txt )that "Everyday Mathematics is a 25-year-old prekindergarten through sixth grade mathematics curriculum developed by the University of Chicago School of Mathematics Project and published by Wright Group/McGraw-Hill. According to that university's website, it is being used in more than 185,000 classrooms by almost 3 million students." Affecting 3 million students? So why did so few of their studies meet WWC evidence standards or screens?

------------------
Another comment was "Again research on Investigations thus far has been difficult due to inconsistent implementation of the program. True research on Investigations has not been completed or done from what I can find. If you have found true research on it, I would like to see it. I know there are schools that can provide data based on using the program. My question would still be: Was there consistent implementation practices within that school district?

"And if you read this one closely: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/evaluation/math_curricula.asp
it will definitely answer the question about whether or not your children are being experimented on...
January 29, 2009 8:56 PM

If you are not reading the "comments" I encourage you to take a look. There is productive insight that comes from some of those dialogues.

No "Spin" Allowed Here!

2009-01-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

I received this comment this morning from a reader. I am so proud that this reader took it upon themself to do their own research and NOT take someone else's word for it!!!! This is what we should all be doing from now on. Remember the "fuzzy math double speak"? Some of us are catching on to it and are CHOOSING TO BE OUR OWN EXPERTS! Great job parents. Keep up the good work. The comment is shown below. Remember you, too, need to check any facts thrown your way by any administrator/teacher/newspaper who may leave you with questions. The facts are the facts. You cannot "spin" the truth here....it is not allowed! Great job "groupie"!

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Answers Offered": I just read a very interesting article in the Lake Sun Leader. It is titled: In Eldon, it’s just called math. A quote from the article reads, "While there is very little hard proof - Eldon’s MAP scores have remained about the same since implementation - Investigations math does show signs of working."
About the same?

Let's investigate...From DESE website...
Eldon (% of students in proficient & advanced)

3rd grade 2007 46.1
..............2008 39.9

4th grade 2007 46.9
..............2008 36.9

Camdenton

3rd grade 2007 49.8
..............2008 39.9

*remember 3 classes used Investigations completely this year (2008) and two used it half.

Wow! Do any of these look "about the same to you"? I didn't think so. Unless 10 percent drops in one year are "normal" then I beg to differ! Hmmmm ....if it was working so well, then why did Eldon's scores drop so dramatically? I don't know about you all...but, I don't think these facts make me feel all warm and fuzzy about the success of Investigations!!! *** Remember... if it was "working" so well then why did they (Eldon) order the Scott Foresman text mid way through the first semester of THIS school year to rescue this situation? Let's all be honest here...if something is "working" then why change it mid year? Be your own judge.

Answers Offered

2009-01-21T22:20:00.000-08:00

In continued efforts to present a fair and balanced blog...I thought I would share a recent comment from a very distressed reader. I did my best to answer those questions that he/she accused me of not being willing to answer. Just thought you might want to take a peek, and realize that some people are really mad about this on the other side and want to make this a personal attack. I hope that the majority of you understand this is not personal for me and should not be for any of you. This is about math ONLY. Anyway...I did my best to answer the questions offered. Hope this helps.

Stacy,
I have been reading your blog and listening to your arguments for some time, and I have never responded until now.I feel very comfortable responding because we all know that the blogs that have a different opinion than yours, never seem to make it to your blogspot. (So, if this is the first time to post...how would you even know that I reject any posts? Looks to me like you are THAT "hate" poster....again. But, I will post you this time not just in the comment portion. I will post your comment front and center since you have felt so neglected to this point. Sorry about that, but typically when comments come in that are hateful in nature and show unfounded research they don't make the cut. Also, if your comment is so "ignorant" I hate to post it because it invites unproductive banter on my site...which I prefer to avoid if possible. None-the-less, I hope this makes up for any hurt feelings. Anyway...understand that this is my blog and I have no responsibility to post things I believe to be off color or poor research. I am allowed to post whatever I want on my blog. That is why it is called a blog.

Furthermore what makes an anonymous poster's research so valid? At least I am willing to put my name on it. As far as I am concerned speculation by some angry blogger isn't worthy of making the cut...sorry.) I find that amazing. (What? Start your own site if you don't like it. It makes me laugh to think that someone is having an "anonymous tantrum" because they can't manipulate me into posting their very skewed opinion on my blog. FYI: Only the truth is allowed here. NO SPIN.). I think that there are many, many issues that you have yet to address or even think about. So lets get started. (Gladly)

#1 When was it that you acquired your educational degree? Since you have now appointed yourself as the "educational expert " for the Camdenton School District, I was just interested in your credentials. First of all, I have not appointed myself the educational expert for the Camdenton Schools. I have never said that. I am simply asking questions with merit that have been asked for months now that no one knows how to answer in our administration. And when you are managing something as precious as our children the answers that have been asked should not be hard. Yet we have still not heard one answer. I am asking for accountability from those who have made the decisions. Nothing more. Nothing less.

With reference to the matter of credentials, that is a very good question. I am glad you bring this up. Not with reference to mine. My credentials do not rest in the field of education. However, credentials of those administering these programs and have chosen them should be questioned I agree. I would love to see that done and those credentials carefully evaluated. You are so right...when it comes to the education of our children those credentials should bear much weight.

#2 On your blog you stated in one of your ramblings that the math scores for the school were not "that bad". (Okay...let's go there. I was making reference to "not bad" in comparison to where we were in relation to reading. They definitely did not need as much attention as our falling comm art scores. That is why we are so upset. This is a reading rich curriculum that requires proficient reading scores. We do not post even decent reading scores. So whose bright idea was it to deviate from working on the obvious area of decline? Why are we focusing on Math when reading is so much worse and has shown steady decline in recent years in all grade levels? Why were we not looking at a much needed change with our reading curriculum? Why did we set up our children for failure by taking them to a curriculum that is centered around word problems when we know they can't read? That is the true context that those words were spoken in.) When I looked up the information it shows that our test scores have been at 45%,( while there did you notice that our third graders last year took a 10% decline over the third graders the year before in MAP testing? Yes, this may be a coincidence, but it looks suspicious when you factor that 3 teachers went to this curriculum without supplementation last year and 2 teachers went part time. I think you need to get your facts straight. 45% is not accurate, at least for our third grade. ) which to me means that 55% of our students are not "getting it". (At this point you can look at that in this way too...it is better than 65% not getting it, and that is really what is happening. I am a glass half full kind of girl;) That really seems like an okay percentage to you? The test scores I believe are the results of the "old way" of math that you love, right? (If you have read any research or anything that I have ever written, I am asking for balance. I do not want JUST a traditional approach. Our kids have NOT had that in grades k-2 in Camdenton since 1994. Yep, that is right that is when Everyday Math was first piloted. So...I say it is long overdue that our children get to try the "old way" for a change. We have failed with the reform math for well over a decade now in our elementary schools. Is that not a long enough time for you to deduce it does not work? For me, I think the writing is on the wall and has been for years now. My son and all of his peers in third grade have had their math changed 4 TIMES IN 4 YEARS!!!!! And guess what...he has not had traditional math in any of those 4 years as his core! NOT ONE TIME!!! So, call me crazy but, yes I think that it is long overdue that we look into something that just might work for a change. ) Just for thought, if this "old way" of math is so terrific, why then do we as the United States score so terribly on EVERY international math test? (Maybe that is because since 1989 this hideous and insidious kind of math has plagued our country. Read the research.)

#3 I love that you have an online petition that has people who: have asked for their names to be removed, but you have not done it, people who do not live in our district, and people listed twice. Shows that you are lacking integrity I believe. ( I hate to disappoint you, but I don't spend my days counting our online votes and validating every single voter at this point. Between the paper push and the online votes I cannot and do not "police" that. It has gotten way too big for me to track at this point. I have, however, spoke with Roland Todd (our county clerk) weeks ago and have asked him to verify/validate all of our petition signers when the time comes. Ask him yourself. That has already been addressed. I am impressed that you apparently are on patrol, though. You apparently have way more time on your hands than I do. I have not heard from one person who wants their name taken off. That is news to me. As far as the person who voted twice...she hit the submit button twice accidentally. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out as her name appears twice in a row. I have no idea how to remove that. For you to call my integrity into question Mr./Mrs. Anonymous is almost comical. Again, your speculation is nothing more than that to me at this point...pure speculation. )

#4 Are you more interested in what you would consider "winning", than in doing what is best for our kids? ( You know what... if "winning" means that they will receive the quality of education that they deserve, then yes. If "winning" IS doing what is best for our kids and I believe that to be the most worthwhile cause that I could ever fight for....then the answer to that question is a whole-hearted "YES"!)

#5 Just wondered how many of your little groupies have ever attended a Math night at school? I have never seen any of you there. Oh, I forgot you hold your meetings at the same time. ( I will be honest, I don't know the answer to that question. My little groupies are too many to count these days and I am not their keeper. Those "groupies" I think might find that connotation offensive. These are educated moms and dads who love their children. They have a right to be concerned, they have a vested interest in this fight called their children. I find it insulting to address those very concerned parents in such a belittling way. They are respected members of this community who deserve a voice when it comes to their children. They are not a part of this because it is fun, they have chosen to take a stand because they fear for their children which is more than I can say for you "anonymous".

I, personally, feel the math nights to be a complete and total waste of my time as I will never be persuaded that this math as anything more than a supplement is okay. It is irresponsible and damaging to our childrens' futures, and at some point that will be acknowledged. I just about guarantee it. It will manifest through our childrens' scores or the outcries of high school teachers who see the damage on the front lines sooner or later just as it has ALL OVER THE NATION! It is what it is, and I want no part of accepting it as our core.

I am educated. I know what it is and I know the damage that it causes. I have a legion of "teachers" from all over the state and in all parts of the United States. You see, I KNOW the truth. I really know the truth. I have chosen to spend my extra time at home helping my child with real math. I can't say that I will never go for the purpose of accountability, but to this point I have had no desire to attend. I, frankly, view it as a waste of my time.

#6 If you are truly so concerned that your kids are not getting the education that you want for them, and you can do it better, why not pull them out and homeschool? (Why should I have to? I bet you would love that wouldn't you? Why don't we just buck up and find some accountability and fix it? We have fabulous teachers whom I trust implicitly with the care of my children. Why can't our administration put the same trust in them that I do and just let them be the teachers? )

#7 If I understand correctly, the reason that OBE did not have to use the math program was because they do not have to make the progress that the town schools do.(Hello....hint: Maybe if we took a few lessons from them we might see some success. Ever thought of that? Are you hearing yourself? The solution seems pretty simple doesn't it?) If the town schools scores were at 80% we would not have had to do something different either, right? (Why not...we have had something different for the past 4 years for the poor children in Camdenton...heck, what is one more year? I know...let's just experiment with these kids who have had no continuity since they have been in school and see how the fare with this off-the-wall curriculum...as I said, what is just one more year of experimentation on them...who cares?) When I looked at how many students OBE has I think that they have 2 classrooms of about 15 students, versus 11 classrooms of 21-22 students. Do you think that could factor into any of this? (NO. I think that EVERY child in this school district should be offered the same quality of education irregardless of class size. Your argument is weak when you see that our third graders last year in comparison to OBE showed a margin of approximately 50% to the deficit (see graph in prior post). Is that because of a class size differentiation of 6-7 students? I don't think so. There is a much bigger problem here. That is the simple fact that the children of Camdenton in elementary school have NOT been offered ONE steady curriculum or program....it changes every year. That is what part of our problem is. Our problem is that our teachers have no voice. Our problem is accountability. So, if you would like to keep offering weak excuses as to why our children should not be allowed the same opportunities as those at OBE, then don't waste your breath. Excuses don't impress us much.)

#8 While I see that you have a handful of people who think that you are championing there cause, I wonder if any of you have enough sense to see how your behavior and constant complaining is truly embarrassing,I have yet to hear you offer ONE solution. (I will tell you what is embarrassing...this math is embarrassing. It is embarrassing that our administration has adopted such a controversial curriculum with no substantive research to support it. It is embarrassing that our third graders have had FOUR math curricula in FOUR YEARS! It is embarrassing that someone made the oversight of sticking our kids who can't read into a math curriculum that is incumbent on their reading ability to be successful. It is embarrassing that when our school offers names of other schools supposedly doing this math as their core over half of them have never used it EVER! It is embarrassing that NONE of those schools use this math as anything more than a supplement! It is embarrassing when talking to a multitude of other districts throughout our state and they laugh when you tell them that our kids are forced to do it without supplementation. MOST OF THEM HAD NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING! That is embarrassing. It is embarrassing when some of the schools we were given to support our school's argument as to the "who else is doing this" have never even heard of Investigations or TERC math. It is embarrassing that we would be so arrogant to think we could pull off something that Columbia or Raymore Peculiar (just to name only a couple in a sea of failures) could not. It is embarrassing that our district officials wrote it off as "political" without even digesting all of the failing test scores from Columbia across the board. It is embarrassing that our administration apparently ignored the Department of Educations warnings that came out in March of 2008 with reference to this way of teaching math in their report called the Foundations For Success. It is embarrassing that our school board and administration cannot and will not answer our very valid questions. It is embarrassing that they would ask a group of very educated parents to just give our blessings to the experimenting with our children with no valid research to support this choice. It is embarrassing that we don't give our teachers a voice in something as important as this. That is embarrassing.

If you view my demand for accountability and questions that should have been answered long before our school district chose to drag our children down this ridiculous path as embarrassing, then what do you call those oversights that our school continues to make? I am sorry if I make you so uncomfortable, but a very wise man reminded us just this week "You are your child's only advocate. There is no cause more worthwhile." I happen to agree with him. So, I guess what I am saying is this...I don't really care if I embarrass you. I don't even know who you are. Since you won't use your name, it is pretty hard for me to make sure I don't offend you in public. I hate that, but that is what "anonymous" will get you. With reference to the solution we are offering... I am pretty sure that you know how to navigate the petition portion of this site. So, next time before you police the signature page stop for just a second and read the petition. There in very detailed terms is the "solution" we are looking for, since apparently you have missed that before. It is all there. )

I know I will never see a response from any of the above mentioned things, I just wanted to let you know that there are people who are not buying into what you are doing. (I think that if you had ever really read this site the answers to those questions should be pretty obvious, but I am happy to spell them out for you. I hope it helped. As I have said many times, this is not about people. This is about a math program that we don't agree on. There are very good people who like this way of teaching whom I believe to be outstanding people. I have nothing against any person involved. I just want was is best for my child and yours. )

Please read the comment portion from "How Do You Like Them Apples II" to have a better idea of what precipitated this post.

How Do You Like Them Apples...Part II

2009-01-19T12:12:00.001-08:00

The school board meeting this morning went well. On behalf of all of us I did let the school board know how much we appreciate those supplements that have been available to all other 3rd and 4th graders in our district. It is definitely the first step in the right direction that we had all been pressing for. From what we got from the dialogue today the Otter Creek/Rocket Math (it is the same thing), will be used daily for 10 minutes separate from their math lesson. It is a timed test on the basics, i.e. fact families, multiplication tables, etc., etc. It is a step. Maybe a baby step, but a step none-the-less. Thank you school board.

However, one point that did get addressed is illustrated below. It is a huge question that those of us who have done any research feel MUST be addressed. When you realize that our own Osage Beach Elementary is scoring incredibly well on the 2008 MAP test....especially in math. In 2008 MAP test the 4th grade at Osage Beach scored an unheard of 89% in the advanced and proficient range. That is arguably one of the highest scores documented by DESE in the advanced and proficient range in the STATE OF MISSOURI. Osage Beach is what you call the elementary school's math equivalent of a rock star when it comes to the MAP test. They are undoubtedly in the top 5 according to http://www.schooldigger.com/ and may be have the best MAP scores in Math in the whole state. Wow. Great job OBE! (Check out http://www.schooldigger.com/ and see that in 2007 out of over 1100 elementary schools in our state that OBE was ranked 55th...that is awesome.)

Anyway...the question becomes this..."Why on earth would ANYONE make them move away from what they were doing better than almost every other school in the state?" When asked this morning if they are supposed to be doing ONLY INVESTIGATIONS AND ROCKET MATH just as Hawthorn is now doing, the curriculum director answered..."THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING."

Is anyone else scratching their head and asking why? If not yet, take a look at the graph below and then answer that question. The gold are OBE's scores from 2008 and the purple are Hawthorn's scores from 2008. From left to right it shows Hawthorn/OBE math scores 3rd grade...then 4th grade....then reading scores...third grade...then fourth grade. (I had trouble getting the graph to convey to blogger. Sorry that it is hard to read. ) Click on graph to make it larger.

Okay...now are you scratching? When you read the graph understand that our third grade at Hawthorn piloted this program "whole hog" with 3 teachers teaching ONLY Investigations without supplementation in 2007-2008 school year. 2 teachers used it half of the time. So at Hawthorn, 5 of the 11 teachers used Investigations last year. Also, keep in mind that two of the three classes piloted on were Capstone classes ....just like they did to my Capstone daughter the year before without my knowledge or consent. She just always got an A on everything, and she did not know that what she was doing was any different. It was not until I talked to her 4th grade teacher a couple of weeks ago (she is now a 5th grader) that I realized how far behind she was coming into 4th grade. And that should have never happened. She is usually, or should be, at the top of her class (those are our "gifted" students for those of you who don't know what Capstone means.)

So, you ask what exactly are the OBE students doing this year? We are not sure. A couple of parents have compared what is coming home from OBE with what we are seeing at Hawthorn. It is NOT the same by a long shot. (I, personally, hope that they are doing what they did last year. It would be cuuurrrraaaazzzzyyyy not to!) Why would they be asked to change in light of their phenomenal scores? Why won't anyone from our school ask what it is they are doing so well, and then WE TRY TO EMULATE THEIR SUCCESS? Why are we taking off in a totally different direction? Is this fair to our children?

I thought that the vision statement of the Camdenton Schools says (and I quote) that our curriculum is "guaranteed and viable"...it also says that it will be "horizontally and vertically aligned". (Not my words...our school mission statement says this.) From the best I can tell that is not what is happening. I am sure that the 3rd and 4th grades at OBE are NOT doing what the 3rd and 4th grades are doing at Hawthorn. We are not sure about what is going on at Hurricane Deck. We have parents talking with other parents to get copies of what their kids are bringing home. We have a hunch....but, until we know for sure we won't go there. If anyone knows what they are doing let us know. We would love to hear.
Again, we are making baby steps in the right direction. However, Investigations when used in the right format (as a supplement never as a core) is the ONLY way to guarantee our children the success they deserve. Do you feel like our kids in Hawthorn are an experiment? If you are not okay with them being guinea pigs, put your foot down. Make sure you let your voice be heard. United we stand.

Why Is This So Hard?

2009-01-18T17:25:00.000-08:00

This is an email from a 5th grade teacher from Lee's Summit, Missouri. They have great Map scores...and below is HOW they do it! How many times do we hear the same thing over and over again. Investigations when used as a supplement is successful. It SHOULD NOT BE A CORE!!!!! Why is it so hard for our administrators to "get it"? Why reinvent the wheel?

"We use Scott Foresman and Investigations. Primarily, we use the 80% 20% rule. (80% Scott Foresman, 20% Investigations). Investigations is used more as an introduction to any unit to get kids hands-on in learning. We have found that this approach works best for the kids because using both encompasses all types of learning. We also felt that we would not be truly preparing the kiddos when they get to 5th and middle school which focuses more on text material. .....thus, we use a combination. My MAP scores and team scores have been in the top for several years now and the parents love the combination of both. We switch series every 6 years so we will be up for another series in three.Hope this helps."

Spoken by a 6th grade teacher from Jeff City. Why is it so hard?

"Some people in the education world feel a need to use different methods to teach. Sometimes those methods are wonderful, but many times our students just fall behind. The whole language reading approach that was popular about 13 years ago is a prime example. Teachers stopped teaching phonics, and then there was this group of children who really struggled to read and spell. As the old adage goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Good luck! Let me know what happens. "

Folks, I will say it again and again...our children are experiments right now. This math will prove to fail for our children if not used correctly. I am not being negative, I am just predicting the future based on the past performance of multitudes that have gone before us all across our great nation and our state. The content is not there. There is no practice. The reading is WAY TOO HARD! And, we are not teaching our children the fastest most efficient ways to be problem solvers. Why is this so hard when the answers seem so simple and are right in front of our faces? United we stand. Fight the good fight for our children. Nothing in life matters more than our children.

Questions For The School Board

2009-01-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

Questions For The School Board
Math Curriculum For Hawthorn
December 12, 2009

1. On what basis did we choose this math curriculum? Aside from information provided by the publisher, what independent research showed merit in using this curriculum?
(Refer to earlier post done in the last week "Their Silence Is Broken".)

2. Name 5 schools in the state of Missouri who are currently using this as their core without any supplementation?
(Remember the school has provided over 30 schools who we have called to find that none of them were using Investigations as their core without supplementation...and only 3 of them were using it as their core, but each of those schools said that they were REQUIRED to use supplements.)

3. Did anyone consider that this was a reading rich math curriculum? In light of the fact that our children in Hawthorn are not proficient readers overall, how did this oversight happen? Was that taken into consideration? How are we addressing the fact that those math problems are written by adults for adults? How are we ensuring that each child is reading and understanding each problem inside and outside of the classroom?
(**See below).

4. Now that we have been given the "green light" to supplement, what are we going to use to ensure that there is uniformity in the supplementation? Are the teachers going to be provided with materials to assist them in supplementation?
(Osage Beach and Hurricane Deck have been allowed to use supplements ALL year long...we have not. Our teachers have been strong armed all year and NOT allowed to use supplements until right before Christmas. However, there was no direction on what those would be. It just came out publicly for the fist time that the other two schools in our district ARE using something that we have not been allowed to use.)

5. Why are we not using our own Osage Beach Elementary School as a guide to improve our elementary schools throughout the district? Why are Hurricane Deck and Osage Beach allowed to use supplements that were not offered in Hawthorn? Why is there no uniformity? (Few schools in the state do as well in testing as Osage Beach Elementary. It does not take a rocket scientist to see that. Why are we not doing what they are doing?)

6. Why was I, as a parent, not informed when my child was being experimented on with Investigations when it was piloted on her as a third grader? By the school's own admission on their website: "Without question, these programs do represent a completely new method of learning mathematics, which is foreign to parents and teachers alike and this creates discomfort."(There should be full disclosure when something so controversial is experimented on with our kids being the guinea pigs. I don't know about you, but had I known what was going on I would have never given consent. Some of you parents with Capstone Kids need to start asking those same questions. If you don't KNOW exactly what your kids have been learning the past couple of years...take it from me...ask questions. I didn't. I had never asked a single question in the past 6 years that my kids have been in school. I trusted. But, NEVER again. Some of you are not going to like what you are going to find.)

How can this happen without full parental knowledge and consent?

Understand that in not one meeting has the school board publicly discussed ANY of the math issues. We have asked for questions to be answered since the first of November and the school board on more than one occasion has told us they would look into this and get answers, yet we still have not heard a peep. Remember that the school board is required to have dialogue ONLY publicly...executive session is for personell issues. So we are left to believe that it has not been an important enough topic for our school board since we have never seen them speak openly about this issue. That is troubling for many of us. After being placed on the agenda twice, and having a special meeting where they were in attendance...yet we have never seen them publicly speak about this? Why does it not matter to them? None-the-less, the above questions were handed to each one of them personally. We are anxious to have questions that all have merit answered. Accountability is a must in this situation. These oversights need to be explained and the assurance needs to be offered that this will not happen again.

With reference to question #3...I gave the board just ONE example of my third graders homework so they could see what our third graders (remember the third graders last year from Hawthorn only saw children in the 30th percentile read in the advanced and proficient categories according to the MAP test)are reading with their math.

Combining Collections:

If these two Negro Leagues memorabilia collections were put together, how many items would there be in all? First, make an estimate. Then, write an equation, solve the problem, and show your solution below.

Details: Referring to the "Negro Leagues Baseball Museum". In the first decades of the 1900s when baseball was a segregated sport, many African American players broke world records and made a name for themselves in the Negro Leagues.

Details: Referring to the "Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues".
Here is a collection of posters, photographs, uniforms, and artifacts connected with some of the greatest ballplayer in history.

Then from there it is a simple estimate and show the equation problem.
2 whopping practice problems.
I kid you not, this is my third graders math problem. For those of you who do not see what our kids are bringing home from school...I hope this is an eye opener as to WHY question #3 is so important. Who made such a HUGE oversight!

We want to know the answers to these question because we deserve to know. This is a public school whose mission statement encourages open dialogue and invites parent involvement. That is what these questions represent...questions from a concerned parent.

THANK YOU SCHOOL BOARD

2009-01-16T05:36:00.000-08:00

Thank you for hearing us and acting so swiftly to make sure that our children in Hawthorn and Oak Ridge were rescued. Thank you for making sure that those children will now be offered what all others have had all year long. We appreciate your attention to this very urgent matter.

There will be a special session of the school board to discuss math on Monday morning at 7:30am. I know that, for most of you, it will be impossible to make this meeting. Don't worry. I will be there to let you know what those answers to all of our questions are. However, the most important first step has been taken. Our children have been given what they need to ensure that they will have a fighting chance and not miss out on this next half of the school year.

Let your school board members know that you appreciate their swift attention to this matter following the Monday night meeting. We sincerely appreciate their willingness to make sure all children are offered the same quality of education in our district.

How Do You Like Them Apples?

2009-01-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

For those of you at the school board meeting last night, thank you. We did learn some news that confused all of us in attendance. We learned that Osage Beach Elementary School's 3rd and 4th grades are supplementing with Rocket Math, and Hurricane Deck Elementary School's 3rd and 4th grade are supplementing with Rocket Math also. In addition Dogwood, Hurricane Deck, and Osage Beach Elementary Schools' grades K - 2 are also supplementing with Rocket Math. The only 3rd and 4th graders NOT being offered supplements outside of the curriculum in our district are our Hawthorn students. This is unacceptable! After three months of begging for strong supplements for our children in Hawthorn we have only been met with frustration and no real definitive direction on what those will be. HOW UNFAIR IS THIS? HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?

For those of you wondering what Rocket Math is...it teaches the basics. It is "drill and kill". It is traditional math. (It is everything we have been asking for in recent weeks...we just had no idea that it was being used for some, but not ALL kids in our district.)

How can it be recognized that Everyday Math and Investigations cannot "stand alone" and require supplementation for all other elementary students in our district other than the kids in Hawthorn and Oak Ridge? WHAT? WHO DECIDED THIS FOR OUR CHILDREN? Once again...what is going on? How can this be fair? Why is there not equality? Why is there not the same quality of education offered for all children? Someone now tell us that our children ARE NOT GUINEA PIGS? YOU WILL NOT CONVINCE US THAT OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT YOUR EXPERIMENT!!!! We let our school board know that we fully object and EXPECT the same treatment for our children in Hawthorn. The question was also asked...why is this just now becoming public information? There was no answer for this question. Big surprise.

Parents, make your voice heard. Let our district officials know how ridiculously unfair this is! CALL THEM AND DEMAND THE SAME FOR OUR CHILDREN IN HAWTHORN AND OAK RIDGE. Our 5th and 6th graders MUST have supplements also. This is ridiculous. Let your voices be heard! What is good for one is good for all, don't you think?

Their silence is broken....

2009-01-10T15:11:00.000-08:00

Okay. We finally hear from our school district. I don't know how many of you got to read their response to the "research" done to justify this "new math" but, for those of you who did not get to read it before they removed it from their site...I saved it for posterity. I thought it was certainly noteworthy enough to share with all of you. For some reason their information was removed in the last week. The following information was pulled from www.camdentonschools.org under "quick links" section on the left. Look under new math and then you will see the "research" portion. The following is pulled directly from that section earlier this month. Let us look at a few excerpts together and break it down. There is a lot of information, but I encourage you to read it more than once and try to process what it really says as to the "why" our district chose this math for our children.

Without question, these programs do represent a completely new method of learning mathematics, which is foreign to parents and teachers alike and this creates discomfort. Our district, wanting to proceed cautiously with the implementation of a dramatically new approach to teaching math, was not an early adopter of one of these new programs.

Okay. So I ask you this...is it supposed to make us feel any better that our school district says that they were "cautious" because they were not "an early adopter"? If they were so "cautious" why did they not learn from the overwhelming failures that have followed this curriculum all over our state and nation? If they were so "cautious" then why did we not let experience be our teacher? Most would not call that "cautious". Most would call that negligent. I believe it to be condescending to insinuate that our discomfort originates with the ignorance that we are threatened by something "new". Any educated person understands and appreciates new ideas and ingenuity in any endeavour. We are not threatened by the concept of "something new". We are, however, sharply adverse to the idea of our children being experimented on without our consent. THAT is what gives us discomfort, for the record.

We were aware of the controversy existing in several districts having adopted standards based programs, but when considering the research we felt and still believe wholeheartedly that this is a worthwhile endeavor to pilot this program.

Okay...hang with me when looking at the "research" that our district officials apparently used to justify this choice. I am continually asking the question to myself..."is that the best research you can come up with? Because when you really understand their research, I must say that it is incredibly weak in light of so much newer data that our district had to pull from if only they would have looked at both sides of the coin?"

To explore the possibility of standards based math in the Camdenton R-III School District, several teachers were selected by the department of curriculum and instruction to receive training and attend professional conferences related to standards based math as well as reviewing research related to standards based programs.

Okay. So I ask this question...Was the "PLC" considered in this decision? Was there a consensus? What did the MAJORITY of teachers REALLY feel about this decision? Based on the FACT that our district says that it is a "PLC" (Professional Learning Community) and claims that "consensus" is critical...then should our teachers have not had a voice? I am under the absolute understanding from the MAJORITY of the teachers that this did not occur.

Research, like many words in our language, can mean different things to different people.

Okay...here we go. Just as the word "supplements", "basics", "traditional math" apparently can all have different meanings too. Many of us have learned that the hard way through this process. This is why it is SOOOO important to KNOW exactly what administrators mean when they say something anymore. I do not feel that we have been lied to deliberately. I just believe that the "truth" as we understand it must be interpreted now so we KNOW what is being said.

Investigating topics and considering the opinions of individuals in the field is certainly one method of researching; however, the trend in education through expectations being placed on public education by the federal government is to hold educational research to the level of rigor equivalent to fields such as science and medicine. This is very difficult, because little educational research has been conducted to this level of scrutiny, and clinically controlled trials are often hard to find, therefore the Institute of Education Sciences has created the What Works Clearing House to analyze research and determine if studies are, in fact, valid (Dynarski, 2008).

Okay. Let's look at this statement together. Is our school district really saying that our federal government (OUR DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION) should be considered as an authority? I certainly read it that way...but, if that is what they are saying then I am compelled to ask if they even KNEW about the National Mathematics Advisory Panels findings BEFORE they made their decision to take this route for our children. The report came out in March 2008. (The WWC was created in 2002.) Why did our decision makers defer to the WWC and not the Foundations For Success? It was a much newer report drafted at the request of our President. It was compiled and distributed by our Department of Education. It was out BEFORE the decision was made to jump into this math feet first. Our district needs to be very careful when referring to the federal government and the Department of Education when attempting to justify their argument. Most of you remember the DOE's findings in the "Foundations For Success" (Do you remember that?...The new report out in 2008...the one that says "less is more" and "mastery and closure is critical"..stuff like that. Remember that report that the National Mathematics Advisory Panel put together after appointing top experts at the request of the President of the United States to study what is wrong with how math is taught in our nation. Remember the Panel that worked for 2 WHOLE YEARS compiling research and studying what is wrong with how our kids are learning math? Was that report entirely disregarded when choosing this program for our children?

(In the next paragraph our district used several leading authorities and mathematicians that are strongly opposed to the use of standards based math as part of their argument that the evidence to support or deny any particular math programs success. Cited are the last names of some of the leading experts in the field.)

Prior to the creation of the What Works Clearing House, Budd, Carson, Garelick, Klein, Milgram, Raimi, Schwartz, Stotsky, Williams, Wilson in association with advocacy organizations of parents, mathematicians, and K-12 educators (2005), all of whom incidentally support the removal of standards based math and a return of the back to basics instruction, recognized that, “There is no conclusive evidence of the efficacy of any math instructional program."

Okay. But, is that what the experts really believe? Well, many of you might be interested to know that Stephen Wilson of John Hopkins University Math Department and James Milgram of Stanford University Math Department (both cited above) contacted our school by way of email and requested that their names be removed from the above mentioned statement as they both felt it to misrepresent their beliefs. Note their emails below:

On Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 7:25 AM, W. Stephen Wilson wrote:
>
For what it's worth, I sent them an email asking them to take my name off because they've misrepresented me entirely.
That comment you can even post and share with anyone.
They attribute beliefs to me that I do not hold.
I am misrepresented and misunderstood.
Steve

On Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 9:17 AM, Jim Milgram wrote:

I sent a request that they remove my name from their report. The people who did the original EM report were not renewed as contractors for the WWC web-site, and I believe a number of the studies are supposed to be redone. I think a key problem was the Everyday Math report, where they leaned heavily on the P. Noyce paper on EM in Massachusetts. But nobody reliable really believes it represents solid research, especially since Penny Noyce has refused to name the schools, and the results appear to be an isolated case.

Okay. To understand EXACTLY what Jim Milgram of Stanford University is saying above is so important, but we will touch on this again in just a minute. Read on about what our district has to say.

Given the scant valid research supporting either side of the argument prior to the creation of the clearing house, it is clear that In the case of elementary mathematics programs, the only program receiving a rating of possibly effective is Everyday Mathematics, which is a standards based program similar to the program we are using. Programs such as Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Elementary Mathematics and Saxon Elementary School Mathematics, which are considered traditional programs, were both rated to have no discernable effects on student achievements.

Okay. Wow...Did they really say "Given the scant valid research supporting either side"? You see, there are a multitude of believers who would disagree fully with this statement. OUR DISTRICT OFFICIALS may believe that there is very little research to show what or what does not work...HOWEVER, there are many, many of us who believe that our college professors and mathematicians who have protested as to how hideously this way of teaching our children in preparation for high school algebra and thus, higher level mathematics should be given a voice.

SOME OF US believe that there is abundant research if you are willing to look for it. They are right about one thing...if they are looking for successes with this program in abundance...there is SCANT VALID RESEARCH. However, if you are really looking for the truth, then it is as simple as just looking at the scores from DESE for our neighbors down the road in Columbia WHO JUST GOT RID OF IT BECAUSE THEY FOUND IT TO BE A FAILURE FOR THEIR CHILDREN. There is TONS of "VALID RESEARCH" that shows over and over again the FAILURE of Investigations if one would be willing to look even just a tiny bit. ALL of the research that I have found that looks to be credible speaks loud and clear to what a failure this math has been all across our nation. It is not research that is hard to find. And I would think that falling test scores in school district after school district should count as viable research. In fact...take a look at what the WWC REALLY says about TERC/Investigations. The WWC does NOT endorse investigations. It shows it as "Under Review" as of November 2008. A link is provided below.

Remember what our district says above...
The What Works Clearinghouse is a positive contribution of the era of accountability and we should consult the evidence listed on the What Works Clearing House website (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/) to inform instructional decision making.

Should we? Apparently the WWC's positive contribution to the "era of accountability" is what our district used to inform themselves in their pursuit for "instructional decision making". Soooo...if this is the "research" used to justify the "why" we are using this program, can you understand why many of us believe it to be very weak? The funny thing is that below is how the "Investigations" is noted on the "what works clearinghouse". Check it out.

Investigations in Number, Data, and Space® Under Review November 2008 www.whatworks.ed.gov/ath

As well, the school site noted:

"the only program receiving a rating of possibly effective is Everyday Mathematics, which is a standards based program similar to the program we are using."(Noted above).

Okay. My response to all of the above is that is simply this.... "POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE" and "PROGRAM SIMILAR" ...
I don't know about you, but "POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE" and "SIMILAR" mean two things to me. First, this program (INVESTIGATIONS) is not even close to PROVEN (after over 20 years of use all over our nation should there not be a few legitimate successes recognized by our department of education?). Second, keep in mind that our district is saying that it is "SIMILAR" to another program we are using (EM). IT IS NOT EVEN THE PROGRAM THAT IS "POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE". Wow...drink that one in for a second. Nope, it doesn't make any of us feel very good about the research that our school used to SUPPORT their decision.

Remember...the Investigations is still "Under Review" according to the WWC. It hasn't even earned its "Possibly Effective" status yet (as if the "Possibly Effective" gives us warm fuzzies). It is just as likely that at the end of the "UNDER REVIEW" period that the WWC might find it to be a miserable failure. We don't know since the jury is apparently still out. It is a roll of the dice at this point. If we are lucky it MAY be upgraded to "POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE", but if we are not lucky our kids will be part of the research that deems it a "HIDEOUS FAILURE". (I am not sure if that category really exists or not...sounds good to me ;).

Okay. I know that most of you have probably had enough already, but since our school district opened the can of worms called the What Works Clearinghouse, I must make one more point. It appears that our school is trying to really do the hard sell on us when it comes to the "What Works Clearinghouse" and their ringing endorsements of TERC/Investigations and Everyday Math (if that is what you want to call it). That is why it is essential to understand that if this is the strongest data they have for leading us down this path, well it simply should not be enough for any educated individual to ever blindly follow without questions when one truly understands what this data REALLY says.

Understand one more time what the WWC says about Investigations...that it is still "UNDER REVIEW". So, it is fair to say that our decision makers have rested their hats on the "Possibly Effective" status of Everyday Math (that we use in K-2) to engage our 3rd-5th graders in Investigations because it is "similar". What? Is that considered good research? Is that really enough? (Did you really just get what I said? If that makes no sense to you, understand that I did not confuse my words. It is crazy. You read it right...just read it again and then scratch your head...a lot of us have been doing a lot of that lately.) So if all of the above information is not already enough to convince you...recognize what PROFESSOR JAMES MILGRAM OF STANFORD UNIVERISTY KINDLY REMINDS US IN A DECEMBER 23, 2008 EMAIL ABOVE WITH REFERERNCE TO THE RESEARCH OUR SCHOOL HAS DONE:

In Professor Milgram's words...
"I sent a request that they remove my name from their report. The people who did the original EM report were not renewed as contractors for the WWC web-site, and I believe a number of the studies are supposed to be redone. I think a key problem was the Everyday Math report, where they leaned heavily on the P. Noyce paper on EM in Massachusetts. But
nobody reliable really believes it represents solid research, especially since Penny Noyce has refused to name the schools, and the results appear to be an isolated case."

Make sure you get that point. That even the "Possibly Effective" is tainted in the eyes of any reliable researcher. The people who did the original report were not renewed as contractors with a number of studies to be redone. The lead researcher REFUSED to name the schools and the results appear to be an isolated case.

If this is the "research" our school is using to argue the credibility of TERC and EM, I hope this information enlightens many of you to exactly why so many of us are so upset. We deserve answers for our children. So, my question to you all is simple. How much longer are we going to tolerate the experimenting on our children? If this "research" does not rest well with you, don't be afraid to ask questions. As I said earlier...if this is all that they have got, then it is incredibly weak in light of the evidence to the contrary. Make your voices heard for our children. They deserve so much better.

Also, remember how many times that I have asked and asked for our district to give us a list of names of other schools in Missouri who are currently using Investigations without supplementation (as they have imposed on our children)with great success. I felt this "research" to be the most potentially credible. I sadly report that after contacting in excess of 30 school districts all across our state that I was led to believe used Investigations, NOT ONE that I have yet to identify is using Investigations as its core without the use of supplementation. This SHOULD NOT BE SUCH A HARD QUESTION!!! I would hope that since we proceeded so "cautiously" we would have a few schools that would be considered our "models". There should be many, wouldn't you think? This should only have been a part of our district's decision making process BEFORE engaging our children in this curriculum! Is it not reasonable that we are given more "research" than the very weak findings of the WWC? I sure think so. I would hope that at a minimum they will put their "research" back on their website so all patrons of the district can view their findings sooner than later because we all deserve to understand "why".

By The Way...if any of you are really curious about what Stephen Wilson and James Milgram really believe, check out the article listed below. It truly represents the postition of these two very distinguished scholars. Ten Myths About Mathematics Education and Why You Shouldn’t Believe Them. "http://www.nychold.org/myths-050504.html"

(As of January 12, 2009 it was brought to my attention that the Camdenton website now has their "research" link up and running again as of today. The information naming the professors mentioned above has been removed. Check out the revised information at www.camdentonschools.org .)

Happy New Year

2009-01-08T13:05:00.000-08:00

Like so many of you...I am just getting back in the swing of things after a crazy Christmas break. I must say that there is something nice about a routine. Please KNOW that I have not forgotten about our little issue here called "math". I have simply taken a little step back over our break so my husband and children could have their "commander and chief" overseeing the holiday festivities with a whole heart while I had them all to myself. As a very good friend who has fought this battle much, much longer than I have reminds me often.."balance in all areas is a must". Thank you "L" you are so very right. The injustice of this issue can overtake you and consume you at times if you are not careful. So, I have taken my friend's advice and taken a little break. But, I am rested. I have clarity of thought. And I am ready to continue to make our voices heard on behalf of our children.

There is so much to share that I have learned over break. There have been several of us researching our MAP scores at DESE and learning so much about what is going on in our school district based on the scores that are available for public consumption. I have learned SO MUCH, and of course as a result of what I have learned I have EVEN MORE QUESTIONS!!!! Imagine that! I am still processing all of the information that I have learned. I will share soon.

I had the privilege of getting to speak to the incredibly knowledgable Elizabeth Carson from the NYC Hold for quite some time. I have learned so much from her and the years of research and work that she has spent fighting this issue all over our nation. She is an invaluable resource, and an amazing woman. If any of you have seen her work at the NYC Hold...you know that we owe her such a debt of gratitude for her endless hours of devotion to fighting this the good fight for our children. Thank you Elizabeth for educating me and the priceless insights that you shared.

I also had the opportunity to speak with a woman I admire so very much. I met her through this site, and I am so grateful for her careful wisdom and precious insights to what we are experiencing. She is a high school math teacher from up north. She, too, has been a part of this fight much longer than I. She has been on the front lines for many years and as a high school math teacher who is passionate about her "calling" she fights this the good fight because she has seen firsthand what this way of teaching does to our children. Her heart breaks for the children who are the byproduct of this "experimental" kind of teaching. I have learned so much from her, and am ever so grateful for her profound guidance and insight. She continues to point me in the right directions and imparts so much knowledge my way that I would not have ever known about without her. Thank you "L". Out of something so ridiculously trying at times you are a true bright spot for me. Thank you for being my teacher.

We will be holding another very informal forum soon to retrieve all of those signatures that you all collected over Christmas break. Just hold on to those for now. We will come together again soon. I will keep you posted on that, too. We will have more petitions to pass out and an opportunity to meet a couple of the school board candidates at that time.

NOW...FOR A MATH UPDATE. ON MONDAY THE FIRST NIGHT BACK FROM BREAK I GOT A CALL FROM SOMEONE I AM VERY CLOSE TO. SHE WAS HAVING A TOTAL AND COMPLETE FREAK OUT BECAUSE ON MONDAY NIGHT HER THIRD GRADE SON BROUGHT HOME 7 DIVISION PROBLEMS. THE PROBLEM IS YOU SEE.....OUR THIRD GRADERS HAVE NOT EVEN BEEN INTRODUCED TO MULTIPLICATION YET. (Yes, you read it right...they don't even know how to multiply yet). HER QUESTION TO ME IN NOT VERY NICE TERMS..."HOW IN THE WORLD CAN THEY EXPECT OUR KIDS TO DO DIVISION IF THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO MULTIPLY?"
VERY GOOD POINT MY FRIEND. I COULD NOT AGREE MORE....THIS IS CRAZY! OUR POOR LITTLE CHILDREN. YOU KNOW IF IT DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE TO US, THEN HOW IN THE WORLD CAN IT MAKE SENSE TO ANY OF THEM? KEEP FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT PARENTS. KEEP A VERY WATCHFUL EYE ON WHAT YOUR KIDS ARE BRINGING HOME AND DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK LOTS AND LOTS OF VERY POINTED QUESTIONS. YOU DESERVE ANSWERS. WE MUST KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON AS WE ARE OUR CHILDRENS' BEST AND ONLY TRUE ADVOCATES!

I

Answers Needed

2008-12-18T19:10:00.000-08:00

Camdenton Parents, please read the mission statement pulled directly from the website for Camdenton RIII Schools.

Committed to Excellence in Student Achievement

Parent and Community Involvement:
*1. Communication between the school, parents, community, and students will be ongoing
*2. Parents and community members are involved and encouraged to be a part of the school environment
*3. Our District will strive to eliminate cultural and socio-economic bias
*4. Parental support and communication is essential to high achievement and student learning
*5. Administration, teachers, and staff will listen to parents/community ideas and concerns
*6. School information will be readily accessible
*7. Parents and community will be involved in the school by volunteering and participating at all levels
*8. Our entire school community is treated with dignity and respect
*9. An open and comfortable environment is desirable for parent involvement
*10. Our District will provide opportunities for teachers and parents to collaborate about the child's progress/problems and develop strategies for improvement.
Mission statement taken from www.camdentonschools.org

We have questions that have yet to be answered by anyone at the administrative levels. Why should it be so hard to get answers to even the most basic questions? Does our mission statement not lead you to believe that our administrators and school board should communicate with us? Doesn't communicate mean an exchange of dialogue? Why should it be unreasonable to get answers to the easy questions?

Our questions:

1. Did our administration recognize that this curriculum was a very controversial issue all across our state and nation BEFORE they chose it? (i.e. Did they know about Columbia, Raymore Peculiar, the state of California banning this type of teaching and the same of the state of Texas? The harsh warnings of leading mathematicians and scientists and Nobel Laureates and Fields Medal Winners from ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES) If so, then why did we go forward in spite of these facts?

2. Did our administration know what our Department of Education warned about this type of teaching in their report called The Foundations For Success that came out in March 2008?

3. Can anyone in our administration show us 5 schools in our state where Investigations without supplementation has been a documented success for longer than 3 years. Being that this program has been around for over 20 years in the United States, surely this should not be hard...right?

4. Has anyone in our administration read the word problems that our 3rd and 4th graders are bringing home? Do any of you recognize that these questions ARE NOT written for 3rd and 4th grade readers? How do you expect our 3rd and 4th graders to READ questions that appear to be written by adults for adults? WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED?

5. Why did we choose to take our children into a reading rich math curriculum when it was abundantly clear that our children in all of our elementary schools are struggling with reading? How did you EXPECT for them to be successful with this math when they cannot read? Why were we not working on improving our reading scores?

6. What was wrong with the old, Scott Foresman, textbooks? Did you realize how completely BALANCED those were? Have you really studied those and understand what they are all about?

I know you have all heard these questions before. I know everyone is sick of these questions, but according to the mission statement shown above one would think that we should expect OPEN communication. There are a lot of questions, but not any answers. Why? These should not be hard questions. You would think that if this program has been successful enough for us to choose it, and there is a fair rebuttal to the data mentioned above, by all means why won't anyone share it with us because we WANT to know what that information says. Why won't anyone tell us what those answers are? I do appreciate the teachers who believe in this program, and I know that you can all tell us why you think it is great, but these questions need to be answered by the people who chose this math in upper administration.

This should not be as hard as it has turned out to be. We continually asked questions, but we were met with no answers. We asked for consideration and understanding that this is an urgent situation for our children, but it appeared we were met with ambivalence to our concern and a lack of acknowledgement that this is urgent for us with children in 3rd and 4th grades where they should start to really learn the "meat and potatoes of math". It is unfortunate that we feel that a petition is the only way for our voices to be heard as, to this point, we have heard nothing from those who hold the answers.

The following is also pulled directly from the Camdenton RIII website with reference to correct protocol to be followed in revising curriculum. Was the process followed as outlined?

www.camdentonschools.org

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

The district will review and revise written curriculum on a rotating basis. Curriculum guides for math, social studies, science, English, foreign language*, fine arts, health/physical education, and vocational education will be re-evaluated every four (4) years in the following manner:

► A committee of teachers representing all grade levels concerned with a particular subject area will be responsible for the review and revision. Committee members will be appointed by the superintendent or designee. One (1) member will be designated as chair for the committee.

► At the discretion of the superintendent or designee, a member of the community may also be appointed to serve on any curriculum review and revision committee.

The district is committed to a curriculum designed to meet the needs of the community and of students. The curriculum revision and review committees will base revisions on the following (in no particular order):

► Community standards.

► Teacher recommendation.

► Results of educational research.

At the conclusion of the review and revision process, the chair of the committee shall prepare a report detailing the findings made and actions taken by the committee. A copy of this report shall be presented to the superintendent and the Board of Education.

I did only pull those points that I am the most curious about. The whole document can be viewed by pulling the link up at: IF-AP - CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

1. Since the above says that curricula will be re-evaluated every four years, why have our third graders had their math changed every year for the last four years? Kindergarten= Scott Foresman. First Grade=Investigations (Decided it was not meeting GLEs and it was dropped). Second Grade=Everyday Math. Third Grade=Investigations (again). How and why has this happened? ? Where was there any continuity for them? Do you understand why we feel like our third graders have been guinea pigs? How are they supposed to thrive if there has been absolutely NO continuity offered to them?

2. Were these guidelines followed correctly in replacing our existing curriculum? Were the teachers given a voice as a part of the PLC? Was there a consensus? Was that documented? Did the Vertical Teaming Committee vote? Was there a consensus? Is that documented?

We understand that the school board cannot micromanage every single detail of a school district this size. We understand that that would nearly be impossible. We appreciate your dedication and the years of service that you have all offered to our community and our school. It is a thankless job, and we understand that you now sit in the unenviable position of trying to mediate a very difficult situation. But, now that you have had this issue brought to your attention your community needs to hear from you.

The Implementation of Supplementation!

2008-12-16T16:37:00.000-08:00

Let's clarify a few things.

Let's talk about the supplementation issue. I know that if you have read any information on this site, there is a very strong possibility that you have seen or heard that word over and over again when it comes to that issue. It is a very important issue to understand for many reasons. I will do my best to explain.

Understand that when the teachers found out last year this is the way they would be forced to teach this year, most were devastated. My husband, who sat in on that meeting saw many of the teachers walk out in tears...not having any idea exactly why they were so upset. We now know what so many of them already knew. None-the-less, the program was chosen and the books that they were using along with all of their resource guides were taken from each classroom to ensure that they would not be used in order to keep the curriculum pure. All of those books (which were the Scott Foresman text) were sold. The teachers were told in no uncertain terms that there would be NO supplementation allowed in the 3rd and 4th grades (Hawthorn) outside of the curriculum. NONE AT ALL.

So...as so many of us parents started our year looking for the text books so we could help our kids with their math we quickly learned that there were none. So, the question became "what are they doing" as the worksheets were completely ambiguous, and in many cases when parents would try to help their children with the standard algorithms the answers were counted wrong even though the answer itself was right....it was the process that was being graded, not the answer itself. Many, many parents can attest to this.

Thus, causing many questions to arise. We soon found out that the standard algorithm is only identified as one of a multitude of procedures to solve simple addition and subtraction problems in the 3rd and 4th grade, but never taught and PRACTICED as the simplest and most efficient way to solve a problem. Multiple strategies are introduced, but none ever mastered...especially what most of us would see to be the most simple and quickest way to achieve the correct answer. There is NO mastery or PRACTICE. It became obvious that most of our children were very confused with the process and that we could not help them because the standard algorithm is not advocated by this curriculum.
The standard algorithm is not even INTRODUCED in this program until the 5th grade when it comes to division and multiplication. Check out the math handbooks that can be checked out from your teacher and confirm that fact. You will not see the standard algorithm AT ALL when it comes to simple multiplication and division problems. Thus, the outcry for supplements to introduce our children to the basic building blocks of math, with the demand for practice and mastery of the most basic of skills was made.

Any educated assumption would expect that a child must master addition before you can really teach him/her to subtract. Once those are mastered the progression to multiplication and division are reasonable. It is a progression of steps, one at a time. (Just as our National Mathematics Advisory Panel suggests: Less is more. Teach our children the most efficient, tried and true methods of problem solving. Stop confusing them by shoving a multitude of strategies in front of them and expect them to excel.) We realized quickly that our kids needed so much more than was being offered by their curriculum...but, we (the parents and the teachers) were met with opposition to this request from those who are advocates of this way of teaching.

So...in the beginning the teachers were absolutely told NOT to supplement outside of the curriculum. The teachers were told it was critical to keep the curriculum "pure".

Do you remember a recent post titled: To Supplement Or Not To Supplement. That Is Now The Question. Do you remember how I asked for all of the definitions? Remember how I wanted complete clarification? There was a reason for that. Well, a couple of weeks ago, after the parents came together at the first forum, we were told that the program WAS being supplemented. However what they failed to mention was that it was only being supplemented from within the existing program. There was some confusion as a result of the first forum and what was told to the parents. As a result the teachers were called in to a meeting and a memo was posted. To clarify, the teachers were called in to a meeting and told to ONLY supplement with inquiry based supplements...nothing else...( Which might as well be only supplementing from inside of the curriculum, because this is not what most of us would consider a more traditional approach that we are so desperately looking for. )
Therefore, even though some would tell us "yes, you can supplement" that was not a total lie..... just not the whole truth. Yes, they could supplement, but not with what the vast majority of us would consider a true supplement. This is why it has become so important to know which questions to ask and be very specific because you will hear what you want to hear, but it is crucial that you know how to ask your questions. There is a lot of what I call "double-speak" with this curriculum, and it is VERY frustrating.....not just for us, but for the teachers, too. Know how to ask your questions if you expect to get an accurate answer.

So here we are, after a school board member requested clarification as to exactly what a supplement was about a week ago...Dr. Overlander went to the teachers at Hawthorn personally and told them to supplement with anything needed to make sure the children were getting what they need. I appreciate that he himself went and made sure the teachers knew that is what he expected. And for the first time, most will tell you at that point is when they would agree they felt the liberty to truly reach beyond the current curriculum for supplements to meet their students where they were at.(Thank you Dr. Overlander) This is definitely a positive step in the right direction, but begs the answer to a few more questions as a result of such a compromise.

The first question is: Is there any uniformity in what those supplements are going to be?
The second question is: How do you plan to assist the teachers in the implementation process? Being that it is crucial that they have the tools and pointed instruction on exactly how to effectively supplement, shouldn't the administration be vested in making sure that the implementation is a success? The implementation issue is a big one. But, let us all remember that implementation does not only apply to the teachers. If the teachers are not given the adequate tools to administer these supplements effectively, then how can we reasonably expect the supplements to be a success? If not implemented by our administration successfully one must question whether or not they really want the supplements to work at all if they are not willing to oversee this endeavour.

Keep in mind...the supplements are only a quick rescue for our kids to stop the bleeding. We want this program removed as our core. We want our core to be the more basic traditional approach to math that all of the experts advocate! The supplements will only give us some assurance that our kids are learning something at school. SUPPLEMENTS SHOULD NOT JUST BE HOMEWORK TO PACIFY THE PARENTS!!!! THESE SKILLS SHOULD BE PRACTICED AND MASTERED AT SCHOOL!!

You might find it interesting...Parents, ask your child how long they are spending on math daily at school. You might be interested to know that in some classrooms in Hawthorn your kids are spending a minimum of 2 hours a day on math. Ask your kids that question. More than one parent and teacher have shared that they are allowing over an hour per day for math, and then their intervention time (45 minutes) per day is also allotted for math. So my question becomes...when is there time to work on reading? When is there time to fit all of the other subjects in every day if our main focus is just learning math? *** Remember, our math scores in
Camdenton have always been good. Our reading is another story. If we are going to dedicate so much time to one program, why is it to the subject that our kids normally have tested well in here at Camdenton? Why not focus on that subject that statistically plagues us in our elementary schools currently....reading! Ask your kids if they are also doing math during their lunch breaks.... Just ask the question, and see what your child tells you.

You might find interesting this fact that I will share with you....last week I called over 30 schools I was told to be using Investigations as their core. I truly hoped to find a couple of success stories. I truly did. I thought I probably would. However, I was stunned to find, not ONE used this curriculum without being REQUIRED to use supplements. Only 3 schools actually called it their core, but NONE used it without strong supplementation. Only a few supplemented with it, many had dropped it, and some had never even heard of it. I spoke with only curriculum directors and/or principals. I also emailed teachers to get their perspective on Investigations. As one teacher from Raytown told me ...in his words:

"We do use Investigations here in Raytown. I have found that it is really lacking in substantive “work” or practice for the kids. My personal philosophy is that students feel good about math when they are successful with it. Being successful requires enough practice to become proficient in “doing” math. Investigations is really popular with adults (who already “get it”) because it seems like such a neat way to learn math. (Games, activities, really digging in and investigating the mathematical concepts.)
However, when kids at fifth grade—pretty much grade wide—struggle with basic addition, doing complex multiplication and division is near impossible.
I know that that is a fairly negative view, but it is honest. (And,
as a comparison, and in the interest of full disclosure, I did teach with Saxon math for five years, and loved it; I saw students at every level of ability grow excited and confident in their understanding.)
Sorry, I completely forgot; we also find that there a lot of holes in trying to reconcile what Investigations focuses on and what the GLE’s require. We need to go to our old basal more often then not."

Once again, from the mouth of an expert teaching Investigations right now...he declares how crucial those supplements are for kids because they are not sure the program is meeting the GLEs. School board, please see this as the absolute necessary mandate that our administration needs to implement our supplements correctly and do that sooner than later before any more damage is done! Remember, Eldon just said the same thing about Investigations and the GLEs. Please pay attention to this fact.

On a final note: Please know that our foot soldiers are out there going door to door with their petitions. As of today we are working on 300 signatures since Friday. We have most of our signatures from our paper push, but our online petition is up and running since Sunday. Either way make your voice heard, and help us help our kids. Thank you to all who believe in this ..."OUR CAUSE" for our kids! United we stand.

Don't Take My Word For It.....

2008-12-13T18:47:00.000-08:00

This comic from www.weaponsofmathdestruction is funny, but it really isn't. It is the TRUTH! Do your own research and see what happens to kids who learn the kind of math our school is teaching. It is not fair. It is dumbing down our children. This should not be happening. If you don't want for this to be your child in a few years, do your own research!!! Be your child's best advocate and KNOW what is going on.

When you try to explain to people how far fetched this new
math is people tend to look at you with a confused look and don't think they are hearing you right when you try to explain:

1. When you work a standard addition/subtraction problem with a standard algorithm working the problem vertically and from right to left...even though you get the right answer your child gets the problem counted wrong because the process is more important than if the answer is right. YOU ARE GRADED ON THE PROCESS... NOT THE ANSWER!
2. A standard algorithm such as this is not even introduced until the 5th grade:
348 is not introduced until 5th grade.
+ 296
(no carrying or borrowing allowed with this curriculum)

3. Our third graders will not memorize their multiplication tables in school the way you and I know them. This curriculum does not believe in "rote memorization" as they call it...because (and I quote) "our children have a very important tool these days called the calculator".

4. Our first graders are using calculators to do their math in school!!!

5. Our children have no textbooks to bring home. This is why the Math Nights are so important. The reason for this is that we have NO RESOURCES to understand what in the world our kids are doing, unless someone teaches us how to teach our 3rd and 4th graders their math. Understanding what I said above about...even if the answer is right..if it is not solved with some crazy process, the answer is counted wrong.

The first time someone tried to explain it to me I did not believe them. I thought they were cuuurrrraaaaaazy. Then I started doing my own research...thus, the reason for this site. The first night I tried to explain to my husband what was going on he said that I had misunderstood. Thus, the reason for this site. The first times I tried to tell my sisters/girlfriends they looked at me all dazed and confused, and then told me that I was crazy with a laugh. Thus, the reason for this site. Unless you actually see it for yourself and all of the research about it, it seems too ridiculous to be true. OH BUT IT IS TRUE. AND IT IS SCARY! EVEN IF YOUR CHILDREN ARE "GETTING IT" YOU NEED TO REALIZE WHAT OUR UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS AND MATHEMATICIANS ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS KIND OF MATH:

In a Missourian article entitled "Math Professors Seek Change in State's K-12 Math Curriculum", college professors are quoted expressing their concerns with the state's math standards and the curriculum. Below is a quote from Missouri University math professor Adam Helfer:

"One of the most painful things for me as a math
professor at Mizzou is to work with students who have native ability in math but are not going to be able to capitalize on it because their K-12 preparation is inadequate. There is just nothing that can be done at the college level to make up for this -- it's far too late."

Another MU math professor, Alex Koldobsky, is also quoted in the article:

"I have been teaching Calculus I for the last few years and I clearly see the deterioration of computational and algebraic skills of incoming freshmen. Instead of working on the concepts of calculus, the majority of the students have to think for a long time about every elementary arithmetic and algebraic step, which at this point have to be automatic for them."
A few more powerful quotes:
“[There has been] a dramatic drop in content knowledge that we have been seeing in students coming to the universities in recent years. … A large part of the blame rests with [reform math programs].”
Testimony to United States Congress
James Milgram
Professor of Mathematics
Stanford University
“What you will not find is an ‘A’ student in college math who went through any school using only these reform math programs … without some sort of intervention. The reason I can say this with such confidence is that there is too much content missing from these programs, content that is essential for college level mathematics.”
W. Stephen Wilson
Professor of Mathematics
Johns Hopkins University
“At the elementary level, I advise against ‘Everyday Mathematics’.

At the middle school level, I advise against ‘Connected Mathematics,’ known as CMP.
Students who follow these programs, unless they have outside tutoring, will not be prepared for high school mathematics. In my experience with districts afflicted with these programs, affluent parents have sent their children to private schools or hired tutors, while the less privileged, even if they ‘succeeded’ in these programs, were forever cut off from any further progress in mathematics or scientific professional education. Once finished with ‘CMP,’ remediation becomes impossibly difficult except by private tutoring.”
Ralph A. Raimi
Professor of Mathematics
University of Rochester
“Everyday Mathematics requires massive fixes at the most basic level. The program does not teach the standard procedures at all for subtraction and division, and offers a hopelessly confusing potpourri of methods for all the four elementary operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). The program has pedagogical features (notably, rapidly jumping around over different topics without staying focused long enough for pupils to achieve mastery) that appear to make it all but unworkable as intended.”
David Klein
Professor of Mathematics
California State University, Northridge
I must say that every time someone writes or says to me...well I think you are judging this program too quickly, we have only had it for a couple of months, I am compelled to respond as I did the other day:
Anonymous said...
I spoke with a friend whose daughter is friends with the asst. principal at Derby Ridge in Columbia. My friend called that asst. principal and SHE said that Columbia has not gotten rid of Investigations and that they hold traditional math sessions in the mornings before school for those children, and parents for that matter, who need and/or want it. You may want to double-check some of your facts. One more thought...the reality is this: NO matter what math program any district uses, there will be students who struggle and there will be students who do not memorize their facts. I don't think that it's fair for all of you to judge it so soon. It's been at Hawthorn for 4 months. DESE even states that you have to give a program at least 3 years and when you get all these parents (and teachers) in an "uproar," that is only going to hinder the potential of the program. In my mind, you're "jumping the gun," and it's only going to hurt the kids in the long run. Whether you like the program or not, you need to give it time and support it. We've all heard of "self-fulfilling prophecies," right? Stacy, please post this and show both sides....
My response...

Stacy said...
With reference to the Columbia School District...Columbia decided to get rid of this curriculum AFTER their school year had already started. The Columbia Tribune reports the following:
District decides to go back to traditional math
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 10:39 p.m. CDTBY Stephanie Call COLUMBIA
— As early as next fall, students in Columbia's elementary classrooms will learn math with a traditional approach. After years of debate and discussion about the district's math curriculum, the "investigations" program won't be considered the district's everyday math program anymore.
As I understand it all schools K-8 will go to a traditional route by the beginning of the school year next year. This year they are working on undoing some of the damage done by bridging the gap from Investigations to Traditional and next year start the Traditional approach.
With reference to giving it a try...the problem is that I do know my facts very, very well. I have spent hundreds of hours on research and spoken with people from all over the nation and our state with reference to this subject of our new math. I am not judging it because it is new. If we wait around to see what happens it will be too late to help our now third graders.
I choose to let the experience of a multitude of schools that have gone before us be my guide. I choose to heed the warnings of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel appointed by the Department of Education. I choose to listen when hundreds of our country's leading mathematicians and Nobel Laureates condemn this way of teaching. I pay attention when 50 of the leading mathematicians in our state protest over this way of educating our youth. I know my facts. I am deeply concerned when our model school Raymore Peculiar says that they dropped Investigations in all of their elementary schools because the junior high school teachers felt that the students were coming in "grossly unprepared" according to one of the principals there.
This is not a whim for me, so when you ask me to check my facts...I must ask you to do the same when you tell me that I am not being fair in not wanting to give it a try. If you knew your facts there is absolutely no way that you would ever want this for your child knowingly. (Assuming that you have a now elementary school child) At least I would hope not. I am my child's only advocate and I want more for them than the failures that have followed this program across our great nation. So should you. When this program fails, and it will if we keep it, it will not be my fault. It will only be history repeating itself.
Do you know the definition of insanity? It is simply put: Doing the same thing over and over again with the expectation of different results. This type of math has been around for well over 20 years and there is not one qualified study on record with our Department of Education to show that it works...after 20 years. So why not stop this insanity and stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Our kids deserve better.
THIS IS NOT A MATTER OF HOW WELL YOUR CHILD IS DOING...THIS IS A MATTER OF HOW WELL THEY ARE BEING PREPARED FOR REAL LIFE AND/OR THEIR COLLEGE YEARS. LOOK AT THE FACTS. RESEARCH FOR YOURSELF, AND REALIZE THAT OUR KIDS NEED US TO USE OUR VOICES ON THEIR BEHALF. LOOK FOR OUR PETITION ONLINE IN THE NEXT DAY OR SO, AND LET'S MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE, WE CANNOT GET THESE YEARS BACK!

Define Balance

2008-12-10T03:44:00.000-08:00

In an article done by the The Lake Sun Leader today at www.lakesunleader.com , Dr. Overlander was quoted as looking for balance...just like us. However, our question is how does he plan to make sure there is the balance we are looking for as parents? We are looking for supplements from outside of the curriculum as a quick rescue for our kids . We want that done now. However, when anyone asks teachers, or even board members asked the administrators the other night exactly what supplements we would be using no one could decisively answer that question. What EXACTLY are our supplements? I am sorry, but supplements within the program from everything we have been told about those "supplements" are not what we are talking about. That is just more of the same kind of teaching and that will not satisfy us. Our children need so much more. According to so many teachers, and administrators who use Investigations from all over our state, Investigations requires much more than it alone can offer. According to almost every single person I have talked to (and I have done my homework and talked to many) "It has way too many gaps."

Why is it so hard to answer that question, and make sure all of the teachers are on the same page of understanding as all of the parents? At this point that is not happening. That is why we are all so frustrated. Supplements need to be what the Eldon School District did....bring something additional in from outside of the program because they believe as so many of us do...this program is not capable of teaching our kids their GLEs (grade level expectations). The article below illustrates why so many of us are so frustrated. I know Dr. Overlander is trying to ease our concerns by ordering us a supplement handbook from the curriculum, but that is not going to make any of us feel any better about what our kids are learning.

We are looking for a rich balance of the basic skills being taught such things as simple multiplication tables and standard algorithms such as this:

398

+562

______

...worked in a vertical fashion and carrying the numbers, working RIGHT TO LEFT. This is not what is being taught to our children.

For those of you who are looking for clarification on what in the world is going on and why we are so upset...yes, you read the above right. Here are some facts about Investigations:

(By the way...TERC and Investigations are the same thing)

FEW FACTS ABOUT INVESTIGATIONS MATH:

1) TERC removes teaching the times tables to children.
2) No valid math study has ever been performed showing the effectiveness of Investigations Math.
3) California and Michigan implemented programs identical to TERC and forced enrollment in college freshmen remedial math classes more than doubled over just a few years.
4) "Children tend not to learn what they are not taught." Dr. Ralph Raimi (wrote article comparing TERC to Singapore Math) TERC doesn't teach, it lets children do “discovery learning.”
5) Hundreds of university leading math professors and Nobel Laureates condemn Investigations Math.
6) TERC recommends a text for teachers called "Beyond Arithmetic". In this book it says traditional elementary math must be discarded because:
Was "developed to meet the needs of the 19th century." BA, Page 2

Requires that students "memorize many facts, procedures, definitions, and formulas." BA, Page 2 (and how is this bad?)

"Focuses on learning a particular set of procedures for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals." BA, Page 2 (and how is this bad?)

Results in "overpracticed students." BA, Page 3 (is there such a thing?)

Ignores the fact that "today's students have an important tool available to them: the calculator." BA, Page 77 (this is why they do not believe in memorizing the multiplication tables.)

Let me reiterate... the above is taken directly from an Investigations teachers guide in explaining why math the way we know it should not be taught any longer.

By Deanna Wheeler
Lake Sun Leader
Tue Dec 09, 2008, 10:00 PM CST

www.lakesunleader.com
Excerpts taken from the Lake Sun's article today:

Balance is just the word Superintendent Maurice Overlander used as well. Two changes have been enacted since the November special board meeting that examined the growing controversy. The first was that the district purchased numerous supplemental handbooks for students. Parents are being encouraged to use them as well.

The guides give examples on how to work through problems.Overlander said he hopes the move will be the first large step to ease parents’ concerns when attempting to help their child with nightly homework.

Overlander described the guides as the piece that was missing when the new Investigations program was implemented.

So many of you have asked for an example of how the new math is different from the old. Here is a look at what the kids would have brought home last year in the third grade.

Notice that there is that balance we are asking for. There is both word problems with the teaching of the basic skills. This is the same book that Eldon just purchased to offer their children the Balance that we so desperately desire. It has BOTH the investigations and the basic skills that build our childrens foundation of knowledge. Why did we get rid of these?

Below is what that same third grade homework looks like today. However, know this...that if these questions are answered with a simple standard algorithm they are counted WRONG. That is not allowed by the curriculum. And realize this...there are NO textbooks....so when your child brings home his/her homework at night this is what you see.

And now realize that they cannot use the standard algorithm(as I illlustrated above in 398 +562) to solve these problems. They are solved by drawing pictures...estimating...working everything left to right in a horizontal fashion. And there is no practice at school of any basic skills. They may send some home to us at night to make us feel better, but is there really "practice" at school? When I said that my third grader brought ONE problem home the other night for his practice, I was not kidding. It was ONE word problem that was a simple 2 digit addition problem. That is what we are seeing for our children when they bring their work home from school, thus the reason for the questions: Yes, they are getting As and Bs, but what are they really learning? That is the question.

We are NOT saying that there is no place for this way of teaching...we know that because of our MAP Tests we have to expose our children to it, but this should never be our core. This should ONLY be a supplement. That is all we are asking for.

Prayer List

2008-12-09T05:21:00.000-08:00

Our dear friend Kim Spangler was rushed to the hospital yesterday and placed in ICU. Please keep her in your constant prayers. I don't know many of the details, but I do know that she needs our prayers. There are many things more important in life than this silly math, and when one of our own faces trials such a Kim, we must be reminded of the most important things in life. Remember her today in your thoughts and prayers.

Big Disappointment

2008-12-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

I am sad to report we will be starting our petition drive on Thursday. After attending the school board meeting tonight I am reporting that we are stuck with Investigations for our children without any supplements outside of the program as we would expect them whether we like it or not. Despite all of the mountains of research offered...

* The National Advisory Panel's Report in 2008.....
* The fact that Columbia dropped Investigations after years of falling
test scores....
* The fact that Raymore Peculiar dropped Investigations because its
teachers in the junior high school felt that their students
were coming to them grossly unprepared....

* Despite the outcry of 50 or more leading mathematicians in our state
with reference to how ill prepared TERC leaves our kids
to progress into Algebra.....
* Despite the fact that Eldon does not think the same program meets their GLEs so they added a textbook mid semester because their
kids needed it.....(remember our kids have those same
GLEs...let's see not working for them, but just fine for us...
how does that happen?)
*Despite that a huge number of our kids cannot read at their grade levels and the majority of these problems are word problems and
it would appear that based on those facts that we have set
our kids up for failure....
*Despite the fact that NO ONE will answer our very valid questions.....

... here we are...I could go on and on and on, but they don't care about those facts. Our kids are stuck and we have absolutely no say. (Wow, I just heard myself say that and I don't like the way that rolls off of my tongue. Does that feel so wrong to you, too?) No matter how much evidence there is against it, that matters not. I am afraid to say that unless we come together and protest our kids will have to fail just like all of these other schools before us have for our district officials to pay attention. As my husband always says "experience is the best teacher" and we have loads of it to look at when it comes to this issue. Unfortunately no one in our administration appears to care about that. Our kids will have to fail by their standards and I hate to say it, but they will... just like they have everywhere else all over our nation. But by then it will be too late for our kids.
I will fill you in on all of the other details of the school board meeting that happened tonight on Thursday night. Looking forward to seeing you there. We will start our petition push then. We will eat @5:30p.m. and start our presentation by 6:00 p.m. with the plan to be done by 7:15 p.m.

It Is Always Good To Laugh...

2008-12-07T06:49:00.000-08:00

And we can count on our friend Oak Norton to give us a few laughs even in a time like this. I know that even though there are days that I feel like crying right now, when I look at some of Oak Norton's comics they make me laugh out loud. I can relate to so many of them , and I am sure you can too. Check out his sites: http://www.oaknorton.com/ and http://www.weaponsofmathdestruction.com/. You will enjoy his expertise and mix of humor. I know I do.

He sent me a comic yesterday in light of our upcoming school board meeting. I hope this is NOT our school board's reaction tomorrow night. It would be nice to finally get some answers to some of our questions instead of this.....

Who's Running This Place?

Thanks for the laugh Oak.

School Board Meeting Monday, December 8

2008-12-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

There will be a school board meeting December 8 (MONDAY) at 5:30 at the administration building. I will be there to inform you on what the school board has to say about our current math situation. I know that we are anxious to hear something...anything from them. I hope that happens on Monday. I will keep you informed. For any of you who want to show up and make public comment, that would be great. For those of you who can't attend I will inform you as to what they have to say.

Also...after much concern and many requests, I WILL be doing the same power point presentation that I did a few weeks ago now for our community. This will take place at the Linn Creek Baptist Church on A road. (Highway 54 to A road in Linn Creek. You will see Linn Creek Baptist Church on your left about 2/10 of a mile from Hwy. 54). It will happen this Thursday night, December 11. We will have a free chili supper from 5:30-6:00. We have several excellent cooks bringing their versions of chili, come and pick your favorite. The presentation will take place from 6:00-7:15.

We have invited several of our community officials and our state representatives to attend to learn what is going on with our children. THERE WILL BE FREE CHILDCARE!!! WE WILL TRY TO KEEP THIS MEETING AS BRIEF, BUT AS INFORMATIVE AS POSSIBLE.

Depending on the outcome of the school board meeting on Monday, we will decide whether or not to pursue our petition drive. If the outcome of the school board meeting is not what we are hoping for, then we will start our petition drive that night. Please show up and be informed. Look forward to seeing you all there.

Broken At the State Level

2008-12-04T21:55:00.001-08:00

From one of my favorite blogs: www.mathwithouttears.blogspot.com A real math teacher from Texas writes.....

Posted July 2008
Now I see that "math wars" are springing up again and sadly now another group of students is suffering and struggling in places such as Florida and Missouri.

And now another group of college professors is speaking out against what they see happening.The "fuzzy math authors" do not give up so easily. They have their fingers in their ears and masks over their eyes. They refuse to believe that their precious, new math curricula are the cause because after all, "research shows" that students need to learn by discovering and investigating, that students remember best what they figure out on their own without any interference from the teacher, that students need to know they are valued.

In a Missourian article entitled "Math Professors Seek Change in State's K-12 Math Curriculum", college professors are quoted expressing their concerns with the state's math standards and the curriculum. Below is a quote from Missouri University math professor Adam Helfer:
"One of the most painful things for me as a math professor at Mizzou is to work with students who have native ability in math but are not going to be able to capitalize on it because their K-12 preparation is inadequate. There is just nothing that can be done at the college level to make up for this -- it's far too late."

Another MU math professor, Alex Koldobsky, is also quoted in the article:
"I have been teaching Calculus I for the last few years and I clearly see the deterioration of computational and algebraic skills of incoming freshmen. Instead of working on the concepts of calculus, the majority of the students have to think for a long time about every elementary arithmetic and algebraic step, which at this point have to be automatic for them."

More than 50 math professors signed the letter, critical of the "student centered focus" which dominates the Missouri K-12 standards -- which repeatedly prescribes that students 'explore', 'investigate', 'develop models', and 'conduct experiments'.
Endorsement signatures for the letter

Go here to read the entire article, and while reading it, take the time to go to the side link to the 9-page letter (5 pages of which are signatures of college professors) dated May 5, 2008, sent to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

If you live in the state of Missouri your children may be affected by the weak standards and "fuzzy math" curriculum. If you are in other states, you need to be vigilant to what is being taught in your state. This is not going away.
If we have anything to do with it..the fuzzy math part will be gone from our school as the core! Our children should be learning their basic facts so that when they get to college they can engage in the courses the choose. Use fuzzy math, if we must , only as a supplement to be used at the discretion of the teachers.

Take a look on the above link and realize that over 50 of our state's most distinguished mathematicians do not believe in our Missouri standards for math. We need to make our voices heard not only to our school district, but to our politicians at the state level.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

2008-12-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

I really like the idea of #12 and have actually had several parents talk to me who think this is a good idea. I had a mom bring it up to me 2 weeks ago, and now it seems to be all the buzz. To be honest, I had never even thought of something like this to be an option, but it could be for those of us who refuse to allow for our kids to be taught this way. We may just opt to keep them home one day a week and maybe take turns tutoring a group of them to make sure they are getting what they need. Or we could possibly find a retired teacher or something and pay them a fee to teach them once a week.

It seems better than each of us having to reteach them every night that they get home for another 1.5 hours after the poor little fellas have just spent 8 hours at school. That seems so unfair. And they are only 9 -12 years old. I like the idea, if that is what it takes. Hopefully it won't come to that, but it is always an option if things don't change I guess. Just a thought.

The following information came from a great site: http://www.oaknorton.com/whattodo.cfm

Educating All Parents To Ensure The Future Of Our Republic

GET INVOLVED
What I hear over and over from people in parts of the country when they find my website is that their school district just implemented Investigations math or a program of similar ilk and they describe trying to stop the school board from doing it and asking for my help in what to do. If you're worried about the program the district has chosen or is in process of choosing, ACT FAST. Here's a short and quick list of things you can do:

1) GET EDUCATED. You can't make points without knowing what you're talking about. Two of the best places online to have that happen are www.mathematicallycorrect.com, and www.nychold.com.

2) Speak with your school board member one-on-one. School board members sometimes get convinced by the "math expert" in the district and go down the path because they haven't understood the great harm many of the constructivist programs cause.

3) Find other parents in your area and get them on board with petition signing and campaigns to alert the public what's happening.

4) Go speak at public school board meetings with other parents. Go regularly until you determine you're just being tuned out.

5) Get on your school's PTA or Community Council to help make a difference and have your voice heard regularly.

6) Run for School Board.

7) Call in to local talk shows and discuss the issue to raise greater awareness.

8) Write letters to the editor.

9) Contact the press directly and ask them to write stories to alert the public as to what's happening.

10) Contact local legislators who may be able to pressure the district and schools to re-evaluate the programs being used or else ask them to help look into changing the state standards in such a way to ensure they are clear and world class and well define the CONTENT that should be mastered in schools. Most state standards are very vague. California's are the best. If you can adopt them you'll be ahead of the curve and publishers specifically write for CA so you have a broad choice of decent programs.

11) Find teachers in your schools that believe in traditional math with rigor and get your kids into their classes. Watch your kids homework like a hawk and make respectful comments to their teachers when you are displeased with the homework.

12) See about dual-enrolling your child in school so that you teach math at home and the child goes to school for other subjects. Or just home school with GOOD materials. Saxon math is a great home school program. In Utah, it's also used by 8 of the 10 top scoring private schools. It just works.

13) Look into charter or private schools.

Don't give up. Fighting an entrenched bureacracy is one of the hardest things you can do. Keep your life balanced and don't neglect the other important things in life, but keep after it. It's amazing what can happen if you turn off the TV and spend an hour at night making things happen. It really adds up.

For anyone out there who wants to help be a part of organizing our next step, please contact me . I will let you know how to help.

Remember The National Mathematics Advisory Panel?

2008-12-04T20:04:00.000-08:00

Here is what some of our country's leading newspapers have to say about the way our kids are being taught their math. I find it troubling that it appears this study was not considered when we took our 3rd and 4th graders head long into Investigations without any supplements. Check out these articles published in 2008. The more I read, the more I question WHY and HOW did this happen to our kids. Keep in mind folks, this information comes from our Department of Education THIS YEAR!

So, for those of you who say..."my kid is doing great, the math seems fine to me.."you had better wake up and read what our government is saying today about this method of teaching. These articles each speak to the findings of the DOE's final report.

Report Urges Changes in Teaching Math - New York Times

A solution to how to teach math: Subtract - USATODAY.com

Panel Urges Schools to Emphasize Core Math Skills - washingtonpost.com

Sounds So Familiar....

2008-12-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

I guess there is some comfort in knowing that it is not just us. A great blog site that you must visit is....authored by Laurie Rogers. Their situation is a parallel to our own. They have been engaged in this fight much longer than we have so the insight that she shares is very enlightening. It sounds WAY TOO FAMILIAR. Check out Laurie's site at:
http://betrayed-whyeducationisfailing.blogspot.com/

Her article is as follows:
Thursday, October 30, 2008

Teachers Are Afraid To Speak Out
When I began researching education, the first people I went to for information were the teachers. They’re on the “front lines” of education; who better to enlighten me than the people working in the classrooms?

I discovered that many teachers are afraid to speak frankly to parents. They’re afraid of being disciplined, or even fired for “insubordination.” The ones who spoke with me tended to speak carefully, watching their words – almost as if the walls had ears or as if people were lurking around the corner.

Some teachers agreed to talk with me if we met outside of the classroom. Several told me they’d already been disciplined for talking with parents. One teacher talked with his lawyer before he talked with me. Almost all of them spoke on the condition of absolute anonymity. Three teachers began to talk with me, then decided the risks were too great to continue. Some agreed to give me the gist of their concerns, but they wouldn’t let me take notes or tape the conversation. Some teachers expressed sympathy for my project yet refused to talk about their experiences. A frequent explanation: “I just have a few more years to go to retirement. I can’t afford to get into trouble.”

This is a common theme elsewhere in the state and the country. Bob Dean, chair of the math department for Evergreen High School in Vancouver, WA, told me he’s familiar with the fears.

“When I discovered how reform mathematics was cheating our kids out of a proper education, I instantly became involved in trying to change that fact. I know that many teachers are afraid to speak out. …. I have seen gag orders put on teachers and intimidation used to silence them. Anyone who dares to challenge the latest educational fad is labeled reluctant, out of touch, and a non-team player.”

A Spokane high-school teacher told me he’d been disciplined – including verbal reprimands and a letter in his file – for telling parents he thought the district’s reform mathematics curricula wouldn’t adequately prepare students for college-level mathematics. He said he doesn’t believe administrators want his professional assessment of the system:

“Perhaps the most discouraging observation of the past eight years is that there is no longer a professional discussion of these and other problems regarding high stakes testing and related curriculum issues. Teachers of an ‘old school’ philosophy who are critical of the so called ‘fuzzy math’ and discovery based learning – both of which are used in support of the WASL – are vilified, ostracized and sometimes subject to disciplinary action. Techniques that work, like direct instruction and drill and practice of basic skills, are ridiculed and those that use them are seen as incompetent and ineffective teachers. … Collaboration has become coercion.”

But talking with parents about their child’s academic situation is part of a teacher’s job. When teachers don’t do it freely and forthrightly, children have lost an important ally, and parents have lost an essential element of public Accountability.In February 2008, I interviewed Spokane Superintendent Nancy Stowell. I told her some teachers are worried they’ll receive bad evaluations or be fired for speaking frankly with parents. I added that some teachers believe they’ve been “disciplined” for activity they thought was warranted but that administrators saw as oppositional. This was her response:

“Well, no, it doesn’t surprise me that there are some people who would say that. Certainly, you know, (there is) a wide variety of teachers out there. Some of them very, very successful, and some less successful. And so, you know, people have issues along that continuum. And it’s really the responsibility of principals to work with staff that do have issues along that continuum.“So if a teacher had an issue about either the math curriculum, or what he or she was teaching, or grade level, or any of that, I can understand that a principal would expect that it would be something the teacher and the principal would talk about rather than the teacher kind of going out there. Because it’s the principal who really knows the teacher, and how good the teacher is, and we all want, you know, excellent teachers.”

Dr. Stowell went on to say that “change is difficult,” and some teachers will embrace new ideas while others will be “more resistant.” Sometimes, she said, the problem can be that teachers “are just not wanting to change.” She said if they have good ideas, however, those ideas should be “shared.” She acknowledged that the district could “do a better job” of developing “feedback loops” as a way for teachers to communicate with coordinators.To me, it sounds as though Dr. Stowell might be saying that teachers who intend to give parents their honest professional assessment of their child’s academic situation – including comments that could indicate weaknesses in the curricula, school policy or administration – might actually:
** have other issues,
** not be "successful" teachers anyway, or
**just be resistant to change.
Parents, please be aware that – although teachers generally do their best every day in the classroom – many have concerns about being absolutely frank with parents.
Caveat emptor.
The best way to know how things are is to look at what your children know versus what they should know at their age. Have them professionally tested and assessed by people outside of the district. Speak with people who know which skills are required for the future your children envision for themselves. Take steps to fill in the gaps.Don’t wait until your children are in Grade 12 or applying for college. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. At some point - sooner than you think - it will be too late.

Please note:

The information in this post is copyrighted. The proper citation is: Rogers, L. (October, 2008). "Teachers are afraid to speak out." Retrieved December 2, 2008 from the Betrayed Web site: http://betrayed-whyeducationisfailing.blogspot.com/

I can tell you from first hand conversations with our own teachers that the majority of our teachers when questioned...act/feel the same way as the teachers mentioned above. It is time our teachers got their voices back. We need to make sure that our teachers are really allowed to teach again. If nothing else I guess it is good to know that you are not alone Camdenton, teachers, it is happening all over our nation. It doesn't make it right. Therefore, it is time that we not lose any more great teachers and we, the public, expect accountability for our children and our teachers. We must make our voices heard.

In Case You Wondered....

2008-12-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

This post is to set a few things straight for those of you who don't know me. I am a mom. I have three great kids who are 5th grade, 3rd grade, and a pre-k. I am married to a elementary school teacher in the Camdenton School District. Yep, that is right. My husband is a teacher in Dogwood and Hawthorn Elementary Schools. So, for any of you who have guessed that making trouble for the school is just a recently acquired hobby that I enjoy, you are wrong. (My husband loves his job, and like so many other teachers is called to do what he does. He truly has a heart for children. Anyone who knows him will agree.) My father-in-law, my mother-in-law, and my brother-in-law...all teachers/administrators in the Camdenton School District. We are Lakers through and through. My husband is a PROUD Camdenton Graduate. He went to Camdenton all of his school-aged life.

I say all of that to say...When I stood up and pointed out that I thought there was a problem, I did not realize that anyone else felt the same way I did when all of this began a few weeks ago. It was not an easy decision to question my husband's employer. However, since then I have received phone calls from strangers who have shared their stories of frustration with me. I have cried with you in the aisles of Wal-Mart as you have confided in me your heartache. I have been floored to find out that some of my best friends were suffering from the same woes scholastically that my children have faced. I had no idea that there were so many of us. It is not all about the math. I know that. A LOT of you have told me about how hopeless you feel about the reading....and I feel your pain. I know exactly how you feel. I have been overwhelmed with how many of us are in the same boat. I am humbled that my message resonated with so many of you. I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with those of you all expecting accountability and some answers alongside me.

Being that my husband is a teacher, and my mother and father-in-laws have dedicated their working lives to this district I have many, many friends in Camdenton who are teachers. Some of our best friends are teachers. So...for those of you who question my relationships with the teachers and are so offended that the teachers confide their concerns and frustrations in me, realize that they are not only lifelong friends of my family but, I am related to some of them. I actually share my bed with one of them. Having my husband work in Dogwood and Hawthorn Elementary Schools...he cannot help but be immersed in the goings-on of those buildings. I know what is going on because he knows what is going on.

Several times it has been said that I went about this the "wrong way". My response is pretty simple...What is the right way? When you see your children struggling, and there appears to be no answers...what is the right way? Did I ever wish to be in this position? Of course not. Did I ever dream that so many others shared my same frustrations? Never. Is it much fun asking the hard questions to your husband's employer? What do you think? Not fun at all. But, is it necessary? ABSOLUTELY! It is for the well being of my children and yours. There are questions to be answered. There are gaps that need to be filled. There are things that need to be changed. In my opinion this whole issue could turn out to be a good thing for everyone.

For those of you who have posted comments on how we are setting a bad example for our children...I could not disagree more. Some of us tell our kids that "just because everyone else is jumping off of the cliff doesn't mean you should, too." Some of us believe that we do not go along with something that we do not believe is right just because everyone else is. (We call that peer pressure.) Some of us believe that to fight for something with passion because you believe it is the right thing is admirable....not condemnable. We want for our kids to see our request for a diplomatic solution, but our willingness to stand up for what is right even though it may make some uncomfortable. Some of us want for our children to learn to seek the truth even though some may not like it. As I have said before, some of us are unapologetic advocates for our kids and we believe that to stand for our convictions and to stand for truth is one of the best lessons we can teach our children.

As parents this has made some of us more connected and interested in what our kids are learning. I know personally, I will be a more active participant in their educations from this point forward. I will never assume that someone else has their best interest at heart. I will make sure from now on. As administrators we hope that they can step up and recognize, through some humility, that maybe this was not the best road to take us down. We can work together to find the best solution for all children based on sound research and the knowledge gained from surrounding school districts.

I feel that we are lucky to be a part of the Camdenton School District. No school district is without its troubles. That is a given. However, I believe that our Superintendent and School Board want what is best for our children. I believe that they are all tirelessly researching and looking for what they believe to be the best answer for your kids and mine. With that being said....I am postponing the next forum/chili supper until we hear from our school board. There will not be a petition drive until we see what direction they plan to go. Let's wait and see...let's wait and see for one more week. Attend the school board meeting on Monday with me, and let's hear what they have to say.

After speaking with many of you over the last few days, I think we all share the same hope that they (our administration) have heard us and are looking for the balance that we desire for our students and our teachers. We will see. Again, I thank you for all of the support. For the kind emails...for the phone calls...for the hugs and handshakes in the grocery store....I am proud to be in this with all of you. I know that, in the end, this can turn out to be such a positive for EVERYONE involved. For now, let's hang in there and see what our administration offers before we take our next step. I will keep you posted on that progress...daily.

CORRECTION!

2008-11-30T17:02:00.000-08:00

The school board meeting is NOT tomorrow....It is always the second Monday of the month. The school board meeting will be next Monday, December 8th at 5:30 pm. So, if you are talking to someone tomorrow who is planning on being at the school board meeting tomorrow, will you please let them know that I got it wrong and I am so sorry. I will see you in a week! Also, look for more details on the next forum/chili supper later in the week. It will be a power point presentation for all of you looking to make sense of what is going on. We will also be starting a petition drive at that time. Stay posted for the details. Thanks again for all of the overwhelming support!

To Supplement Or Not To Supplement. That Is Now The Question.

2008-11-26T21:54:00.000-08:00

In talking to several teachers at Camdenton over the past few days, I am pretty sure that it is safe to say it has been an interesting few days...especially those teachers in Hawthorn Elementary School. That is where the biggest part of this battle with our "New Math" started for those of you who are just now joining this discussion. I will refresh...

It was only four short weeks ago that it was brought to my attention that my third grader would be doing TERC math. I had NO idea what that was. I only knew that 1.) He had no text book 2.) My husband and I had no idea how to help him do his math most nights he brought homework home 3.) I just kept waiting for him to get passed all the "crazy stuff" and get back to the basics as we knew them. Little did I know that was not part of the plan.

So, I started to research. For the most part you all know the rest of that story. Thus, the reason we are here today. As a result, I was informed last week that the teachers in Hawthorn are now supposed to supplement. This is a little confusing to most of them because they were told in no uncertain terms on more than one occasion they were absolutely NOT TO SUPPLEMENT! In fact, the Scott Forseman text that they had been using was confiscated, along with all of their resource guides and sold last year in order to ensure that the curriculum would be kept pure. Whatever that means. I am not sure.

Anyway....last week all teachers were handed a memo that read:
11/20/08
1. Provide practice activities for the students on basic skills, fluency, and basic facts.
2. Provide homework for the students on basic skills, fluency, and basic facts.
3. Send family letter prior to each section of the book with explanation, if necessary of what is being covered in each section.
4. Provide monthly parent math nights.
5. Teach the standard algorithms, but make sure students can solve problem using multiple strategies.
6. Send student handbook home if parents and students need additional reinforcement with a concept.

The memo goes on to say..."There will be glitches and questions along the way, but we can work together and use common sense to create the right balance for our students."

So I ask these questions in response to this memo:
1. Define supplement.

2. Define basics.

3. What tools are you giving your teachers to supplement with? Is there any continuity in what they are using, or is it just hit and miss? Is there a certain book they are all working from uniformly? How are you helping them in implementing our supplements effectively at the administrative level? ( Do you realize that most teachers will tell you that it is impossible to "supplement" effectively with this particular curriculum (TERC) because of the way it constantly "spirals" without mastery or closure of any subject?) Has anyone ever asked the teachers HOW to supplement this properly? Most all of them will tell you the same thing...it is easy to teach the basics and supplement with TERC, but much harder to teach TERC as our core and attempt to supplement. Do you understand why?

4. When you say to provide homework on basic skills does that mean so we, the parents, can teach our kids at home those "basic skills" or can we expect you to do that at school? So will we be just practicing those skills at home or will we be teaching those ourselves? Or are you just sending us home "basic concepts" to keep us off of your back for now?

5. Define glitches.

6. Define common sense.

7. Why do the parents need to be taught how to teach their kids the math? Why are we reinventing the wheel? What if we have other commitments and can't make the monthly math night? Who will teach our kids then if we miss our lesson on how to teach them their math the "right way"?

8. What if my kid gets sick and misses a week of school. Being that there is not a book for me to refresh myself on what he has been learning so I can help him at home, and if I cannot make it to your "Math Night" how can you guarantee that he will get caught back up? Will you personally see to it that he/she gets all caught up since I won't be able to at home? Or is all lost until we "spiral "back to him in a couple of months?

9. Do you think it is troubling that Eldon just bought the exact kind of books that we just sold since they believed that the TERC "investigations" was not meeting their GLEs? Aren't their GLEs the same as ours? Being that they have used Investigations longer than we have and they came to this conclusion through experience, is anyone a little worried by this?

10. Do you think we should worry a little since our model school of Raymore Peculiar dropped the Investigations from all of their elementary schools? Do you think it is troubling that they dropped it in large part since their junior high school math teachers felt the students were coming grossly unprepared mathematically to junior high school?

11. What do you think of the National Math Advisory Panel's findings in 2008? Have you even seen that? Did you know about that when we decided to jump into this curriculum feet first? Do you believe that our Department of Education at the federal level is right or wrong in their most recent findings on how to teach math the right way? Why or why not?

12. Did it not worry anyone that Columbia Public Schools (the school who trained us) dropped this math due to several years of falling test scores? Did you do any research on what those scores looked like, or did you just write it off as "political" since someone told you that is why it was dropped?

I could go on and on, but I doubt I get anyone to answer any of these questions. I think they are valid and I know that I speak for the majority of us when I ask. I feel more strongly now than ever that we need a change and we need it fast. We do not want for any more damage to be done. And IF you are not willing to change it overall, then you need to offer a choice of either Basic Math or TERC for those of us who feel passionately about the way our kids are taught.

This is not what I want for my child. I know that I am not alone in this belief. This is a controversial enough way of teaching that has never been proven (according to our Department of Education of the federal level) to work. There should have been full disclosure before you took our kids down this path without our consent. We should have known before the first of the year where we were going. Why have you never blown us away with all of the overwhelming data as to how wonderful this is and how many places it has worked in? Why can I not find any studies that prove overwhelmingly (after 20 years of use in our country) that our Department of Education embraces how successful this way of teaching has been?

Why are all of the schools who were using it, NOT anymore? I know the answer. Because there is no hard evidence consistently. At a minimum, I want a choice for my child. I don't want to go down this road of trial and error with you. I do not want for my child to be "research" any longer. I am a taxpayer and a parent. My opinion should count. Please show us that you are listening. I will be at the school board meeting the Monday following our Thanksgiving break to ask these questions in person. It is scheduled to be at the administration building at 5:30 pm. Hope to see you there.

WOW! Take a look at what the 2008 NATIONAL MATHEMATICS ADVISORY PANEL HAS TO SAY ABOUT OUR NEW MATH!

2008-11-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

Bear with me...this is a long post, but so worth the reading. Take a break and come back to it later, but you have to know what is going on in our school and know what our Department of Education in our FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN 2008 is saying about what our kids are being taught right now!

I may have been banned from my computer for the past couple of days...but, a friend handed me a bound copy of The National Mathematics Advisory Panel's report called Foundations for Success. I was thrilled. Jeff, not so much. He made me promise to take a break from the computer, but I never promised to stop reading. So... I can tell you that every bit of this report only CONFIRMED WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW!!!
What this report is...In April of 2006 the President of The United States created a National Mathematics Advisory Panel with the "responsibilities of relying upon the best available scientific evidence and recommending ways to foster greater knowledge of and improved performance in mathematics among American students.

Over a period of 20 months, the Panel received public testimony as a committee of the whole but worked largely in task groups and subcommittees dedicated to major components of the presidential charge. The Panel took consistent note of the President's emphasis on "the best available scientific evidence" and set a high bar for admitting research results into consideration.

In all, the Panel reviewed more than 16,000 research publications and policy reports and received public testimony from 110 individuals, of whom 69 appeared before the Panel on their own and 41 others invited on the basis of expertise to cover commentary from 160 organizations and individuals, and analyzed survey results from 743 active teachers of algebra.

KEEP IN MIND THE FINDINGS OF THIS REPORT CAME FROM OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AS A COMMISSION FROM OUR PRESIDENT! THIS REPORT IS A CURRENT REPORT THAT CAME FROM OUR DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. ALSO, REMEMBER THIS REPORT IS BRAND NEW...JUST OUT IN 2008. SO, ANY OF YOU WHO MIGHT SAY..."YOUR ARGUMENT IS OLD"...I DON'T THINK SO.

Let me just give you a little sampling...
**And I quote..."The essence of the Panel's message is to put first things first." (Sound familiar to any of you Camdenton parents...haven't we all been saying the same thing?)

**And I quote..."Use should be made of what is clearly known from rigorous research about how children learn, especially by recognizing a) the advantages for children having a strong start; b)the mutually reinforcing benefits of conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and automatic (i.e., quick and effortless) recall of facts. (I think that is what we call "Rote Memorization"...is it not?)

**NAEP and state assessments should be improved in quality and should carry increased emphasis on the most critical knowledge and skills leading to Algebra. (I think we would all agree on this to be true. However, what the National Panel really does drive home is just how detrimental this kind of math is to learning higher level mathematics like Algebra...please, read the link below to find out more about the HUGE concerns with reference to Algebra.)

**And I quote..."A focused, coherent progression of mathematics learning, with an emphasis on proficiency with key topics should become the norm in elementary and middle school mathematics curricula. Any approach that continually revisits topics year after year without closure is to be avoided." (This is what is called "spiraling" in our fuzzy math curricula....I will say what the Department of Education just said again...IS TO BE AVOIDED!)

They go on to define...And I quote..."By the term focused, the Panel means that curriculum must include (and engage with adequate depth) the most important topics underlying success in school algebra. By the term coherent, the Panel means that the curriculum is marked by effective, logical progressions from earlier, less sophisticated topics into later more sophisticated ones. ( I am pretty sure this means that you must learn to master how to add before you can master how to subtract. And once you master those things you move on to multiplication and master that before you head into division.)

And I quote..."By the term proficiency, the Panel means that students should understand key concepts, achieve automaticity as appropriate (e.g. with addition and related subtraction facts), develop flexible, accurate (KEY WORD FOR YOU AND ME ), and automatic execution of the standard algorithms, and use of these competencies to solve problems. (I probably don't even need to go any further...I do love the idea of automatic, which to me means the dreaded rote memorization skills AGAIN, and the idea of accuracy...need I say more?)

*PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, READ...http://www.wgquirk.com/TERC2008.html#HowTERC. For those of you who say...well my child is doing fine. Understand what you are saying exactly. You must read the article above and then decide if this is the route you want for your child to take in the ever-so-critical and most formative learning years. You must read this. My daughter and son are both doing "fine" too but, I want for them to go to college. I want for them to be able to be a nurse or a doctor, or an engineer if that is what they want to do. I do not want for their career choices to be limited because they were not offered a strong foundation in the most important formative years of their education. The National Mathematics Advisory Panel speaks directly to TERC (Investigations...which is what your 3rd-6th graders at Camdenton are doing) and speaks to how that curriculum is a detriment to higher level mathematics because it leaves those students without a foundation. In other words..."fuzzy math" does not put first things first. Please educate yourselves so that you may educate others. REMEMBER: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! WE WILL FIGHT THIS GOOD FIGHT, SHOULDER TO SHOULDER FOR OUR CHILDREN. THEY DO NOT GET A SECOND CHANCE AT THEIR CHILDHOODS. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. THIS NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED BEFORE ANY MORE DAMAGE IS DONE SOONER THAN LATER!

FOR YOUR VERY OWN COPY EMAIL YOUR REQUEST TO : edpubs@inet.ed.gov
or call TOLL FREE 1-877-433-7827 or 1-800-872-5327 (1-800-USA-LEARN)
If you call The United States Department of Education they will send you a copy, too. For FREE!!!

Progress

2008-11-22T04:49:00.000-08:00

I had a very nice conversation with Dr. Overlander yesterday morning. I continually am impressed with how diplomatic he has been through this whole experience. He wants to hear from his parents and I am convinced that he cares. We are so lucky to have a top administrator who will listen....really listen. Our administration is trying to take steps now to "remedy" our concerns. Last week the teachers had "math meetings" in order to introduce supplements to our 3rd and 4th graders in particular. I think they are trying to define those words "basics" and "supplements" in order for all to be on the same page. So...we are making steps in the right direction. Thank you Dr. Overlander.

Now, we need to hear from parents and teachers with reference to "is this enough?" What will satisfy you? I will say this...I believe from endless hours of research and talking to teachers whom I trust and admire that there are good points to Investigations and Everyday Math (and without a doubt they are necessary components of the MAP tests whether we like it or not). I have said that from the beginning. There are good elements in the curriculum, however, I do not believe those should be our core. I believe in balance. I believe that the Scott Foresman had a terrific Balance (PLEASE TRY TO GET ONLINE AND CHECK THOSE BOOKS OUT OR TRY TO GET A COPY TO LOOK AT) of both traditional math practice and the Investigations component to satisfy all. I believe to call the Investigations our core and continue to handcuff teachers to the spiraling method of teaching without mastery is dangerous. I believe that if all of the schools that I have been talking to have dropped Investigations (especially our model schools Raymore Peculiar and Columbia) we should sit up and take note of that. I also have to believe that if the teachers and administrators in Eldon had concerns that the Investigations was not meeting their GLEs (grade level expectations) then how could it possibly be meeting ours? I must take into consideration what all of the many, many experts across our nation have said and realize that California and Texas do not allow these curricula in their states. The more I research the more I have to say, we should approach this with careful thought and decide what we think is best for our children. Let me hear from you.

(Notice: My husband is cutting me off from the computer for the next two days. This will be the last post for me until Tuesday. I will not be able to moderate and post your comments until then. Please go ahead and comment, just don't look for them to hit until Tuesday. I will get to all of them then.) He is making me take a break from math curriculum for a couple of days so I can get caught up on the laundry.:)

(Note #2: I will let you know when and where our parent/community forum will be held. I will be doing the power point presentation again for those of you who are asking and did not get to see it. That presentation will educate you and show you what our kids are learning. It will explain in great detail what this is and why you should be worried. We will also make it a chili supper with child care so as many people as possible can make it. We will try to keep it as brief yet informative as possible. I will keep you posted. )

Joplin

2008-11-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

I talked to the curriculum advisor at Joplin Public Schools this morning. I learned that of the 13 elementary schools in Joplin (k-5), 10 use a very traditional math approach called "Math 05"from the Houghton Mifflin Publishers. They do not use Investigations or Everyday Math at all in any of their schools. They are piloting a math curriculum and have been for the last 3 years in 3 of their 13 schools called "Math Expressions" from the Houghton Mifflin Publishers. It is almost identical to Scott Foresman (the old textbook that we got rid of last year). They DO NOT use Investigations or Everyday Math in any of their schools.

PLEASE LET EVERYONE KNOW THESE FACTS:

2008-11-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

Today I am frustrated. I have been researching by calling all of these schools who some of our administrators and teachers have been name dropping as "successes" in our area with this math that we are now using. I am confused.... Let's go through them school by school:

Ozark: Not using Investigations AT ALL. Currently looking for a new math curriculum.

Nixa: Does use Investigations, but supplements with any and everything they need to make sure their kids are "getting their math basics".

Rolla: k-4 Does not use Investigations AT ALL.

Eldon: Does use Investigations, but just purchased Scott Foresman to supplement because they did not believe the Investigations was meeting their GLEs.

Raymore Peculiar: A school that we have tried to emulate. (Teachers, you especially know what I am talking about.) Elementary Schools. ** Eagle Glenn (Intermediate Grades 5-6)
Does NOT use Investigations...AT ALL.
Using Scott Foresman, "Envisions "(Principal said that due to parents complaining and, more importantly, the junior high school teachers complaints that the children were reaching junior high school totally mathematically unprepared, they dropped and have returned to a more traditional approach.)
** Timbercreek (Ray Pec) Elementary (Grades k-4)
Dropped it and are NOT USING IT AT ALL!

People, let these messages speak loud and clear. If it is so wonderful then why have all of these schools who were supposed to be thriving with this curriculum all dropped it or are now supplementing?
Remember Columbia, too, dropped it!!!

If it is not good enough for any of them why is it good enough for us?
We want for our kids to learn real math. We want a traditional math curriculum back by the first of the year. We do not want the existing curriculum to be our core! It may be a fine supplement, BUT NOT OUR CORE! We want to see traditional math back ASAP, K-6 sooner than later before any more damage is done. We will have petitions online soon, and will let you know the details of our parent/community chili supper forum just as soon as we nail down a location.

What Do The Experts Say?

2008-11-18T18:09:00.000-08:00

“What you will not find is an ‘A’ student in college math who went through any school using only these reform math programs … without some sort of intervention. The reason I can say this with such confidence is that there is too much content missing from these programs, content that is essential for college level mathematics.”
W. Stephen Wilson
Professor of Mathematics
Johns Hopkins University

“At the elementary level, I advise against ‘Everyday Mathematics’.

At the middle school level, I advise against ‘Connected Mathematics,’ known as CMP.

Students who follow these programs, unless they have outside tutoring, will not be prepared for high school mathematics. In my experience with districts afflicted with these programs, affluent parents have sent their children to private schools or hired tutors, while the less privileged, even if they ‘succeeded’ in these programs, were forever cut off from any further progress in mathematics or scientific professional education. Once finished with ‘CMP,’ remediation becomes impossibly difficult except by private tutoring.”
Ralph A. Raimi
Professor of Mathematics
University of Rochester

“Everyday Mathematics requires massive fixes at the most basic level. The program does not teach the standard procedures at all for subtraction and division, and offers a hopelessly confusing potpourri of methods for all the four elementary operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). The program has pedagogical features (notably, rapidly jumping around over different topics without staying focused long enough for pupils to achieve mastery) that appear to make it all but unworkable as intended.”
Bastian Braams
Visiting Professor of Math
Emory University

[W]hat troubles me most is the fundamental philosophical flaw in EDM: It ignores the core beauty and power of mathematics, viz., that it is an edifice constructed out of pure reason, all of whose inferences and deductions flow logically and unarguably from more basic facts. EDM asks the students to flit willy-nilly from room to room or even floor to floor in this structure, without ever exposing them to the skeleton, the underlying architecture…..

The basic premise of EDM, so much so that it is part of its name, that math should be valued or appreciated only insofar as it can be applied to ‘everyday things,’ is worse than misguided, it is a lie promulgated by people who, quite frankly, don’t understand the first thing about mathematics.”
Anthony Falcone, Ph.D
Theoretical Mathematician (Ph.D UCLA)
Former Adjunct Assistant Professor, UCLA

“[Reform math] has the potential to change completely the undergraduate mathematics curriculum and to throttle the normal process of producing a competent corps of scientists, engineers and mathematicians. In some institutions this potential is already a reality.”
Hung Hsi-Wu
Professor of Mathematics
University of California, Berkeley

“Overall, [Connected Mathematics Program] seems to be very incomplete, and I would judge that it is aimed at underachieving students rather than normal or higher achieving students…. The philosophy used throughout the program is that students should entirely construct their own knowledge and that calculators are to always be available for calculation.”
James Milgram
Professor of Mathematics
Stanford University

“[S]tudents whose K-8 mathematics programs de-emphasize or eliminate traditional algorithmic approaches will be effectively denied access to [formal and abstract mathematical competency], or indeed to any high school program designed to prepare them for rigorous college mathematics.”
Stanley Ocken
Professor of Mathematics
The City College of the City University of New York

Whatever happened to practice???

2008-11-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

Let's see...write a "story" about 352-168? 2 whopping "practice problems". Where are the numbers?
This is the Investigations for third grade our kids are doing now.
This is what our kids are using for practice right now.

Notice from the old book, there are still 2 problems that ask for a written explanation, however, there is BALANCE!!!!! There is practice...there are word problems...THERE ARE NUMBERS!!!
This sheet is taken from the exact books that we got rid of...this is what the practice page for third graders LOOKED like.
Also NOTE: Our kids had text books then so we the parents knew what was going on and HOW to help....they could bring home a cd to do extra practice and play math games on the computer if they needed extra help with our old textbooks ...NONE OF THAT IS AVAILABLE NOW WITH THIS NEW CURRICULUM. (I am specifically referring to 3rd and 4th grade where the teachers were told NOT to supplement with anything other than Investigations, and every teacher in those grade levels had their old textbooks and all of their old reference guides taken from them.)
Which would you rather your kid be doing?
I know my kids would probably opt for the easy route...that is why many people say that their kids are "liking" the new math. But, is it really teaching them anything? If the old saying "practice makes perfect" rings true....our kids are in real trouble. Just thought you might find it interesting that we learned that our neighbors in Eldon who are using Investigations math just purchased the exact same kind of books that we got rid of last year to SUPPLEMENT with because their kids needed more solid content. They did not believe Investigations was meeting their GLEs (grade level expectations). WOW!

For all of those who showed up at the forum...thank you! For all of the calls today asking how to help, we are planning our next "forum" for parents and the community. I will keep you posted. We are planning a chili supper with child care to be held in 2 weeks. This way you can grab a bite to eat after work. We will keep it as brief, yet as informative as possible. Once again, thank you for all of the support! This will probably take place the week after Thanksgiving. Stay posted for the details and tell your friends.

This one is funny...

2008-11-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

Check out this site: www.weaponsofmathdestruction.com it promises to give you a smile in the midst of your daily frustration with math. A reader sent this one over this morning. I enjoyed it so I thought I would share.

CHILDCARE AT THE FORUM

2008-11-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

Good News and a BIG thank you to Dr. Overlander and Mr. Shockley for arranging supervision and childcare in the library on Monday, November 17 at 6:30 pm, during the forum. There will be videos, games , and supervision! Look forward to seeing you there! ( Remember we will be meeting in the lunchroom at Hawthorn.)

Some Things To Think About....

2008-11-13T05:40:00.000-08:00

I had a long conversation last night with a math teacher from Columbia (where TERC Math and Everyday Math was just dropped in grades k-8 due to years of bad test scores). She is a passionate educator who loves her students and, like so many of our teachers, is called to do what she does. When discussing this new math we are looking at, she brought up several thoughts that she, as a junior high school teacher, noticed with the curriculum.
***First: She did point out that there is some good in some of the concepts. This is a truth that many teachers will agree on. There are some good points that come from this math that do allow children to see a problem with a different set of eyes now and then. However, she is a firm believer that it should never be allowed as the core curriculum with no supplementation (as is being done in Hawthorn). She is a believer that every child learns differently and to offer this program as a "one size fits all" approach will only yield disastrous consequences.

***Due to the fact there are no textbooks, and very little way that we the parents can help our children any more if they are going to get the answers counted right (because remember, it is more about the process at this point than the answer itself), if a child misses a few days of school there is no way that the parent can help their child get caught up. The child and the teacher have to be absolutely devoted to making sure that student "gets it" or everything they missed will be lost to them and it is very hard for them to get caught back up if at all.

***READING, READING, READING...For those of you who have talked to me personally or were at the school board meeting you know that I am going to harp on the reading. As so many of our teachers put it "Our reading is in CRISIS". They are right!! The statistics will alarm you. Our reading scores have been on a downward spiral for the past 5 years and well over 100 students in Hawthorn are reading 1-2 grade levels below the national average. You may ask "So, what does the reading have to do with math?" Well...EVERYTHING!!! With this math curriculum you may have noticed that our children deal very little with numbers and very much with word problems and writing their answers in sentence form. WHERE ARE THE NUMBERS???? Therefore, if your child has difficulty reading, this new math will not be their friend! As the math teacher from Columbia put it; "It is sad, because if your child maybe is not a great reader, if letters are not his/her thing, maybe numbers are. However, with this program it is almost impossible to know that because if they have trouble reading it is almost a guarantee that they will have trouble with math, too."

I will talk about all of these things and much, much more at the forum. Please show up! Again, DO NOT BE APATHETIC ABOUT YOUR CHILD"S EDUCATION. BE AN INFORMED PARENT!
I do not want for my child or yours to be an experiment. I do not want for our administration to have to see bad scores for several years in a row to realize they have made a mistake. That won't help my child then, he/she will have already lost these very important formative years. If you share these same concerns be at the forum. You need to hear what is going on.

Watch This Video.....

2008-11-13T05:31:00.000-08:00

If you are a visual learner and are still wondering exactly what this program is all about, then watch this video someone posted on this site.

I found a great YouTube Video from Washington explaining the problems with EveryDay Math and Investigations. Please watch this video http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZIWow it really opened my eyes as to what this program is really about.

NEW FORUM LOCATION

2008-11-12T13:56:00.000-08:00

I just talked to Dr. Overlander and the forum has been MOVED!!! We will be meeting on the same time on Monday, November 17 th, 6:30 pm, now in the lunchroom at Hawthorn. Please let everyone know that it has been changed. I asked for him to make the gym available for the children who will have no other option than to attend with their parents, and he told me he would work on that. So...I can't promise that there will be childcare for the very young children, but the school age children should either be able to play in the gym or be able to hang out in the library. I will let you know! Looking forward to seeing you there!

FORUM LOCATION

2008-11-11T05:11:00.000-08:00

The location of the forum has been set. We will meet in the little theater at the junior high school. This be on Monday, November 17 at 6:30 pm. We will try to conduct it similar to a town hall meeting. DO NOT BE APATHETIC ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S EDUCATION!!!! SHOW UP! The school board and your administrators will be there to hear your voice. They want to hear from you. It will also be a place to listen. To listen to why we are trying this new way of math. To hear the data from those who decided to take us in this direction and hear a couple of teachers explain how they are teaching it. I will also be speaking as an opponent. (That, I am sure, is no big surprise to most of you.) However, we need to hear from you. You are the MOST IMPORTANT piece to the puzzle.
The school board meeting was last night. I was only given 5 minutes to present my argument to our school board members. (I did run a little long). The teachers presenting were given unlimited time to present their argument to our board. However, the forum will be my venue to present our full argument to the board. Let them hear from all of us that day...we will have all the time we need to speak and be heard. To those of you who came to support our position, thank you! Look forward to seeing you all at our Forum.

(FYI: For those of you who have asked the question...I did call the administration office approximately one week ahead of time and asked to be put on the agenda for the school board meeting. I was told at that time I would be able to make public comment. I did not realize I would only have five minutes to plead our case at that time. It was only when I got up to talk that I was told I had five minutes.)

I Love this comment from one of our own parents...

2008-11-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

I had to share. To whomever spoke these words.... THANK YOU. You understand and have summed up in your brief, but so eloquent, comment why we must revisit the current math curricula in our school. You are so right!

Anonymous said...
While reading this information about why traditional elementary math must be discarded I can't help to think about all of the awesome programs at Camdenton Schools and compare. We have one of the best football programs in the state. Our players memorize many plays and procedures. I see them practice in 100 degree weather before school even starts because the coaches know that practice is essential. Our marching band is amazing! It always impresses me when I watch them not only march in step together, but play music beautifully. This comes from hours of practice. Again, the director knows the importance of practice and memorization. Our choirs, even at the elementary level, are outstanding. They practice and memorize the words and actions to the songs. I could go on and on. The factor that all of our District's excellent programs have in common is practice and memorization. I hope we will choose to put these factors back into our math program. Camdenton has a tradition of excellence. I hope we don't break that tradition.Thank you again.

Some Facts About Our New Math Curriculum

2008-11-08T15:14:00.000-08:00

Some interesting facts that we all need to know:

A FEW FACTS ABOUT INVESTIGATIONS MATH:
1) TERC removes teaching the times tables to children.
2) No valid math study has ever been performed showing the
effectiveness of Investigations Math.
3) California and Michigan implemented programs identical to
TERC and forced enrollment in college freshmen remedial math
classes more than doubled over just a few years.
4) "Children tend not to learn what they are not taught." Dr.
Ralph Raimi (wrote article comparing TERC to Singapore Math)
TERC doesn't teach, it lets children do “discovery learning.”
5) Hundreds of university leading math professors and Nobel
Laureates condemn Investigations Math.
6) TERC recommends a text for teachers called "Beyond
Arithmetic". In this book it says traditional elementary math
must be discarded because:
• Was "developed to meet the needs of the 19th century."
BA, Page 2
• Requires that students "memorize many facts,
procedures, definitions, and formulas." BA, Page 2
• "Focuses on learning a particular set of procedures for
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of
whole numbers, fractions, and decimals." BA, Page 2
• Results in "over practiced students." BA, Page 3
• Ignores the fact that "today's students have an important
tool available to them: the calculator." BA, Page 77

My question is with reference to #6, and why TERC asserts that we need to discard traditional elementary math (above noted in red) from our schools.....I don't know about you, but how are those things bad? (except for the part about the calculator). One of my favorite elementary school teachers emailed this to me. We laughed about how ludicrous this was and I decided to share it with all of you.

Progress Report

2008-11-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

I am so pleased to tell you that Dr. Overlander and I met for about 4 hours this afternoon. We are so very fortunate to have a top administrator who really does care. He listened to me as a mom voice all of my concerns for my children and the multitudes of you who have shared your same stories of frustration with me. He heard from many of us today through our meeting. He wanted for me to express to ANY parent that had concerns or questions that he has an open door. He invites calls or emails, and sincerely wants to hear from the parents. He is a good man, and beyond a shadow of the doubt wants to do what is right by our children. He went above and beyond today to hear our concerns and I believe he is committed to making our school the very best it can be.

We are working together to make sure the forum is what you the parents want it to be. So, I ask you...what is it that we are looking to accomplish? Do we want a town hall meeting? Do we want to hear an argument for and one against the new math? Have you had enough of the against argument through this site and want to hear their case now? Do you want to just speak your mind? For me, I want to hear other parents concerns. I want to hear their stories of either successes or failures and learn where the parents want to see this go. I would like to hear how the decision was made and why, to take this math that we had been using as a supplement to our core. I want to know why our 3rd and 4th grades were instructed not to supplement. I want to know why is this curricula good for us, and not good for our neighbors in Columbia who trained us in this new math. I want to know what the elementary school teachers really want. I also want to know that if the majority speaks and we decide, collectively, that this must be changed sooner than later.....how soon can we expect to see that happen? Please let us know so we can decide how to set this forum up and accomplish what we all hope that it will be. We want as many people as possible walking away feeling like they got what they came for. Post a comment and share your thoughts. Our superintendent WANTS to work with us. He wants to meet us where we are and really listen. Please remember that we all want what is best for our kids. We have to work together in achieving those results sooner than later.

TERC Considered An Experiment By The National Research Council

2008-11-07T03:55:00.000-08:00

I found these facts to be alarming. I believe that even one year potentially lost to a "trial and error" approach to a math curriculum can potentially put my child at an irreversible deficit in the future. I don't want to lose his/her very formative elementary school years just to learn through test scores in 5-6 years that maybe this curricula change wasn't such a good idea after all. That is what happened to our neighbors in Columbia Public Schools. I do think Investigations and Everyday Math have great supplemental potential to reach that fringe 25% who need a alternative angle to look at different math techniques and provoke a new way to look at a problem. However, with these being such crucial learning years should this be our core curriculum?

For those of you who ask..."Who is the National Research Council":
It is a branch of the National Academies, private nonprofit institutions which has as a goal to further knowledge and advise the federal government.

http://www.theridgewoodblog.blogspot.com/
TERC considered an experiment by the National Research Council
We've been experimented on. The National Research Council concluded that 13 NSF reform math texts in use "essentially have been experiments" (On Evaluating Curricular Effectiveness: p.188). These NSF texts include EverydayMath and TERC Investigations in Number, Data, & Space. The NRC evaluated a total of nineteen curricula and published a book that can be purchased on Amazon.com: On Evaluating Curricular Effectiveness: Judging Quality Of K-12 Mathematics Evaluations, or read painfully online.In the book's conclusion the NRC explains that to first find out if a major investment in an approach is successful and worthwhile is responsible policy. The NRC further notes that the experiment was a success in that it sparked a national debate. Is your child part of this experiment? Do you mind that the measure of success of your little experiment is the sparking of a national debate? What about your kid?The conclusion states: "These 19 curricular projects essentially have been experiments. We owe them a careful reading on their effectiveness. "Demands for evaluation may be cast as a sign of failure, but we would rather stress that this examination is a sign of the success of these programs to engage a country in a scholarly debate on the question of curricular effectiveness and the essential underlying question, What is most important for our youth to learn in their studies in mathematics? "To summarily blame national decline on a set of curricula whose use has a limited market share lacks credibility. "At the same time, to find out if a major investment in an approach is successful and worthwhile is a prime example of responsible policy.In experimentation, success and worthiness are two different measures of experimental value. An experiment can fail and yet be worthy. "The experiments that probably should not be run are those in which it is either impossible to determine if the experiment has failed or it is ensured at the start, by design, that the experiment will succeed. The contribution of the committee is intended to help us ascertain these distinctive outcomes." Do you want your child to be in the experiment? If not, say so. The experiments will continue for as long as parents are willing to put up with it. View the NRC report.

School Board Meeting

2008-11-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

I will be addressing the school board on Monday night during the public comment portion of the meeting. For those of you who have any interest in attending that will be on Monday, November 10 at 5:30 pm. It will be held at the Osage Beach Elementary library. This will not be a forum, simply an opportunity to inform the board of our concerns.

Forum Time and Date Set

2008-11-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

A forum time and date has been set tentatively for Monday, November 17th at 6:30 pm. I am currently working with our administration to set a place. This will be a very civil, open forum for those of you who have questions and concerns. A place to speak and be heard for those of you who believe that this program is working. The same for those of you who do not. And a place for those of you who just want to show up and formulate your own opinion based on the facts. All of us need to be willing to come with an open mind in an effort to try to keep the most important thing at the center of this dialogue, and that is what is best for our children.

I understand that many of you are very passionate about this issue and have the best interest of your children at heart whether for or against it. With that in mind, I will be moderating the comments from this point on to make sure that this does not become a venue to eternally divide us. I believe that if this math curriculum is really what is best for our students we need to be open. Apparently our administration does, and must have a strong argument. We need to hear their data. If the majority of parents, teachers, and members of our community support it, then it is up to each of us to do what we think is best to supplement our children on our own and support that majority. However, if it turns out that the majority of us don't believe it is the right thing for our children and their futures, then we need to revisit this curriculum immediately to put our children on the right track sooner than later. This is why it is so very important that you and every other parent, teacher, and member of our community show up to become informed either way. I will let you know as soon as we have a location.

Monday PTO Meeting

2008-11-03T16:09:00.000-08:00

Dear Camdenton Parents,

I just wanted to give everyone a little update. Several parents attended the PTO meeting tonight. Thank you for those who came to participate in "educating" yourself on what is going on with the Math curriculum. I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Overlander just prior to the meeting. I do believe that the administration has the best interest of our children at heart. I think that communication with parents has been made secondary, thus the reason for the outcry now. We must work with our administrators to see a swift resolution to this issue. They have asked for a forum where YOU the parents and the TEACHERS(if you will....and I understand why you can't if you won't) can be heard and they can present their case. I hope that you all show up and tell every parent,grandparent, guardian, and member of our community that may see our Math as a potential problem now and in the future to SHOW UP! Your opinions do count and the administration wants and needs to hear how you feel. I will keep you posted on where and when this will happen so watch for a time and place. I will post it as soon as I know more.

Also...please know that your comments are appreciated and wanted! I know that many, many of you are frustrated and need an outlet....however, as I noted at the inception of this blog: THIS IS NOT A WITCH HUNT! Please know that everyone wants a positive outcome to this controversy and we all have to work together to see that happen SOONER THAN LATER. We are NOT here to attack individuals, we are here to work together to see a swift resolution.
Thank you for the overwhelming support!

Sincerest Regards,

Stacy

GREAT RESOURCES

2008-11-03T05:50:00.000-08:00

Here are some great resources to link to with some excellent perspectives from all over our country with reference to the math our kids are being taught.

The site from Columbia, Missouri shares all newspaper articles, parental insight, links to other awesome resources, and an eloquent illustration of exactly why this new math was so frightening to that school district. Columbia Parents for Real Math: http://www.maththatworks.blogspot.com/

Investigations Math Origins and Articles
*Review of studies touted by TERC(the Investigations Math creator) (the conclusion was the study had .... The California Investigations Math Failure** ...www.oaknorton.com/imathresults13.cfm - 38k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Teach Math Right - Stop "Investigating" in PWCS
PWCS SOL Test Score pass rates FLAT Line under fuzzy math program for 3d Grade ... TERC's Math Investigations curriculum does not support the critical ...www.pwcteachmathright.com/ - 63k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Everyday Math in Stafford County Schools
The children of Stafford County should not be made to suffer from the deficiencies in the Everyday Math reference books, simply because the school district ...www.schoc.org/id56.html - 75k - Cached - Similar pages - Note

Michelle Malkin » Fuzzy math: A nationwide epidemic
Fuzzy math: A nationwide epidemic. By Michelle Malkin • November 28, 2007 09:49 AM. 1em1.jpg My column this week covers the long-fought fuzzy math wars and ...michellemalkin.com/2007/11/28/fuzzy-math-a-nationwide-epidemic/ - 104k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Fuzzy Math « 5 Kids and a Dog
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building ... Fuzzy WASL math is failing our kids By Val Stevens ...5kidsandadog.wordpress.com/fuzzy-math/ - 28k - Cached - Similar pages -

A Couple of Interesting Points of View....

2008-11-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to try to explain what our kids are "trying" to learn....take a look at this dialogue. This was pulled from www.forums.hannity.com called: TERC Investigations In My Kids School--HELP! Be aware, Camdenton Parents, so many of you that I have talked to are all in the same boat! I cannot tell you how many of you shared with me that you are paying for a tutor for your child so they will not fall any further behind, or spending an exaggerated amount of time on just one problem. These are hallmarks of this particular math curriculum not just here, but all over the country. You are not alone!

TERC or Math Investigations is a new way of teaching math. From TERC's web site, "Investigations is a complete K-5 mathematics curriculum, developed at TERC in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is designed to help all children understand the fundamental ideas of number and operations, geometry, data, measurement and early algebra."What Investigations does not do is:Teach times table to children Teach the traditional arithmetic algorithms. Instead children are made to "rote memorize" convoluted and excruciatingly complicated procedures to solve basic addition, subtraction, and multiplication problems. Teach long division at all.In fact, TERC's recommended handbook for teachers called "Beyond Arithmetic" says traditional elementary math must be discarded because it ignores the fact that "today's students have an important tool available to them: the calculator." Yep. The program actually advocates teaching children how to do more complex arithmetic, because it's too hard, in favor of teaching children how to use a calculator. The children's text book includes a huge section on using a calculator and not one worked about long division.This video pretty much sums up the concerns parents have with Investigations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZII'd really like to see if any school district has ever been successful in removing Investigations and replacing it with a more acceptable alternative. Thus far I haven't found any.

Taken from the same forum mentioned above:
We had that is our school district, until the parents stood up and really took action, we now have that plus they are moving the old school math back in.In my opinion Investigations is not very parent friendly. It excludes the parents from helping the child at home, because the parents know the old way when 2 + 2 = 4.Investigations is there are more than one way to get to 4, so 2 + 2 doesn't equal 4. This is very confusing and difficult for a child to start to understand the basics of math. My children didn't do well with this, and I ended up having to go to Score learning Center with them at my own cost.Then after Investigations comes estimations, which they learn to round answers off rather then come to the exact answer, again another negative way to teach math.These programs are not being reviewed by parents on the local level prior to implementation. The boards of educations no longer hold curriculum review nights for parents to review materials and discuss potential pros and cons of changes based on fact finding.Now the Teachers Union and Association of School Psychologists tell the districts what to pick. The are implementing broad base changes from the national level, without parents approvals or inputs. This is totally against the National Defense Education Act passed in 1953 by President Eisenhower.

Please leave a comment and share what you are experiencing with your child. Also, please take a look at what others in our district are saying about their experiences.

The Intent Of This Site.....

2008-10-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

As a proud supporter of the Camdenton Schools, I feel lucky that my children get to attend such a great school. I believe that we are fortunate to have exceptional teachers and administrators! This is not a witch hunt!!!!! I do, however, believe that we the parents need to take a closer look at a specific area of our elementary school childrens education (math) at this time. The intent of this site is to educate parents as to what is going on with the new math curriculum being introduced to our children. I ask this question: How many of you have found it to be frustrating to attempt to help your elementary school student do his/her math homework this year? How many of you have sent their home work back to school with a note to the teacher asking for guidance? Have you wondered where is their math book? If you feel "in the dark" you are not alone!!!
If you are one of the lucky ones whose kid does "get it" and you have not noticed any problem with the new math...you should still worry.

Take a look at this insight: Taken from
Investigations Math Summary--Bad Fuzzy Math
http://www.oaknorton.com/
Have you ever wondered why so many Charter schools are having success in our area? They seem to fill pretty quickly and more pop up every year. The core problem we face in Utah is low state education standards, especially for math. Investigations math and the set of curricula like it that encourage personal discovery of math facts are receiving a strong push into our schools by the state board. However, these curricula are all being condemned by hundreds of college professors and Nobel Laureates. They see what's happening to our youth and are trying to avert a complete disaster in the future.
Dr. Wilfred Schmid at Harvard said of the TERC program (Investigations Math):
"A TERC teacher doesn't explain, and a TERC teacher doesn't teach! I don't want to be misunderstood: group learning and discovery learning are parts of the tool chest of every accomplished teacher, but it is folly to turn these techniques into an ideology. If we mathematicians had to re-discover mathematics on our own, we would not get very far! And indeed, TERC does not get very far. By the end of fifth grade, TERC students have fallen roughly two years behind where they should be."
Schmid, Wilfried. "Remarks on Investigations in Number, Data and Space (TERC)." opening remarks delivered at the NYC HOLD Math Forum. Are our school's math programs adequate? Experimental mathematics programs and their consequences. New York University Law School, NYC, June 6, 2001.http://www.nychold.com/forum01-schmid.html

**Do you realize that the Columbia Public Schools, who trained our school district in this math curriculum, have recently abandoned the same curriculum due to a massive public outcry in their community due to documented failure rates all over the country.
After weeks of feeling like it must just be me, and we were the only ones that were frustrated...I started asking questions of other parents and teachers in our district. I was astounded that I am not alone. Not by a longshot! I realized that there are LOTS of parents out there scratching their heads and feeling in the dark... and wondering what is going on. Well, it just so happens that an ever increasing number of parents are expressing the same concerns about the various math curricula currently being used in the Camdenton Public Schools. These experimental math programs go by the names of Investigations (TERC), Connected Math (CMP), Intergrated Math (Core Plus), New New Math, Fuzzy Math, IMP, Everyday Math, etc. They go by different names, but are all the same. They emphasize "self discovery" over mathmatical competency. We parents should be concerned because these curricula have been discredited and abandoned in other regions of the country after they failed to deliver demonstrable results. These failed curricula are currently the only method of instruction in the elementary grades at this time in our district, which is a big concern. What I am finding is this: The more questions I ask, and the more I research what our kids are being taught the more I worry. I believe we should all be asking questions and doing our own research on what is going on with how our kids are learning the fundamentals of math. Simply put, when I told my husband that according to all of my research and questions of the teachers...our 3rd grade son will not be learning his multiplication tables, my husband did not believe me. Enough said??? I hope so.

Parental Concerns from Utah:
"My daughter attends a junior high school, where the advanced, algebra II, math students were all forced to use the Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP) --yet another fuzzy, math appreciation class. Now in the past there had been an option of taking a traditional algebra II class, but not this year (2003-4). That turned out to be a big mistake! The parents caused such an uproar including threats of ending all financial donations to the school that the administration capitulated. But, due to the reluctance of the teacher to accommodate her algebra II students, now in mid school year, the principal is paying to bring down a math teacher from Mountain View High School in order to provide a rigorous, skills based algebra II class. Shockingly, my daughter informed me that when the teacher asked her two classes how many students were transferring to the new class, one-half of the hands were raised in one class and all the hands were raised in the other class! If the Alpine School District ever needed or ever wanted an indication of what parents/students think about their fuzzy math experiment, clearly this one example should literally speak (or yell out) volumes!! Our school board is asleep at the wheel."Len -parent, Orem, UT. (http://www.sno.prohosting.com/).

A Stafford County School parent from Virginia shared this thought :
"I agree with you both. I have a fourth grader who is having the same issues concerning the method being in everyday math. He had to complete a simple division problem and it took him ten minutes to work the problem out the way he was instructed to at school. I asked my son did he understand how to work the problem out the old fashioned way like I was taught in school. I got a dazed look from him. So it took me two days to really get him to understand how to work both multiplication and division problems the everyday math way and the real world way. This is really getting ridiculous, and then these schools try to hold these kids back when to don't score perfect on the SOL test."
A frustrated Stafford parent had this to say in response to the so-called studies conducted by the Everyday Math publishers and cited by the Stafford School District showing the supposed benefits of Everyday Math:
"Well, I could care less about 'reviews' and 'stats.' All I know is my 4th grader has been performing miserably in math since 3d grade. She began Everyday Math in 2nd grade and did OK; however, 3rd grade was terrible and 4th grade is even worse. My once happy little girl now dreads school everyday, BECAUSE OF MATH. I'm convinced that the creators of this so-called math either never had children or their kids were grown. Because anyone with young kids knows you don't give them too many choices, it only frustrates and confuses them; welcome to Everyday Math! . . . The first part [of the school Parent Night] was the Math Specialist singing the praises of Everyday Math and quoting the stats that it is a widely-used, tested method. When I noted that she didn't have the stats listed for how many counties/states had dropped the curriculum because it was so terrible, she was floored. She didn't know how to respond. Every parent in that room, with the exception of one, agreed with me." (quotes taken from http://www.schoc.org/).

The following material found at "Everyday Math in Stafford County Schools".. at www.schoc.org
By Ian Shapira
Greg Barlow, an Air Force officer in the defense secretary's office at the Pentagon, was helping his 8-year-old son, Christian, one recent night with a vexing problem: What is 674 plus 249?
Strange (Fuzzy) Math
Reviewing the fifth grade Everyday Math book reveals some ridiculous methods used in that book for teaching math. There is a 23 page chapter that teaches nothing but how to operate a calculator. Why would a fifth grade math book devote that much space giving instructions on how to operate a calculator? The reason is that the odd algorithmic methods taught in the book for solving math problems are so confusing and unworkable that the students must resort to using a calculator in order to solve math problems.As if that is not bad enough, the book devotes a 43-page chapter to games. That's right, there is page after page of rules for math games. There is no math instruction given at all in that chapter.

The Strange Philosophy Behind Everyday Math
"In Everyday Mathematics, as students explain, compare, and contrast their own invented procedures, several common alternative methods are identified. Often these are formalizations of approaches that students have devised. The column-addition method, for example, was shown and explained to the Everyday Mathematics authors by a first grader." Andrew Isaacs, Algorithms in Everyday Math, http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/educators/Algorithms_final.pdf . That admission is quite simply astounding. One of the alternative algorithms that is a standard method taught in Everyday Math was authored by a first grader!

Calculator Use Encouraged
The Everyday Math curriculum is based upon the assumption that calculators are to be used. The sections where calculators are not to be used are marked with an image of a calculator with line through it. If there is not a "do not use calculator" image, the student is given the implicit permission to use a calculator. That means that children are permitted to use calculators to solve almost two-thirds of the problems in volume 1 of the fifth grade workbook. That is not, by any stretch of the imagination, the appropriate use of technology. That is tacitly allowing a child to be lazy and to ingrain in him the habit of using a calculator as a crutch.

Mind Crippling Crutches
The preferred Everyday Math methods are crutches. The crutches are needed because the children are not taught the standard algorithms. The lack of skill in standard algorithms ends up crippling their ability to solve math problems without their crutches. The EDM crutches become cumbersome and hold children back when the they are later exposed to more advanced math problems. Their crippled minds are unable to sprint ahead in math, because they trip all over the crutches imposed upon them by EDM.

From NYC
This is a great article: www.michellemalkin.com. Take a look at her thoughts on the "New Math" and how it plagued the NYC Schools.
Fuzzy math: A nationwide epidemic
By Michelle Malkin • November 28, 2007 09:49 AM
My column this week covers the long-fought fuzzy math wars and the parental revolt against poisonous edu-fads. The Texas state school board voted before Thanksgiving to ditch the infamous “Everyday Math” textbook for third-graders. This is the faulty curriculum the NYC schools were forced to adopt despite an outcry from teachers and parents. It’s difficult to find a school district where this dumbed-down virus hasn’t infected the education bureaucracy. If you know of any, let me know. Here’s my article:
Fuzzy math: A nationwide epidemic
Do you know what math curriculum your child is being taught? Are you worried that your third-grader hasn’t learned simple multiplication yet? Have you been befuddled by educational jargon such as “spiraling,” which is used to explain why your kid keeps bringing home the same insipid busywork of cutting, gluing and drawing? And are you alarmed by teachers who emphasize “self-confidence” over proficiency while their students fall further and further behind? Join the club.
check out the rest of it at www.michellemalkin.com .

From Texas:CSD # 2 PARENT QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
CUllED FROM PARENT SURVEY AND COMMUNITY SCHOOL BOARD 2 TESTIMONY
2000-2001

K – 5 (school not identified)
Why is it that my son comes home with no idea on how to go about solving the night’s math problem? I’ve also heard the same from other parents.
Why is there not assigned intense practice of any given topic?
Parents have no way of gauging the child’s progress. We need a math glossary/ vocabulary and a set of written strategies so parents can know the students are learning…The curriculum seems very fragmented
May sound premature for a fifth grader’s parent, but as the world gets “smaller” how does TERC fit in with what other countries are using?
Some school’s tests scores seem (unexpectedly) wildly different from some others that seem on the same “level” – why?
PS 6
I complained about the math programs to my children’s teachers, principals and math staff developers. Some acknowledge the shortcomings of TERC but say their hands are tied. What you are doing isn’t working !!!
Why not give parents a choice between the progressive program and a more traditional one.
I would like to know if grant money was a major impetus behind the implementation of TERC and CMP
I would like to know if District 2 will address the fact that prominent mathematicians and scientists feel TERC and CMP are bad programs! These programs are at the very heart of the “math wars” and were removed from both California and Texas list of recommended curricula
PS 11
Can you tell me how much time on average do children require playing specifically which games before they can reasonably be expected to master the ‘facts” of multiplication? How does this compare with the time taken to gain mastery when taught by means of rote memorization?
At what stages in a child’s career is she , or he, expected to have acquired mastery of basic skills?
Are the teachers responsible for teaching basics – adding, subtracting, multiplication and division facts? Or, are we as parents supposed to provide that for our children?
I just want the teaching of algorithms to be part of the curriculum. My daughter used to say she wanted to be a mathematician when she grew up. She struggled on the NYS test because she didn’t know the standard procedures. Now she thinks she’s a failure at math. Last year, 50% of the students in the T & G program didn’t make the District 2 cut-off for the SP middle school programs. The directors of eight private schools told me kids from District 2 schools are far behind in math.
ECC
I’ve been a math room volunteer for the last eight years. Contrary to popular belief, kids enjoy working with numbers. My heart breaks for the hundreds of kids who fall farther behind each year; the kids who in the words of student teacher, “can explain anything to death, but can’t get the right answer.” For the sake of our children, please let District 2 use math curricula that teach them math.
PS 41
My daughter, a bright verbal child is completely baffled by the abstract side of TERC. She doesn’t “get it” and has had weekly private tutoring for a year. She needs rules and alternative ways to do math. She needs memorization and rote learning. How does your method address this kind of child’ needs.
My son has been seeing a tutor. He is an above average student, but it was never noticed by the school that he was not understanding the process of TERC. All children can not be expected to learn through one system. Hey, it doesn’t hurt to do some memorization and traditional methods along the way.
Many parents are upset and frustrated that TERC is the sole means of learning. It must be taught and or supplemented by other methods. In particular CALCULATION LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD ! Take a look at national standards, private schools, other public schools ! This is a huge and troubling issue which needs immediate attention.
There seems to be enormous disparities between the math curriculum as it is delivered in different schools.
PS 124
Math is a gut – it’s kindergarten level. They do their math homework in less than 1 minute. Our teacher says the lesson plans are set by the district and she has little flexibility. Her solution was to suggest that the parents can tutor their child in math fundamental at home. Please help a poor parent understand why this policy is in place. When will out children learn the basics that they need to function in high tech world. Why is math give such a low priority?
PS 130
I have been concerned about my child’s math for some time. He seems to be involved in activities that make no sense, such as the estimation of simple addition problems. Why is he spending so much time cutting out “measurement rods” of paper?..he would loose them.. he never understood what function was served by these little pieces of paper.
Bridges
Our child seems very under-challenged in math. The homework seems very simple. What can be done in 5th grade to keep them motivated and challenged.
My son’s math curriculum is very confusing. He is not learning the basics and yet he is being taught concepts which have no meaning without a sound foundation. The result is that he is confused and demoralized. We have been forced to hire a math tutor to cover just the basics, and after only a few lessons he is happy again with mat. He tackles the tutor’s assignments with an eagerness I never see for his regular school math homework. We are loosing the clarity of thought that is the hallmark of math understanding.. I need not add that our children suffer for it, not the parents and not the teachers.
Math, like music, is a process that requires repeated practice , memorization and deeper understanding. Just as it would make no sense to teach a child how to play piano by just teaching music theory, it makes no sense to teach math without utilizing some degree or repetition and practice.
TERC was not recommended by the US DOE’s “Expert Panel for Mathematics.” (Textbooks are)among those qualities that the Panel and the NCTM identify as necessary in a math curriculum: “A good mathematics textbook is almost always an essential element in implementing the curriculum.” TERC has no textbook.
The NCTM advises there should be an ongoing system of assessment, including regular written tests. AS far as I know there is no such system in TERC If a student is absent or doesn’t grasp the material, there is no way of recognizing the gaps in his/her knowledge to address them.
The methods used exclusively in TERC are so time-consuming and take so many steps…There should be a balance between the use of standard algorithms and other strategies to solutions.cerns at www.nychold.com from the article "Math is a gut--it's kindergarten".

REVIEWS OF TERC: by Bill Quirk; Investigations in Number, Data, and Space http://www.nychold.com/
2008 TERC Math vs. 2008 National Math Panel Recommendations, by Bill Quirk, April, 2008. Bill Quirk reviews the most recent edition of TERC's Investigations in Number, Data, and Space in the context of the report of the National Mathematics Panel which emphasizes the critical role of the K-7 curriculum in preparing students for traditional algebra. Key points of Bill Quirk's critique (explained in more detail in the review) include the following.
TERC's nonstandard computational methods are substituted for the standard methods that children need to master to prepare for algebra.
TERC confuses children by claiming to offer several "strategies" for each operation. [...]
TERC no longer claims that students "invent" these methods. Now they are "constructed" and "named" with the assistance of the teacher. Apparently every class chooses the same names. They're really "standard" TERC 2008 names, but not standard elsewhere.
Generally speaking, the TERC computational methods are cumbersome, inefficient, and only work for carefully selected simple problems. They seriously mislead children because they attempt to avoid the concepts of carrying, borrowing, and common denominators.
Traditionally, children first experience the power of automaticity as they migrate up the elementary math learning curve. But there is no possibility for automaticity with the TERC 2008 methods. By attempting to suppress carrying, borrowing, and common denominators, TERC eliminates the keys to automaticity for basic arithmetic. Conscious thought is regularly required for both TERC method selection and TERC method execution. TERC's authors are openly proud of this. They believe that maximum conscious thought indicates maximum conceptual understanding. They fail to recognize that automaticity at lower learning levels helps to maximize the effectiveness for conscious thought at higher learning levels.

As you can deduce from just scratching the surface on a google search, we have enormous reasons to be concerned based on research and data of other districts that tried this curriculum and found it to fail miserably.
Our questions need to be answered.
1. Why did we switch our math curriculum?
2. Were our test scores bad?
3. How are we addressing the needs of students that learn differently and need supplemental help? Is this allowed?
4. How do our teachers REALLY feel about this math?
5. How do we help our kids do their homework if they don't have a book and their worksheets make NO sense to me?
6. Why will my child not be taught simple multiplication tables?

I am sure you can add to these questions. Meet me at the PTO meeting at Hawthorn Elementary School on Monday (November 3, 2008) right after school at 3:45 in the library to find out a little bit more about what this new math curriculum entails and how we help our kids. Please feel free to add your comments to this site, we look forward to hearing your opinions.