Math in SPS
Linh-Co said...I know this was posted before by Melissa, but we still need lots
of signatures to make the middle school math adoption happen next year.
So far we only have 153 signatures we were hoping for at least 1000.
Cliff Mass has helped us out by writing a blog, MJ McDermott made a YouTube video on CMP, and Bruce Ramsey wrote an awesome editorial about dumping bad math. Now we just need parents to sign the petition and forward to as many friends and families. My daughter got over 45 signatures from juniors and seniors at Ingraham. Thanks!
Petition.
(I will point out that I do not support Common Core standards but I agree with the premise here; it is unfair to test kids (and evaluate teachers) if they are not using materials that align with the testing.)
Cliff Mass has helped us out by writing a blog, MJ McDermott made a YouTube video on CMP, and Bruce Ramsey wrote an awesome editorial about dumping bad math. Now we just need parents to sign the petition and forward to as many friends and families. My daughter got over 45 signatures from juniors and seniors at Ingraham. Thanks!
Petition.
(I will point out that I do not support Common Core standards but I agree with the premise here; it is unfair to test kids (and evaluate teachers) if they are not using materials that align with the testing.)
Comments
Having problems with Connected Math?
Thanks for all your efforts to improve math in Seattle, Linh-Co.
-for real
That is a great link! Everyone should read it. Thanks for posting.
Mathy parent
I can attest to the increase in business. I privately tutor 30 kids a week from 5 different Seattle Public Schools. My students range from 1st through 8th grade. All of my referrals are through word of mouth. Almost weekly, I'm contacted by new families needing help.
We need to make math accessible to all families not just the ones who can afford private tutoring.
North Beach - Saxon
Schmitz Park - Singapore Math
Boren STEM - Singapore Math
Alki - Singapore Math
LaFayette - Jump Math??
Montlake - Envision
Lincoln - My Math
Beacon Hill - some classrooms are using a translated Chinese math program
Thurgood Marshall- Envision??
Salmon Bay - some classrooms are using TERC Investigations
Thorton Creek - TERC Investigations
Please let me know if you have updates to this list.
North Beach - Saxon (9.9%)
Schmitz Park - Singapore Math (14.5%)
Boren STEM - Singapore Math (?)
Alki - Singapore Math (33.9%)
LaFayette - Jump Math?? (20.9%)
Montlake - Envision (9.5%)
Lincoln - My Math (? APP@Lincoln still not separated from Lowell/Capitol Hill)
Beacon Hill - some classrooms are using a translated Chinese math program (65.4%)
Thurgood Marshall- Envision?? (35.7% and home to south end APP)
Salmon Bay - some classrooms are using TERC Investigations (13.4%)
Thorton Creek - TERC Investigations (10.5%)
McGilvra - enVision (15.2%)
For all the talk about equity from the district, this should be part of the discussion. The majority of schools deviating from district texts have much lower FRL percentages than the district as a whole.
observer
Observer is right, central office should be embarrassed about the inequity in programs. This is what happens when you choose stupid programs. The parents in the know who can afford to, will fix the problem with their pocketbook.
--Aspiring tutor
You can purchase them at www.singaporemath.com or buy them at Math 'n Stuff on Roosevelt Way. These books are more difficult than our US version of 2nd grade. These are the same books that were used in Singapore during their hey day of ranking #1 on the TIMMSS (International math and science studies). Singapore has since drop to 3rd place because they have gone with slightly modified and fuzzier textbooks. The books are written by the Singapore Misnistry of Education, and the entire country uses them. An interesting tidbit, Singapore became a country in 1965 when it separated from Malaysia. It has no resources. The country spent years reforming its education and making it one of the best in the world. If you looked at where the country ranked in the 70's, you would see that it was one of the worse ranked as low as the Phillipines and Malaysia. By the 90's, they had become one of the world's most prosperous nation.
The second grade books focus on multi-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with related word problems, comparing fractions, equivalent fractions,telling time, introduction to elapsed time.
Third grade (3B) focuses on unit conversions from inches, ft, yd, metric system, oz to lbs, grams, to mg, kg, days to months, year, time, etc. It is far more rigorous than what we have in our 5th grade US books.
Saxon is good but not as a supplement because the lessons build on previous lessons. It would be very incoherent if you are skipping around.
http://www.nwea.org/node/11132
On the Singapore website, it looks like they have the textbook/workbook pairs for each level. In your opinion, fine to go with the workbook alone?
Gratefully,
Aspiring tutor
If you have tried to introduce the idea of "x" to kids in the early grades, even APP kids, you'll find that it can be very difficult. However through bar modeling, kids are able to solve multi-step equations without the use of algebra.
I have done a tutorial on Singapore bar modeling for parents at the public libraries, and can do that again if there is enough interest. Our workshops are free to parents and educators.
-teacher
Signed: Better Math for All Now!
-in the know
That's a good question about K-8s. I think they are likely to get new curriculum for K-5 but not 6-8.
What's your opinion of Math in Focus versus the singaporemath.com products? It was my understanding that MIF is the more authentic and deeply research-based Singapore math. Have I missed something?
Curious
I also found that Singapore was better suited to "dipping in," just for supplementation, though, and wasn't evaluating them for school,wide curriculum adaptation, just what seemed to get concepts across to my individual kids the easiest, in spurts.
Mathy Parent
I haven't looked at it extensively, but it is not the original version. It has been Americanized and is what I call Singapore lite. It is still far superior to EDM and I would be pleased if Seattle adopted it. Bar modeling and decent word problems are still there. MIF comes from Houghton Mifflin not the translated version of the Singapore Ministry of Education.
The original Singapore Math did not come with any Teacher's Guide. This was pointed out by Dr. Yeap Ban Har, who is the guru of Singapore Math, at a recent Singapore Math training in Highline SD. He told us that teachers in Singapore don't need it. Unfortunately, most US elementary teachers do not have enough mathematical expertise and are relying on the teacher's guide for mathematical background and guidance.
I have to say Singapore Math does the best job tying the idea of decimals, fractions, and percentages of all the books I've used. Singapore 4B is excellent in the conceptual development of decimals to fractions. The use of money for the teaching addition, subtraction, multiplying, and dividing decimals is brilliant. For example, .04+.08 = .12 because 4 cents + 8 cents = 12 cents. Contrast this with .4 + .8 = 1.2 because 40 cents + 80 cents is $1.20. They are not just teaching procedurally to line up the decimal points. All problems are initially shown horizontally instead of vertically to force the child to add decimals mentally.
For multiplication of decimals, kids are taught .24 x 2 = .48. Once again if you recognize .24 as 24 cents than you would know that 24 cents twice is 48 cents. We are not just teaching kids to multiply decimals by ignoring the decimal point and then afterward counting how many places it has moved. Same for division of decimals. After this introduction, standard algorithms are taught for bigger numbers.
If only EDM and TERC were this brilliant. The idea is so simplistic and makes sense to all kids.
Two years ago Highline did a pilot of Math in Focus text and ST Math software at two high poverty elementary schools. The results were so good that in 2012-2013 these two products were put in use in all Highline Elementary schools. {{These decisions were made prior to Susan Enfield's arrival in Highline}}.
Link to Math in Focus.
Link to ST Math.
Link to check out the difference between the MSP Math performance of
NON-Low-Income vs. Low-Income kids in Seattle.
"To improve a system requires the intelligent application of relevant data."
-- W. Edwards Deming (1900-1993)
Information provided to me by Highline parent and activist Meg Van Wyk.
Seahurst elementary school
MSP MATH scores
Midway elementary school
MSP Math scores
This is from the OSPI site. Check out the 3rd grade scores. Midway used the S-T math program and Seahurst did not. Both used Math in Focus.
Midway results MIF and ST Math
3rd Grade MSP Math
Yr School District State
2009-10 30.9% 45.7% 61.8%
2010-11 57.1% 48.5% 61.6%
2011-12 74.7% 57.1% 65.3%
Midway has 90% of its students on Free or reduced price meals.
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Seahurst used MIF but not ST Math
has 83% of students on Free or reduced price meals.
3rd Grade Math
Year School District State
2009-10 49.3% 45.7% 61.8%
2010-11 51.4% 48.5% 61.6%
2011-12 52.5% 57.1% 65.3%
Seahurst used a different software supplement and definitely did not use ST-Math.
It will be interesting see results from one year of Math in Focus and ST Math in Highline's elementary schools in 2012-2013 on MSP Math testing.
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When Banda was heading Anaheim CA schools they used ST-Math software and got great improvment.