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Offer more challenge and a faster pace for students who need it (73)
Offer a slower pace for students who need it (43)
Set higher expectations for all students (26)
Continue to make sure children are challenged, but not overloaded (13)
Give more time and emphasis to math (37)
Create a "math initiative" similar to reading initiative (20)
Ambivalent, mixed opinion, unclear (14)
Offer more challenge and a faster pace for students who need it:
5 More consistent implementation of accelerated instruction for capable students.
3 He's doing the same thing as his 1st grade sister at the moment -- and he's in the "advanced" math class
5 Q11: Yes. Would like more aggressive program
More programs for advanced math within each school
3 Allowing children to move ahead if they are able
5 Give more challenging work to students who are able.
Separate students at different levels
5 Accelerated instruction needed badly!!
5 Keeping the students challenged
7 Sixth grade math was a complete waste of time repeating fifth grade math.
K Better transition during 5th & 6th grade as well as more advanced opportunities through high school.
7 Q6: Yes, this year. Last year my child learned nothing in math. This year's teacher has given her extra work to catch her up.
Q14: This year is OK, but the curriculum in general has not been challenging enough
1 No, because my child is extremely advanced (~5th grade) in math & the school has not been able to do much. He is sent to a math aide for 10-15 minutes per week all by himself. His math instruction is substantially below his level.
3 I believe she could be challenged more
3 Yes. For the most part, although my child thinks it could be more challenging.
2 Q4: Doesn't matter so long as the children are challenged
Q7: There is certainly room for more advanced math. I would like to see less coloring, cutting, & sticking.
3 More GT differentiation
3 More ability for children to learn at their own levels
2 Q11: Needs to be harder
3 Yes. The progress can be faster but the opportunity is not there!
K OK -- could be more challenged this year!
4 He does well with the low level given him. I wish he were more challenged. Is that YES or NO?
4 No. I want faster progress.
4 No. Losing ground on his ISMs. Has trouble with word problems. He's below grade in reading despite my best efforts at helping him.
1 Yes on his own. No -- dissatisfied with his school
1 I am satisfied with his progress, but the work is not challenging for him.
2 Allow a child to advance as quickly as he can to avoid boredom
5 More advanced
2 Children need to be taught according to ability and be challenged -- not teaching to the average kid.
7 I like the HS program and the MS too. But in the elementary level, I think they go way too slow, and they lose too much time repeat same things.
2 Q6: Yes. Sometimes it could be more challenging.
2 More advanced math for those students who can handle it
3 Challenge the children to the best of their ability
3 Q6: Yes. Maybe still not challenging enough
Q14: Differentiation among children of differing abilities
5 Q11: Lacks certainty -- not as confident in his skills -- more challenges needed with praise! He's done 5th grade math in 3rd grade at another school. Boredom.
Q14: Would like more challenging math -- interesting ways to teach it especially
2 The accelerated instruction that my child receives now should have begun during the 1st grading period.
3 Q7: More advanced and more structured
2 Increasing rigor
7 Please take math instruction out of the "pace" classes. The math assignments are 4 years beneath my child's abilities. My child doesn't appreciate busy work.
7 More extension activities
K Q9: Way too easy!
6 Will [ ] offer math beyond AP Calculus to those students who are on an accelerated math track? (i.e. students who will complete geometry in 8th grade)
3 Needs more rigor
7 Continue magnet and GT programs
6 Q5: Yes. As long as curriculum is challenging, not watered-down such that it affects CRTs
3 More intentional acceleration of gifted students,
6 My child was an A student before entering the Magnet Program. She is now a C student. Although I expected that she would not do as well grouped with more advanced students, I can't help but think that her elementary school did not challenge her. As a GT student in [ ], I don't think she was (or any GT student was) challenged with a different curriculum. [ ] was not interested in that in my mind. Now I think she is playing catch up.
1) The average Montgomery County student needs to be challenged. 2) Schools must give more emphasis to the GT program. Not just lip service!
3 The jump from 2nd to 3rd grade was dramatic. I'd suggest a better, stronger, more challenging 2nd grade curriculum. My child is in a 4th grade math book now in 3rd grade!
1 More challenging
4 More advanced instruction
2 More challenging, higher level instruction
3 It should be more difficult
7 Make it more challenging in elementary school
2 Q9: Easy. Did a lot of the work in 1st grade
5 I felt that in 4th grade my son made little progress in math -- reviewed previously learned material
7 More advanced honors classes in middle school
7 Q11: Yes this year, but 2 previous years, I felt he wasn't challenged
2 Q11: Would like more challenging work
Q14: I have been in contact with my child's math teacher to develop more challenging work. I would like to see (1) more after school enrichment (2) opportunities to be placed in higher grade level math (3) smaller classes with tighter ability groupings (4) more aides for math (4) if children have mastered ISMs for their grade, then instruction tailored to meet their level, not just more busy work at the same level of material they have already mastered
K For the case of my child, it would be really good if he is allowed to sit with kids in Grade 1 (or 2). His teachers are good, but there is really not much that he can learn (in math/English) in his current class. Just my opinion. Thanks!
4 Lessons & assignments should be given based on ability. My child is in the highest math group, yet is not challenged nor has he learned anything new this year.
4 The curriculum should cater to students who have the ability to do more advanced level
2 Q6: Unsure. He does not appear challenged.
2 Q11: No. Even though his grades are outstanding.
Q13: None, hopefully -- we are moving him to private school.
2 Q6: Not hard enough
Q11: Needs to be challenged more
3 I think the school is good at providing math for most students, but is not able to handle the needs of children who are ready to be accelerated. It seems that the parents really have to push to get their children to be taught at a higher level. As a parent, it is hard to know what resources are available in the school system.
3 Q14: More challenging in kindergarten & 1st grade for children who can handle it.
7 More differentiation in lower grades
K There's next to no math in K! My daughter has only brought 2 math homework assignments -- frequency charts. How about some problems!
2 Q11: I believe he could be challenged more
Q14: Re-establish the accelerated math program at [ ]
1 Q11: Not challenged enough, too much busywork
1 Q11: Way too basic. My child has been "parked" for 2 years now. I'm told it is the county's fault because of the county curriculum guide!
2 As the parent of a middle schooler, I saw that by 5th grade the top math students were no longer challenged. The elementary schools need to be prepared to take these students as far as they can go.
1 More challenging math enrichment opportunities for children of higher ability
1 Move faster in the early grades
K Q7: Could be more advanced & faster paced
Q14: Teach more in early grades K-2
Teach to each child's needs individually
9 Q7: He finds the instruction "boring"
2 Harder assignments
1 Challenge those that want to be challenged. (Simply ask the child -- I just did and he says he wants more challenge.)
K My kindergarten child constantly asks for more challenging math work -- additional work.
K Q6: I think my child could be challenged more
Q14: More challenging work for students who are interested
K Extra work included in homework
K My daughter's math skills have deteriorated since she was 3 years old. I find this distressing.
3 Q6: Could be more accelerated
Q14: Less repetition, more acceleration. My child knew her basic math facts before entering first grade. She had to suffer through repetition for 2 years.
2 Q11: She could be challenged even more
3 More advanced level.
1 Students who show particular interest in math should be more challenged.
6 Ensure that students are given the opportunity to be challenged
3 Challenging regularly with new concepts
1 Q9: Super easy - infantile
Q11: No challenges have been given yet this year
2 Q9: Too easy
1 Individualized attention. Pushing children beyond a comfort level to reach greatest learning potential.
1 Taking children as afar as they're conceptually able to go. My son understands multiplication and division conceptually but his classroom math work hasn't tackled this yet -- nor does it.
1 More accelerated math needs to be a regular part of the early curriculum
4 Challenge the students to achieve more. Make the program more difficult.
5 Children need to be taught at their level in school, in the six hours a day spent in classes, not by being given extra homework, or, alternatively, having parents hire a tutor for someone who is struggling. We are having a good year this year, but some years have been difficult.
2 Q11. No. Only because we accelerate it at home is he moving at all.
Q14. The math is too easy altogether. My child needs instruction at a higher level. I want it school supported.
3 More differentiation
More challenge
5 Q3: He is in the highest group but that is not challenging for him.
2 Q7: I think there should be a chance for more challenge
2 Q11: No. Would like him to move ahead faster
Q14: Expect more from students
Break down "grade" barriers -- let kids who are more advanced go with older kids
1 Students who show particular interest in math should be more challenged
3 Q11: Without my help, he would not progress. This is a problem.
1 Greater challenge for those who need it
5 My son is doing very well and learning a lot this year with an excellent teacher. Last year in 4th grade at the Highly Gifted Center, there was little if any new math concepts taught. Even after requesting and pleading, students did random math puzzle worksheets for homework. Little progress was made in math the whole year.
K The ISM goals for kindergarten are way too low!
4 Challenge the child a little more
5 I would like instruction at my child's level, but the school does not have the resources and the teacher doesn't have appropriate training
1 Math is currently taught at such a slow pace that my child does not feel challenged. A subject ought to be taught for a few weeks and moved on to a new one
2 Teach to the fullest extent of child's abilities; accelerate
6 There is a great need for more advanced math programs throughout Montgomery County. When my son was in grade school, we had to supplement his math needs with the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth math classes. If he was not in the magnet program, we would probably be homeschooling him now. There needs to be more than one magnet school of 100 slots in Montgomery County. Hundreds of students applied to the program, which shows the need for more. There should also be some magnet math & science schools closer to the middle of the county. My son needs to get up at 5:30 AM just to get on the road to be at Takoma park Middle School by 8:00. If the math programs in the middle schools were more challenging, he would not have to make this trip.
The math program in his grade school was so unchallenging that he was able to read books (under his desk) during math, and still earn (very easy) A's!!!!
3 Expect more in the earlier grades. Kids that are capable of learning concepts from a higher grade should be taught them and not held back because of the grade they are in.
5 For children who are ready, I would like to see instruction that moves through more than a year's worth of ISMs in a school year. Instead I keep hearing that teachers don't have enough time to get through the 33 or so ISMs prescribed in a single year.
In sports we allow students to perform at their ability level and continue to coach them to grow, as they are capable. We don't hold them back so others will not feel bad about their ability. Let's do the same for academic subjects like Math.
4 Start algebra earlier. My older child had a whole year of repeat math in middle school.
5 Faster pace for those who are ready for it
3 Needs to be up to level of private schools. The kids are desperate to be challenged.
2 More challenging assignments for capable students
5 It would be nice if there was a way to give a student extra work if he or she already understands the topic the class is doing
5 Make sure there is sufficient support & challenge for students above grade level, not just those below.
2 More challenging assignments.
2 The opportunity to participate in advanced math groups appropriate for his age/grade but at a challenging level
6 She could have moved faster in elementary school (6th grader now taking IM7 & getting A's)
2 If a child is ready for more challenging work, don't hold him back because of other students in the group
5 Students that are ready for a more accelerated program should be encouraged to move on and not be held back due to lack of staff or ability to program to meet all students' needs.
5 Children's potentials need to be met and students need to continually challenged
3 There's a real dumbing down this year. He's not being challenged. He could be excited & soaring, like last year, but he's not this year. It's a shame.
2 My child has not been sufficiently evaluated in the school in order for the teacher to know accurately what she knows that goes beyond the second or third grade level of ISMs for which the teacher is allowed to test. The teacher has far too many children in her class to accommodate adequately the needs of gifted children -- a Catch-22 because of course MCPS have not officially labeled my child gifted, as such testing doesn't occur until this month across second grade. As a result, my child knows less now about multiplication, division, and geometry than she did upon leaving her Montessori primary class at the end of the equivalent of kindergarten. I suggest employing the model of the MCPS reading initiative to math; smaller classes -- even for 45 minutes per day and ability grouping. Math education in the primary grades of MCPS is extremely weak & very disappointing. The attitude toward my daughter seems to be, well, she knows it already, we don't need to worry about her. A mere 1/2 hour of so-called enrichment, doing mathmagical exercises, was offered to my daughter for five 1/2-hour sessions -- during recess. Only five weeks, once per weak. Exasperatingly weak. MCPS and our principal talk a good game about "raising the bar" but I have seen scant evidence of this at our school. These kids are capable of so much!
1 More frequent testing to allow them to progress faster.
11 Make sure the brighter students are properly prepared for the more difficult colleges
1 Challenging work for my child
5 Challenging the children
6 Let students advance more rapidly in the early grades if they are able.
8 My daughter wasted part of the grade in a less advanced math class
11 More rigor! It's not rigorous enough!
4 ISM tends to hold back brighter students. Not challenging enough in elem grades
3 Keep challenging the kids
5 Whole class participates in very slow math drills. Whole class still identifying "coins! in 1st grade! She understands multiplication concepts . . . class still is working single digit addition and subtraction. The math is not challenging -- it is below her ability.
K Appropriate instruction for ability and encouragement to progress
1 My daughter loved math last year and does not appear to be challenged in it this year. She often complains of being bored and learning kindergarten things. Unfortunately she is not at 2nd grade level to be pulled out for special services if there are any. So she is left behind to miss out on the learning that she so desires.
K Needs rigorous math instruction
4 More preparation for Algebra at the elementary level. More quality of instruction.
5 Need to cover more areas from the younger grades and not wait until middle school
1 Acceleration AND enrichment
4 More advanced level courses offered, especially in high school, and more flexibility.
5 Availability of geometry in middle school. Post-calculus class taught in high school.
4 Early introduction to geometry and algebra
5 Increased rigor and more parent involvement in placement
2 I would like to see instruction at a more challenging level for my child, and a willingness or ability to introduce a wider range of math concepts.
2 Q10: No. He could do it in his sleep.
Q11: No. Not sufficiently challenged.
Q14: Much too much emphasis on telling time, reading graphs, and basic addition & subtraction. My son was doing all of that in kindergarten.
It needs to be revamped with an initiative like the reading initiative. Most of the 1st and 2nd graders I know are bored in math and are not being adequately challenged. These kids are ripe to learn. Keep them excited by meeting the needs of the more advanced students.
2 More advanced math with greater emphasis on logic/problem solving.
3 Q8: None that we can tell. Our student is in the 3rd grade GT program, but is getting NO supplemental work we are aware of.
Q11: No. She should be progressing faster.
4 To get gifted children with a gifted program
2 Math instruction needs to be differentiated
More challenges offered
7 There is little flexibility in the curriculum to advance the kids beyond what the curriculum prescribes. I think the children need to be challenged to go beyond curriculum mandates.
3 Q7: Needs to be more advanced
Q11: No. not challenged
Q14: My child is in the "advanced" group (there are 3 groups in the grade) but this group includes children from middle to high ability. My child is of high ability and has found the work extremely easy. Last year, some students in the advanced group were given extra or harder homework (double digit instead of single, etc.) but this year everyone is treated the same. At the end of 2nd grade, my child was doing double digit multiplication. Now, in 3rd grade he won't start multiplication until March. I have talked to parents at other MCPS where 3rd graders have done multiplication since Oct. So here's what I think:
1) Within each level, the more advanced children should be given extra or harder work. At lower levels, this will help those children move up to the next level. It helps with boredom and self-esteem.
2) Parents should be more informed of the curriculum and any assessments of their child. As well as any opportunities for extra instruction for kids who are behind or ahead.
3) There should be more consistency from one grade to the next. Some review is necessary but in general the instruction should pick up where the child left off.
Thanks
1 Would like my child to be challenged more
10 Q11: No. I'm pleased with his progress, but he is bored.
Q14: The kids need to be stimulated and challenged.
K Availability of more advanced curriculum earlier in age for those that need it. Our child has shown a very high math aptitude at a young age. There are no resources available for more advanced curriculum because of his young age.
3 With the current math instruction my son is receiving, I do not see him having the proficiency he should have in math to allow him to progress to Algebra I by 8th grade and finish calculus by 12th grade. The class structure is designed to ensure mediocrity, and that is what it is getting from my son. Too large a group is together for math instruction, which has children with too great a variance in learning ability together. The quick to learn are held back by the ones who do not have the ability to grasp new concepts quickly. Behavior problem children are also kept in the big group ensuring everyone does not get the lesson for the day unless they all stay in for recess. My son is becoming increasingly frustrated. I am trying to fill in the best I can at home because he is not getting all that he should from school.
Smaller groups are needed for math along with homework to enforce what is being taught in the classroom.
3 Introduce advanced topics to gifted students earlier
Focus on logic and problem solving in addition to the regular curriculum
5 Q11: No. Too easy
Q14: Advanced math must be offered to the more capable students
5 Tougher math in grade school for those who can handle it
3 I have been tremendously disappointed in the math curriculum that is being presented by my third-grade son this year. My major areas of concern are noted below.
o My son's third grade class spent approximately the first six weeks of school reviewing the math fundamentals learned in second grade. If this pattern continues, by the time he graduates, he will have spent nearly two academic years reviewing information -- time that could be spent on learning new information.
o The assignments are too simplistic. There are one-page homework papers with about 10-20 problems, which he completes in less than 15 minutes. Since he never brings home the math book that his class is using (and neither do his peers, according to their parents), it is difficult to reinforce what was actually taught in class by creating enrichment problems or demonstrating real-life applications.
o There is no pull-out program. With the instruction geared toward the average learner, no one in the class really gets the kind of support needed -- there are not adequate resources to provide the more fundamental instruction needed by those at the lower end, the work is not challenging for those at the upper end.
o There is no math component in the GT track at the school. The GT curriculum is structured around the William & Mary program, which emphasizes development of verbal skills. Although we've seen positive effects of the William & Mary program, it offers no enrichment opportunities for students who excel in math.
o The math curriculum does not seem congruent with the reading program. For example, my son's reading assignments include vocabulary words such as pandemonium, confidential, and communications while his math assignments consist primarily of problems like "40+30=__" and "In the number 53, what number is in the ones place?"
o As of this last week in February, my son is still not doing math work as advanced as he was doing at the end of second grade. At the completion of second grade, he was doing long division comprised of dividing a single-digit number into a three- or four-digit number, with and without a remainder. Division has not yet been discussed in his third grade class.
o My son is curious about percentages and negative integers. I have relayed this information to his teacher. Rather than receiving assignments in these areas, I received advice that he needs to understand the concepts. If our system truly advocated success for every child, I believe that there would be a mechanism for responding to and encouraging this type of curiosity, rather than dampening it. Perhaps this explains why so many of our neighbors with highly-abled children have chosen to move their children to other schools.
6 Select high level textbook
Give more homework
Give child knowledge according to his ability to absorb information
Competition between kids to make it more fun
1 Faster rate of introducing new skills with continuous practice with skills & concepts that have been grasped (lots of opportunity to retain basic skills and realize connection with higher level skills, i.e., addition and multiplication)
3 Do not hold some students back while waiting for others to "catch up"
5 Push the envelope. Move the kids as fast as they can master the subject. Don't slow down for the weakest child. . . move her to another classroom.
2 As kids progress they must be fed work on their level and not held back waiting for others to catch up
6 Keep the students interested. Don't hold them back.
6 Look at 6th and GT math. Maybe beef it up
2 Q6: Yes. But I think they spend too long on each topic & interest is lost.
4 Too much time is spent on review in her class
4 New -- interesting -- challenging -- In 3rd grade towards the end of year he started on multiplication -- He went to summer math camp to reinforce that & other math skills and did fine. When starting off in 4th grade, they have not yet reached the level he accomplished in summer camp. He seems to be falling behind.
2 Differentiate according to child's abilities
4 Maybe assign several homeworks at once and allow students to move at their own pace (some faster, some slower).
3 The improvement most needed is in the classrooms, meaning ability level appropriate and parent information
Offer a slower pace for students who need it:
8 Taking the pace at the need and ability of the students. Not trying to move so fast to be able to "say" the teacher covered it.
2 I also have a 2nd grader in the highest math group. Our school began the "Mad Minute" this year. It was extremely stressful for my son, even though he was earning 100% on it. I think they should wait to do the "Mad Minute" until perhaps second semester, after the children have matured a little.
12 More time for help and not so much time on getting everything done.
4 Cover more things for a longer time period.
2 I'd like to see more time spent on areas covered. Also for the child that is struggling with a particular area, extra work to be sent home besides homework & inform parents of the child's weak areas.
3 In the elementary grades -- more time for mastery. The method seems to drill not to educate -- teaching for testing is not beneficial in the long run. The curriculum now bounces back & forth -- the cohesiveness is lacking! Young children need repetition & time to master!
6 Instruction -- sometimes goes along too fast & kids do not know what is going on
11 Q7: Less advanced. More time needs to be given to mastery. Too much teach and go.
Q14: STOP teach & go approach
STOP forcing (pushing) higher skills at lower grade levels just to look good
WAY TOO MUCH PUSHING into higher math levels too fast for most students. BASICS HAVE BEEN THROWN OUT.
3 Not accelerating the classes so rapidly that they do not receive a solid foundation in the basics
3 I think that at the advanced levels some of the basics are overlooked. For example, my child is doing division, but he never had any instruction on multiplication tables.
6 Be sure every child has learned current lesson before moving on to new material. (Don't come back to it later, get it done now.) This is something I've had a problem with since 1st grade. Teachers feel [illegible]
Again, be sure that the child has learned the topic before starting the next one. If some have learned and others have not, go ahead and move forward with the ones that have learned the topic thoroughly. But don't move ahead with the ones that haven't fully grasped the topic. Continue to work with them until they fully understand what was taught.
7 When a child does not master a particular math concept they are moved along to the next chapter when they never accomplished the previous lesson(s). This only aids the student in becoming further & further behind!
8 There should be more time spent on a topic before moving on. Students should have more exercises to practice with at home
5 More time spent in each area, especially with the mult. & div. Basics
4 Q6: Yes. But isn't taught well enough in school.
Q7: Less advanced. Needs more time for basic multiplication, division, etc.
Q11: Needs more time learning the basics
Q14: Curriculum doesn't need to move so fast. Basic skills (mult. & division) need more time so they become easy enough to do by sight -- not fingers. More classroom teaching -- less trial & error.
3 Spend a little longer on each "new" skills; don't hurry through lessons in order to meet spring testing schedules
6 Go slower, spend more time on each level of math
6 Q11: I'm concerned that the teacher "moves on" before my daughter/other students may be ready
3 Too much too fast. Just catching on to one concept when has to try to learn another new one.
5 Children in the elementary grades go from one concept to the next without understanding them completely or learning them. The next year they have to review everything they learned the year before and so on. This does not help anybody.
The brighter kids (or kids that get help at home) get slowed down by having to review the same things year after year. The slower students never spend enough time working on a concept in a given year to really understand that concept.
As an example, both my children started to learn the multiplication tables in third grade. They are both intelligent. By the time they moved to something else in class they still did not know their multiplication tables. I made sure they learned them by drilling them at home. In fourth grade, when they revisited multiplication, they were bored in class, but still many of the kids didn't learn them.
To spend the appropriate amount of time working on a concept within each ability level for the children to really understand that concept in depth before moving on. Scale down reviewing summer math packets at every grade level in elementary and middle schools.
3 More time on a particular unit
3 Longer units of elapsed time
2 Set math book, work longer on a topic/concept area in more detail.
K I think the curriculum for math is a little difficult for kindergarten. I think too much is being expected by them -- compared to my older child (2 years older)
8 The classes shouldn't move as quick as they do
3 Everything is based on learning to the MSPAPs rather than assuring each child understands the concept. For example, the teacher taught division (including division with remainders) in 2 weeks. She had to move on because, she had to cover fractions. I don't understand why we no longer have groupings and why we are teaching for the test only. My daughter is not learning some basic concepts -- but could be if she was taught at her pace and ability.
5 I think the groupings are good and instruction is basically good. I do not think there should be an effort to advance the students through 8th grade math by the end of 5th grade. Even if the child is capable, knowledge of the basics is not firm.
8 I think it is a big mistake to push the curriculum down. There are much better ways of providing for students of different abilities.
2 Some assignments seem too accelerated
9 Slow down the pace of instruction!
3 The pressure for teachers to move ahead to the next year's objectives is wrong!
1 Too much is expected too soon. The curriculum is asking students to do things that average students are not ready for, thus making students feel worse about math. Too much PRESSURE ON OUR CHILDREN!!
2 Some children need more time with certain math problems. Everybody doesn't learn the same way or same time frame.
2 Kids who "don't get it" should be given the time & extra help needed.
3 Q6: Yes -- this year. Last year, it was too advanced and basic concepts were missed. My child has paid for it this year.
Q14: 1) More focus on making sure every child gets it. 2) Do not pitch the level of instruction so high that some students are left behind. 3) Slow down -- help kids figure out how answers are arrived at.
3 Math story problems are a difficult topic. My child gets frustrated and gets turned off about homework. She's a good kid, but the school pressures are hard.
7 Q7: Less advanced. MORE HELP
Q11: Needs more help all classes
Q14: HELP understanding & working toward algebra
9 Stop pushing the math down to 8th grade & earlier. There is too much emphasis on introducing new concepts and then moving on without enough time spent. 8th grade is so important for ratios, percent and fractions. There is no choice but 8th grade algebra.
10 Algebra should not be taught until 8th grade.
2 Why is advanced math being pushed on younger students -- i.e., Algebra in gr. 8? Why the pressure to pass in gr. 8?
7 Algebra should be less difficult
2 Simplify the word problems
4 MCPS math instruction on the whole is developmentally inappropriate. It expects young students to grasp too many concepts too quickly and ignores normal developmental variation. It sets students up to fail. (See attached)
I write these remarks about the Montgomery County Public School math curriculum both as a parent of two children in the system (4th and 6th grade), as a former PTA president and current vice president, and as a Montgomery County school employee. I have worked for the past 5 years as an instructional assistant in an elementary school. I am now on professional leave from my I.A. position because I am student teaching. I hope to be certified as an early childhood teacher in May and employed as a full-time teacher by MCPS in the fall.
In my opinion, there is no aspect of Montgomery County's current curriculum that is more at odds with reliable child development research and teaching best practices guidelines than math. First, it sets up multitudes of annual objectives for children to pass in each grade, so many in fact, that teachers rarely have enough time to teach any of them thoroughly. I call it the Mad Dash curriculum.
These so-called ISM objectives also set the bar too high for the average child. Children with a natural talent for math may sail through their grade level objectives. But a significant number of average students struggle to understand increasingly abstract concepts and multi-step algorithms (place value and addition and subtraction regrouping are perfect examples) that their brains simply haven't developed yet enough to comprehend.
This sets even smart, hard-working kids up for failure. They get "Ns" or "Cs" and "Ds" in math -- that is, unless their teachers fudge the results or alter the ISM assessments to make them more realistic. I've seen that happen a lot, too.
MCPS' math madness grows even worse when one has the misfortune of having a child who has been designated gifted and talented in the subject, as my 11-year old son has. Last year, my son passed numerous 6th and some 7th grade ISM objectives in the fifth grade. He got a "B" in math last year. He was upset by this, since math is his favorite subject and one he has always been proud to excel in.
When I inquired of his teacher how an earth a child who was passing objectives a year or two ahead of his grade level could possibly get a "B," I was told: "Well, he got a "B" essentially in sixth grade math." I concluded at that point that my son probably would never again get an "A" in math again. The more he excels, the higher the bar is set above his head. My, what MCPS is doing for our kids' self-esteem!
I recently demanded that my son be withdrawn from the gifted math class at his middle school. His interim grade in the second marking period was a "D." When he found out, he was inconsolable and cried for hours. He spent lunches with his math teacher, getting extra help and trying to improve his grade. It didn't do much good. The problem was that he was being asked to understand what they now call "pre-algebra." Yet when I looked at his homework assignments, it looked for all the world like what I was working on in eighth grade (and struggling with mightily, I might add).
As I was debating whether to pull my son from this gifted math class, I sought advice from several friends, including two teachers, who also have gifted math students in their family. I discovered the two teachers had also pulled their children out of these gifted classes because they were struggling and demoralized.
The one friend who was not a teacher said her daughter, (a fellow Math Olympiad alumnus along with my son), was getting "Cs" now in math. "I just don't understand how she could have done so well in math for so long, and now she's struggling," she said.
I'm not even going to waste space discussing how incomprehensible and worthless the ISM objective grade sheets sent home to parents are. If it's any consolation, most teachers can't figure them out either.
Were I not seeking a teacher's job in Montgomery County, I would run to testify before the school board about this issue. There is nothing more wrong with our school system now than math. I hope the powers that be at MCCPTA agree with me, and can put enough pressure on MCPS to help fix a curriculum that is hurting our children.