Some of Stevens’ facts are fuzzy

I disagree with Sen. Val Stevens’ Jan. 19 guest commentary, “Fuzzy WASL math is failing our kids.”

Some of her “facts” are questionable.

For example, data from a study of Washington state high school students studying an integrated mathematics program indicate that a balance of skills, problem solving and conceptual understanding lead to high achievement (for details, see mathematicallysane.com/evidence/wasl.asp).

The honorable senator’s assertion that California’s students have “zooming test scores” since the 1998 mathematics standards were adopted is unsubstantiated. In fact, take a look at the California Department of Education’s data. In 2006, 73 percent of California students taking the state Algebra 1 exam failed it. This is progress?

California educators and parents recognize that their students cannot solve problems using algebra! They want a curriculum rich in problem solving, applications to real problems and taught in such a way that requires thinking and creating meaning. They want standards like those in Washington!

On the mathematics section of the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the average scale score for eighth grade students in California was 270. The percentage of students in California who performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level was 24 percent in 2007.

Contrast that information with Washington state 2007 NAEP scores at eighth grade in mathematics. The average scale score for eighth-grade students in Washington was 285. The percentage of students in Washington who performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level was 36 percent. Who’s zooming whom?

Kristin Caldwell