Math abilities of US public school students were mediocre even before the introduction of Common Core math in 2010. This is, in large part, due to the constructivist method of teaching math used since the 1990s. Administrators think this method leads to “equity”, but it actually makes matters worse. Ted Nutting, retired Seattle high school math teacher, explains the problems of this math teaching method in the following commentary.
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While Common Core math is making kids frustrated, it’s also driving parents and grandparents crazy. If you haven’t yet seen the video about the convoluted way of adding 9 + 6, you can view it at the link below. The focus is on the the process, ostensibly to teach “higher order thinking skills”, but it causes confusion, not higher order thinking. Read the article.
This convoluted, “constructivist” way of doing math did not originate with the Common Core, however. Fuzzy math has been around for years. See the Washington State manual, “Teaching and Learning Mathematics” which shows on page 58, that believing that math is about finding the right answer is a mathematical myth. In the past, states and districts had more flexibility to use the the methodologies of their choice, but now the Common Core Standards along with the Common Core Assessments embed this constructivist method into the curriculum for all participating states.
It’s up to you, parents and grandparents. If you want your student to truly understand math, YOU must teach them!
Teaching and Learning Mathematics is a compilation of research from the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. We were stunned to learn that finding the right answer to a math problem was no longer the point of mathematics class! On page 58, the manual describes the following as “dysfunctional mathematical beliefs”:
Some students taking Utah’s SAGE assessment this spring experienced what they described as “weird” colors and sounds while taking the math assessment. SAGE is Utah’s new computer adaptive assessment. From interviews with students, it seems that not every student took the version of the assessment that subjected students to the weird colors and strange voices. Some students appeared to be taking a different version.
Washington State also has a computer adaptive assessment. Washington’s assessments are being developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), one of the two assessment consortia for the Common Core. It is not known yet whether the Washington state assessment resembles the Utah SAGE assessment.
Parents, if your child took the Common Core Assessments this year, please ask him or her to tell you about it. If your child had a similar anxiety-producing experience, please contact the person who produced the video below, and also contact us. Our e-mail is cure@curewashington.org. A sample opt-out form can be found along the top bar of our website.
Please watch the entire video.
“Hidden in Common Core is the real objective – presenting the minimal amount of material that high-school graduates need to be able to enter the work force in an entry-level job.” Dr. James Millgram and Emmet McGroarty have been examining the Common Core State Standards and have been speaking out against them. This article points […]
Of course we all want our children to have teachers who are compassionate, flexible, perceptive, good communicators, and experts in the subjects which they teach. In other words, we want our teachers to be almost superhuman. Under the Race to the Top initiative of which the Common Core State Standards are a part, the desired […]
Pull quotes:
“Consider the recent history of high stakes testing in the state of Washington. We spent more than a decade and a billion dollars on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) only to find that the test was deeply flawed…..”
“The truth is that as long as we try to force every kid through a one size fits all system we will never see improvement. No other country in the world is running an education system on the pretense that all students are the same and as long as we pursue that folly we will continue to waste precious resources and fall further behind our competitors.”
Read the commentary by Bob Dean
Why is math teaching so…..unmathematical?? Here is what some math educators, including former Superintendent Terry Bergeson, believe…
The Fordham Foundation regularly rates the education standards of every state in the Union. The state assessments (e.g. the WASL) are written to assess those learning standards. Washington received “F” grades in English and Math.