Parents, students push for math changes

Published 11:20 am Wednesday, September 10, 2008

For parent Yvonne Kuan, a several-page aside on “Alice in Wonderland” in Shorecrest High School’s Integrated Math book was one of many frustrations with the math curriculum.

“The text book does not teach the basic math concepts,” Kuan said. “The book is arranged in stories about situations.”

Concepts aren’t taught directly, and students are supposed to come to their own conclusion, often in groups. Students can’t use the book to strengthen their understanding, Kuan said.

Shorecrest parent Wendy Swan feels the same way.

“I’ve just been completely and thoroughly disappointed,” she said. She’s felt that way since her daughter started the spiral curriculum in the fifth grade.

“It’s group discussions and things that in my opinion are too touchy-feely for math,” she said. “It doesn’t rely much on drills.”

Swan’s children learned math easily, so math class was a time to finish homework or send text messages.

“I don’t see any opportunity for kids who are good at math to solidify their understanding,” she said.

Kuan and Swan aren’t alone. A group of parents have banded together to push for math changes, and changes now look to be on the way.

Ellen Robinson heads up the math subcommittee of the Shorecrest PTSA, a group of about 50 parents and students who formed to push for math changes last winter. It now includes parents from other Shoreline schools.

“As parents at Shorecrest, we have witnessed many of our students frustrated with the (Integrated Math) program and losing confidence in their abilities,” Robinson said.

It’s hard for parents to help their children in math, which forces them to rely on costly tutoring, she said.

New math books could be on the way, though nothing’s been decided yet.

This summer, a formal district group of 38 teachers, administrators and parents called the Math Achievement Team, or MAT, started meeting to discuss district math standards and potentially new curriculum.

As for other changes, the Shorecrest PTSA group has also advocated for smaller math class sizes.

Last year, some math classes had 35 students in them, said Robinson.

This year, Shorecrest High School class sizes were lowered to roughly 25 students in Pre-Integrated, Integrated 1 and Integrated 2 math classes.

As a result, numbers will be higher in other classes, as staff agreed, said Pat Hegarty, Shorecrest principal. Three new math teachers were hired this summer.

The PTSA group also is asking for more math honors options and letter grades for students who want to take alternative math programs

In the past, the Shorecrest PTSA has also helped fund math tutors after school.

This year, they set aside money for math enrichment activities.

The PTSA would not pay for a new math curriculum but would rely on the state and district to do that, Robinson said.

“It’s hugely expensive,” said Sue Porter, district director of teaching and learning, of new math books. Porter heads up the MAT. “I know it’s a priority for everybody.”

The district group will probably talk about curriculum, but first will define Shoreline’s math philosophy and use that as the base for any future changes, Porter said.

The group will base its work on revised state math standards for high schools that came out this year and on the National Mathematics Advisory School Report for 2008, a national study.

If they do pursue a new curriculum, it would be in place for next fall at the high school level and further in the future for elementary and middle school, Porter said.

In the meantime, district teachers are being trained in the new state math standards and district officials are working to align math curricula with those standards.

Would a new curriculum in Shoreline mean a return to a more direct and traditional way of teaching math?

“You need a balanced approach,” Porter said. “You need algorithms and computational fluency, but you also need problem solving skills and the application of math to real life.”