Curriculum in need of change

Tuesday, May 15, 2007 9:24 AM EDT

 

Parents of students in Cecil County know that the math curriculum is ineffective. Recent Whig articles have only spotlighted the great divide between what parents want and what the administration is doing.

The Everyday Math curriculum used by Cecil County covers many topics very briefly over many years. The National Research Council issued a report on math education in 2003 stating that, “More time should be spent developing fewer topics in each grade and should develop those topics rather than repeating many topics every year.”

Our administration ignores this advice, and other independent studies, showing that Everyday Math is detrimental to our children’s math skills. Why? They say Everyday Math improves test scores.

The problem with this reasoning is that the improvement in math scores is due to test preparation. No one mentions that the Everyday Math curriculum is significantly supplemented with MSA practice sheets. If the curriculum is so good, and test scores are improving so much, why is there a need to supplement the curriculum and spend so much time on MSA test preparation?

My unscientific survey of parents and teachers has turned up no supporters of the Everyday Math curriculum. Not one. The administration has chosen this curriculum over the advice of parents, teachers, the National Research Council, and other independent researchers. Hopefully, the newly elected school board, elected on the premise of being parents themselves, will be able to direct the administration to listen to the parents and adopt a better math curriculum.

From: Brendon Webb, Rising Sun