Ulcca Joshi Hansen and Dave Kung:
What Maryland students need is an approach that focuses on conceptual understanding, while building fluency with a few core procedures — exactly the approach laid out in the proposal. Here’s what needs to change to prepare Maryland students with math skills to thrive in today’s world:
1. Update math content: When every phone has a powerful calculator, we should spend less time on computation and more time on helping students make sense of the content. And in today’s digital world, data literacy and statistics are more important than ever — but still largely overlooked. Maryland’s proposal does this by replacing the outdated Algebra/Geometry/Algebra 2 sequence with two years of integrated content grounded in data and focused on conceptual understanding.
2. Change professional development for teachers: Most of us learned in a system that emphasized getting the right answer over understanding concepts. Classes followed an “I do, we do, you do” script. But as educators, we’ve known that when students are asked to explain their thinking — including what led them to wrong answers — mathematicalunderstanding truly grows. Professional learning that helps teachers leverage mistakes into valuable learning opportunities should be the norm. Though Maryland’s proposed policy is light on the details, professional learning is emphasized throughout the proposal.
3. Assess the system without over-testing kids: The specter of constant testing pushes teachers to drill for right answers instead of focusing on understanding. Testing randomly chosen students, classrooms and schools (like NAEP does) helps us measure progress without subjecting all students to a barrage of tests. When we do test, AI can help us evaluate student thinking without overburdening our hardworking teachers. Unfortunately, the proposal doesn’t cut back on the testing Maryland’s students face.
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