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December 7, 2006

New Math Curriculum Draws Complaints


Connected Math textbooks for one year and the equivalent Singapore Math version.
Brandon Lorenz:

A recent meeting at Central Middle School attracted about 50 people to discuss concerns with the district's Connected Mathematics Project, a new constructivist approach that was introduced in sixth, seventh and eighth grades this year.

Another meeting for parents is scheduled for Dec. 13 at Horning Middle School.

Such new math programs rely on more hands-on activities and problem-solving skills than traditional programs.

Speaking with Zaborowski, Lynn Kucek said she was worried the math program would make it more difficult for her daughter, who does well in other subjects, to get into college.

More on Connected Math and the recent Math Forum.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at December 7, 2006 11:31 AM
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Comments

The latest, December 2006 issue of the American Mathematical Monthly, an official publication of the Mathematical Association of America, contains an 18-page article entitled "A study of Core-Plus students attending Michigan State University" by Richard Hill and Thomas Parker, professors at MSU who teach pre-service high school math teachers.

They state that, "as the implementation progressed, from 1996 to 1999, Core-Plus students placed into, and enrolled in, increasingly lower level courses; this downward trend is statistically robust (p

The grades the Core-Plus students earned in their university mathematics courses are also below average, except for a small group of top students. ACT scores suggest the existence but not the severity of these trends."

Posted by: Janet Mertz at December 10, 2006 9:07 PM

I found out from Steffen Lempp that you can see this study at Thomas Parker's webpage at Michigan State. Parker has written a textbook for Elementary Math Teaching that uses Singapore Math. There is lots of info about this book. Also, he is currently teaching a math class for elementary teachers and there is plenty of material re this class. It's definitely worth a look.

Posted by: celeste roberts at December 12, 2006 9:30 AM