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Look into Investigations in Mathematics and other middle school issues (27)
Emphasize reading and writing in math, especially for MSPAP (9)
De-emphasize reading and writing in math, especially for MSPAP (17)
Prepare students better for tests (14)
Preserve ISM's ability to assess math skills for grouping and instruction, but create a more focused set of objectives and assessments (e.g., like those in the revised middle school curriculum) (24)
MIscellaneous Curriculum Issues (36)
Encourage girls to excel in math (5)
Look into these additional math topics (13)
Look into these additional issues (11)
Figure out what teaching method works best, and stick with it (7)
Look into Investigations in Mathematics and other middle school issues
8 Look into IM math.
7 I have been happy with the IM math program and hope that 8th grade algebra continues to challenge my daughter
10 Drop IM.
6 Drop the Math Investigations course as it is poorly written and testing does not coincide with class work.
8 IM course is very confusing!
7 Q14: By all reports, my kids' friends & their parents, the Investigations in Math curriculum (6th & 7th grade option) is unduly confusing & turns kids off. I decided not to put my kid in it in 7th grade. I'd like her to still be able to try Algebra in grade 8, though.
1 I am especially dissatisfied with the IM7 curriculum, and I have another child coming up. The workbooks are not supported by much in the way of explanation, examples, or practice. Nor is there the opportunity for children to work examples & be able to look up the answers to see if they are on the right track. The material is another area of contention. Some of the more difficult material is material most will never see again. There is no help to be offered anywhere. I have searched the internet and gone to school supply stores and nothing! I have had to call the School Board for help. This has been a frustrating year that was supposed to prepare my child for Algebra, but I think has been a year of unnecessary anxiety! I will most likely seek other options for my younger child!
1 Eliminate unnecessary topics totally (e.g., 7th grade -- Z tables)
7 Transition from 6th grade to either IM or Algebra is very confusing; parents have no way to know whether or not their child is "ready" for Algebra in 7th grade. Also, the purpose of IM is unclear, since it is not a prerequisite for Algebra, then what is it?
6 IM7 -- needs to be different alternative for 6th graders who successfully complete Math B but are not ready for Algebra
7 At [ ], you have a choice in 7th grade of Algebra, IM, or plain Math B. If the student needs a challenge between Math B & IM, nothing is offered -- an Honors Math B class should be offered so kids could be grouped according to ability
7 Last summer when [ ] was given her schedule to take GT Transition Math, I wrote explaining that I thought she should be place in GT IM. Nothing was ever done about it & now -- 6 months later, her math teacher says [ ] is too smart/advanced for her class. I explained the process I went through & nothing was ever done. She stayed where she was. It seems it's too late to put her in the higher class. All year she has said the math class was too easy.
7 Why are there so few kids from some elementary schools in IM6?
6 Better communication with high school math dept. to prepare middle schoolers
6 The class (IM) should be broken into various classes -- the "higher" level of kids should be allowed to be taught at a "higher" level without the hindrance of "lower" level
4 I would like to see small groupings for kids at all levels across the county. I know that some middle schools offer GT math -- not all of them do at the same level which is very disappointing to us. I volunteer at the middle school and see that.
6 I think in the MS there should be more levels of math. In 6th grade there are only two levels
5 We have been told that in middle school there will no longer be grouping by ability. This is bad. Students need to learn math with students of similar ability. This is more important in math than any other subject. We were told that this is the first year that the grouping by ability will be no longer available at [ ]. We were told this at middle school orientation.
5 I am concerned that GT math is being eliminated from middle schools (6th grade) and what impact that will have on my son's math experience.
6 Prealgebra class
4 Introduction to middle school math. Prealgebra, precalculus, etc.
8 Algebra for middle school.
7 Provide teachers from high school to come to middle schools to teach Geometry, so that advanced middle schoolers do not have to have 1st period geometry with the high school
8 See attached letter to Superintendent Weast. This is still not happening.
Dear Mr. Weast:
I just finished reading the Bulletin Newsletter dated Nov 27, 2000. I'm very concerned About the Changes in Middle School curriculum. I have a daughter that attends [ ] and she is in the 8th grade, and honor student. This Year she is currently taking Algebra. What I have noticed is that the basic function is not really been implemented. That is more of a rush to get through the subject. I have met with the teacher about my concern and suggested maybe the need Additional teachers (aids to help the students in classroom). How can all the Middle school increased the curriculum with Algebra, Geometry and they are being rush through this new challenges with not enough support for teacher and students.?
5 Math in middle school seems poorly organized and weak. There should be geometry offered at the middle school level, since our middle school is not good at accommodating the schedule to give "commuter math" students the same opportunities/info given to regular students
4 Middle school [ ]: Block scheduling has been a disaster for many students in math due to length of classes (attention issues, wasted time, etc.) and the infrequency (maximum 2-3 times/week) of the classes. Block scheduling should be abolished for math!!!
4 Due to block scheduling at the middle schools, need to provide some advanced mathematics opportunities for highly-able elementary math students.
10 No block scheduling!
Emphasize reading and writing in math, especially for MSPAP:
5 More writing in math
6 Reading comprehension
4 Word problems
5 Align math curriculum with statewide testing.
3 Parallel ISM objectives to tests (MSPAP, etc.)
? Structure & curriculum that reflects MSPAP and CTBS
4 More improvement on reading & explain on each questions
4 A greater focus needs to be made on story problems -- if that is the type given on your standardized tests -- help the kids get it!
3 Handwriting for the numbers receives no attention. There are only 10 numbers. They should learn to write them legibly.
De-emphasize reading and writing in math, especially for MSPAP:
4 Less emphasis on writing and more on computation/problem solving
4 Additionally, he has had homework that was way beyond any skills he has been taught, particularly for solving word problems. (They are practicing for CRTs, MSPAPs,& CTBSs -- teaching to the test.)
5 Do NOT under any circumstances align the curriculum to the MSPAP. It turns math exercises into writing exercises. I realize this may be too late for Montgomery County, which is the start of a tragedy -- it will result in ever lower cores.
5 Less emphasis on writing about math & the process --that's fine as a writing assignment but it comes at the expense of mastering mathematical concepts.
MSPAP preparation is a waste of classroom time!
3 I also believe in memorizing the multiplication table, and in more math problems & fewer math/writing questions. I think that with the open-ended math questions that require long written answers, there are two main issues: 1) the correct mathematical answer to a problem may be overlooked if the thinking process is sound; and 2) children with verbal issues (such as dyslexia) who previously could possibly thrive in math now face great difficulties in that subject, too.
4 Less emphasis on writing out answers & explanations
3 Poems on triangles and essays on how a problem was solved are fine for developing writing skills but detract from achieving mastery of basic skills, esp. in lower grades.
4 Though it has not been a problem for my daughter, because she is a good writer, I have heard repeatedly that the requirement to explain the math answer verbally (esp. 3rd grade) really penalizes kids who aren't great verbally, but are excellent in math.
1 Also, I have real problems with new testing methodology in which you expect students to explain in narrative form how they arrived at their answers. This unfairly penalizes kids who may be strong in mathematical skills, but not in verbal/articulation skills. This type of blended testing, I think, presents a distorted assessment of kids' computational/mathematical abilities. Let's face it, people who are good with numbers go to business school and not law school for a reason. Of course, I grant you that in an ideal world it would be great if kids could write and explain the basis for their answers as well as they compute. But test situations are not "ideal worlds." Tests should be geared toward measuring a particular skill set as precisely as it can. If a student wrote really well and explained her reasoning clearly and convincingly, but somehow failed to arrive at the correct numeric answer, would she still get a high score under the current system?
4 Too much stress on children having to write about how they arrived at a solution. My gifted-and-talented son can arrive at answers easily but finds it torturous -- and meaningless -- to explain every step. It turns him off math, which otherwise he loves.
5 Our son did the same story problems for 5 months for math homework. No child could be expected to retain interest in mundane problems. Too much hope placed in the Maryland Testing System. Concentrate on higher expectations. Tests only measure memorization, not potential.
3 Reduce the word problems requiring explanation beyond the child's age
9 My concern arises from what I hear of pending changes: To an approach that requires students to write out much more of their thinking. This penalizes students who are quite talented mathematically, but for whom the heavy writing load of MCPS is already overwhelming, turning their strong subject into yet another writing chore, and reason to dislike school. Some children have motor-speed difficulties, and should be permitted to get by with more mental math and less written production, and enjoy their math aptitudes. Instead, they become weary in math class as well.
Our son's 8th grade teacher insisted the students "show their work," copying each & every step just as she presented them. They were marked down when they were able to mentally skip steps. Thus their writing load was increased, and their use of diverse problem solving strategies was hampered.
5 Assessments based on writing ability, grammar, etc. need to be completely removed from the math curriculum. Fuzzy math, group work, "how I feel about math" needs to be completely removed. Graphing, drawing circles, and all other pseudo-math needs to be removed.
5 Too much pressure is being put on the teachers because of the MSPAP and CRT scores. The children spend a lot of time focusing on how to take those tests. There is little focus on giving our teachers the ability to be creative to keep the children interested in learning.
4 I think that the tests should include more questions (not [illegible] one to three questions), more different types of questions in the same test.
Prepare students better for tests:
6 Weekly quizzes in class so that teachers can assess students' progress or lack thereof. Right now, I don't know if the teachers know when a student needs help or not. While I finished Calculus II in college, I am not the one best able to explain 6th grade math
Thank you!
8 Better test prep
11 Algebra, Geometry exams did not test material as presented in class. My son does very well always has on math, until poor scores on the county wide exam. Where do these things come from
1 Cumulative, regular quizzes/testing
2 Give them regular math exam
7 Homework, tests and quizzes
6 Consistency with teacher -- more classroom review before testing
7 That the math curriculum & instruction will support the questions that are on the major grade finals
8 Make sure students have the basics to do well on CRTs.
6 To make sure student meets all criteria on CRT.
7 Student level evaluation and test review
4 More parent involvement & discussion re MCPS goals to meet standards, not just teaching to the test.
1 Less testing
6 Stick to planned test/quizzes. Do not drop grades because students do not do well
Preserve ISM's ability to assess math skills for grouping and instruction, but create a more focused set of objectives and assessments (e.g., like those in the revised middle school curriculum):
6 Keep the ISMs -- useful for assessing performance
1 Continue use of ISMs to realize individuals abilities in math.
5 Q12: Very informed. ISM levels report says it all
4 Continued use of ISM for tracking progress
7 More up-to-date student record profiles sent home to parents. Keep track of student progress!!
4 Frequent quizzes (especially after students are introduced to a new idea). What I try with my child which has help me a great deal is giving him quizzes right after I teach him or when we go over some material. This way he listens more carefully doing my teaching. Math curriculum are not (in elem level) on the high end in general. I expect my child to always achieve higher than grade level. I find grade level one whole level behind.
2 Q6: Our child has not been ISM tested beyond the curriculum. The report card reads "on grade level" which is not correct.
Q11: IN school, she is not challenged. However, outside of school the tutor is great, at $60 per hour.
Q14: Allow children to progress to their level of ability. More class time and math homework which is challenging
4 The non-MSPAP testing (ISMs) that is done on the modules need to match the skills taught. E.g., the children are often not tested to level where we see what the material covered is being tested. Test graphs often show attempted and accomplished but little is above grade level to see if child capable of the work.
4 Children performing above grade level should not be determined by the ISM only. The ISM is not used to measure this accurately.
4 Graded tests need to be sent home. This ISM business is ridiculous -- very secretive. Parents are not notified if an ISM is not passed, let alone know which parts their child is not getting. No ISM info was sent home in 1999-2000 year except Sept at 99 which was what was sent home in June 99. In Sept 2000 I got an ISM report, but have not received any since from the school. I have had to ask for my child's ISM scores.
Additionally, my child at the end of 2nd grade has passed all ISM objectives for K, 1st & 2nd grades plus he had passed 3 ISM objectives for 3rd grade. At the end of 3rd grade, he had not passed 7 3rd grade ISMs. Now in 4th grade he has not passed 4 ISMs that he's been given. So he has 11 3rd & 4th grade ISM objectives he has not passed & I see no evidence that anything is being done to help him get these skills.
He scored less than 650 on the 3rd grade CRT in math., He got B's last year and A's this year. I see a contradiction here.
5 Also -- why do we not receive ISMs with report cards, as other schools do?
5 Retain ISM system with revision to exclude some less-essential objectives.
3 A better connection, global overview, between the various ISM
2 ISM objectives system has to be revised, it's not always consistent with what's being done in class.
5 ISMs should be replaced for 1-5 with the 6-8 system.
5 In addition, I believe our ISM system may be focusing too much on passing tests and not enough on mastering concepts.
5 Move away from ISM testing; replace it with a system of teaching and testing that builds an integrated base of knowledge
2 Q7: Needs to be more consistent
Q14: Textbooks in lower grades. Need more review, more basic facts. Get rid of ISMs. Use a sensible math textbook series starting in 1st grade.
2 I find the ISMs very confusing
7 Get away from the ISMs, start algebra & geometry early
1 More than 1 person to do ISM testing in the school; better, no ISMs as these only measure short-term memory;
7 Too much testing
5 Get rid of ISMs. They put tremendous pressure on teacher to accumulate tests for the students, sometimes at the expense of exploring topics in more depth. Also, since the ISM tests are given as soon as the unit has been taught, there is no way of knowing if the knowledge has been retained for more than a week.
4 ISMs should be eliminated. Teacher made & textbook tests should be given. All schools should use the same text & materials.
Miscellaneous Curriculum Issues:
Encourage girls to excel in math:
5 Encourage girls to excel in math. The numbers still seem low in the higher level math classes.
2 Also, not to be sexist, maybe we should concentrate more on the girls learning math since boys seem to learn math better.
3 By 2nd grade, the girls are already identifying math as "masculine" and starting to move away. Teachers need to be more conscious of encouraging them to excel.
6 More needs to be done to encourage girls in middle school math. We are seeing a very typical dropoff in confidence level & thus interest in math even though our daughter has always been highly able in math.
5 Math anxiety in adolescent girls
Look into these additional math topics:
4 Move earlier towards computer-related math
5 I would like to see software (with math features) introduced -- for example, EXCEL. I went into the 5th grade computer lab and taught a few basic commands (in EXCEL) to the kids. Most of them really enjoyed it.
2 Have children work on math problems on the computer. My kids (1 girl & 1 boy) really enjoy using math programs designed for PCs.
6 The Area of Algebra, and calculus, indices, and general math areas need to be improved!
3 Algebraic functions need to be learned earlier and taught to the children
4 Math puzzles
Geometry
4 Geometry
5 Geometry
10 AAF is a waste of time. Geometry should have trig component.
5 Rounding
1 Stress set theory & number theory, properties & basic concepts using concrete objects; realize that just because kids can punch calculator buttons does not mean that they comprehend the material.
5 Concepts for everything that has to do with math
1 Provided math concept and theory
Look into these additional issues:
5 I think most of things need to make my child to be improved in math is ESOL class!
2 More instruction in Espanish.
7 There MUST be more communication between grade levels and most especially between school levels (elem --> middle and middle --> HS)
3 Align K-11 curriculum with system-wide & cluster-based goals for student completion of college-level math by end of 12th grade,
2 Continuity among feeder schools
11 Better classroom management
6 The behavior of children in class, who surround the children who want to learn, and depend on listening to be taught efficiently
2 Study habits of students
7 Q11: No. More a function of her lack of interest than any major instructional deficiency, but I wish she'd take it more seriously
8 Math labs
Instructional (computer material)
7 Additional equipment
Figure out what teaching method works best, and stick with it:
10 Curriculum changes so much -- parents have little faith in success. No accountability as to what program works and why. No proof. Change before have time to see results.
Teachers are often being trained in this new program without themselves fully buying into the program.
1 You need to figure out what teaching methodology makes the most sense and not switch to another system just because it's new and touted by one group or another. My sense is that, by the time my child gets to 3rd or 4th grade, the teachers are going to be "cross-eyed" from going back and forth with the different instructional methodologies being considered. I don't want my child to be a guinea pig while the school board is figuring out how to best teach math. I've seen this happen with the reading program -- disastrous results. Change for change's sake is not desirable. Learn from other jurisdictions' mistakes or positive experiences. I don't think it's important to be the "first one on the block" to do things. Rather, a more judicious approach over time is the way to go.
2 They need to stop changing the way it is taught -- ISM vs. MLO [Maryland Learning Outcomes]
2 Stop experimenting with teaching methods
7 MCPS has to decide what they are teaching.
2 Also, I have the impression the curriculum is in flux, and am hoping the issues regarding it can be resolved so the teachers and staff can focus on teaching the subject & the children.
5 Give the teachers more freedom to choose curriculum & supplementary materials.