trinchick Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Just received an email from our school district saying that they're dumping EveryDay Math for grades 1 and 2. Sadly, DD is in grade 3 and won't benefit from the new curriculum. Here's a c&p of the email from the school district: Dear Parent/Guardian, As some of you may have heard, the elementary schools have adopted a new math program for students from K to grade 5. Initially we will implement this program in grades one and two and then the remaining grades in the future. For over 10 years the district has used the EveryDay Math curriculum. However, when the new Common Core Math standards were brought forward three years ago, it became evident that the philosophical approach to mathematics was changing. The Common Core emphasizes a “building blocks†foundation for all students, with skills building upon one another. Everyday Math has a “spiraling†approach, which touches on particular skills/concepts/standards but in many cases, mastery of the skill is not expected at that grade level. The skill/concept/standard then spirals to the next year and mastery is built in that fashion. After many months of research, contact with districts throughout the state, and visitations to math classrooms in other school systems, it was decided to adopt the enVisions Math curriculum, which corresponds directly to the Common Core standards and also has a foundational “building blocks†approach. This school year, 2013-14, our first and second grade students will begin the enVisions Math program. The teachers, both regular and special education, began their training at the end of June and training will continue throughout the year. We will kick off this new curriculum over the next 2-3 weeks with the students. I believe you will find the program easy to follow as a parent. There are several links which will assist you, and we will be loading those over the next several weeks. At this point, we want to teach the students the routines and ensure a comfort level for our teachers. An informational overview of the new enVisions Math curriculum will be presented by our elementary math specialists at the Open Houses at each of the schools. The overview sessions will occur 30 minutes prior to next series of Open Houses scheduled at the elementary schools. First and second grade parents will be invited to these by the principals through their weekly email. We are very excited to begin this new curriculum and will continue to support all of our teachers and students this year as the implementation rolls out. I will be sending further information to you regarding online access and links over the next several weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 This school year, 2013-14, our first and second grade students will begin the enVisions Math program. The teachers, both regular and special education, began their training at the end of June and training will continue throughout the year. This statement highlights what is wrong with our educational system. Until this country requires that elementary teachers are proficient in math, it is not going to matter what curriculum program is used. Teachers who actually understand basic math would not need a year's worth of training to teach a math curriculum geared towards 1st and 2nd graders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinchick Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 Yes, I agree that the teachers' competence trumps any curriculum choice. DD's first grade teacher was great. She supplemented the EveryDay Math with her own worksheets, flashcards, etc. to get the fundamentals down. Not so much with her second grade teacher. When I asked her about the spiral math, she just shrugged as if to say she didn't agree with it but couldn't do anything about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beishan Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 My son was using Everyday Math in first grade as well. His teacher supplemented with her own worksheets and notes to parents to practice at home. I grew up in Asia and Signapore math is really easy for me to implement. It's basically open and go for me with just textbook. I think Everyday math is hard when I saw the process my son was learning math in first grade. Everyday math makes the process too complicated in my opinion. Luckily my son was learning ok with both everyday and singapore math. He is in second grade this year and I thought that they will continue with everyday math but my son just told me they are using GO MATH this year. I do not know about GO MATH but we will continue doing singapore after school anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 I'm glad that your district is changing. I am teaching a boy with enVision grade 1 and its okay, though I have my grips. (Hello!? Practice sheets? Time to really work on a concept??!) I fill in the gaps I feel that enVision has with other things that I have lying around the house and we aren't going sequentially through the book. I usually do 2 related chapters at a time, just so that the connections are a bit more obvious... Anyway more than anything I wonder why on earth the teachers need training to teach 1st and 2nd grade math....WTH? Shouldn't they KNOW that math very, very, very fluently? Why do they need training for any of the K-8 math? You shouldn't be able to get into college without a solid mastery of those skills let alone OUT of college. Geez!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Anyway more than anything I wonder why on earth the teachers need training to teach 1st and 2nd grade math....WTH? Shouldn't they KNOW that math very, very, very fluently? Why do they need training for any of the K-8 math? You shouldn't be able to get into college without a solid mastery of those skills let alone OUT of college. Geez!! Teacher training is important because there is a vast difference between a person being able to solve 1st and 2nd grade math problems and being able to teach the mathematical reasoning and problem-solving strategies to children in ways that make sense to young minds. Otherwise you get the fall back on memorizing "math-facts" and/or working the standard algorithms without teaching for understanding. There is a dramatic difference between these approaches as is well-illustrated in the oft-recommended book by Liping Ma, something parents (or in your case a potential future parent) ought to read before dismissing the importance of teacher education and early math. enVision is an OK math program. It is what my child uses at school. It adopts some elements of Singapore math. were i picking the math texts I would chose "the real deal" instead of the"lite" version. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 That's great news! Ds went to ps last year (just for a year). They used EveryDay Math. I sent him in having already started Singapore 2A. He still came out above grade level on math for standardized testing, but he's nowhere near ready for 3A. His teacher at the time tried to reassure me that EM wasn't so bad. I was unimpressed then, I'm unimpressed now. School districts dropping EM was actually one side effect of CC that I was hoping would happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nart Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 For better or worse, Everyday Math has come out with a Common Core version. My first grade son uses Everyday Math at school and there really are some positives about the program. I should immediately add that it is NOT a good program if a parent is not supplementing tons at home or if your child is at grade level. However, if your child is advanced in math it is less boring than sitting through a Saxon or Envision lesson. My son has finished Singapore Math 1A and 1B, so in his case I love Everyday Math over other school math programs because he is at least having fun playing math games. The homework is easy but at least some of it can be adapted to challenge him. So this week's homework had the student write a number, then write the number that comes before and then the number that comes after. So instead of picking a number 1-20, I had him pick numbers in the hundreds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 They were using EM here too, but I recently found out they use Math in Focus. Our district is making the same switch. And it is being specifically done because using Everyday Math, the district did not see any improvement in test scores - in fact test scores declined over the last decade. DS21 was in the first class to go thru EM, when it was new for all the teachers. 15 years later, the results are clear - Everyday Math cost more and delivered less. Do I think Math in Focus is perfect? No, but I am fairly confident that it will be an improvement - not the least of which because it includes much more hands-on math in the lower grades. This was a failing of EM in my opinion - too early of a jump to concepts that left students confused and not enough manipulatives and practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Our district is making the same switch. And it is being specifically done because using Everyday Math, the district did not see any improvement in test scores - in fact test scores declined over the last decade. I'm in Alaska too. Our district is switching from EM to Go Math though. You must be in a different district. Is Go Math the same as Math in Focus or different? I know nothing about Go Math. DD's school doesn't use it anyway since she is an alternative school. They use Saxon although last year it seems exactly like the Signapore I was doing with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenbrdsly Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 This statement highlights what is wrong with our educational system. Until this country requires that elementary teachers are proficient in math, it is not going to matter what curriculum program is used. Teachers who actually understand basic math would not need a year's worth of training to teach a math curriculum geared towards 1st and 2nd graders. If you've ever seen the type of tests teachers have to pass to get credentials, you would not make such a judgmental comment. Do you honestly think anybody could get through college not understanding first and second grade math? Teacher training is different that educating a person about first and second grade math. New textbook programs come with a myriad of books, charts, worksheets and manipulatives that need to be coordinated and understood. It would take anybody a solid 40 hours just to read through a Teachers Edition. Then figuring out how to administer a new program's assessment schedule, is another headache teachers face. Teacher training is never a bad thing. Everyone can use more education about how to best help kids learn, parents included. We are all learners! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 If you've ever seen the type of tests teachers have to pass to get credentials, you would not make such a judgmental comment. Do you honestly think anybody could get through college not understanding first and second grade math? Teacher training is different that educating a person about first and second grade math. New textbook programs come with a myriad of books, charts, worksheets and manipulatives that need to be coordinated and understood. It would take anybody a solid 40 hours just to read through a Teachers Edition. Then figuring out how to administer a new program's assessment schedule, is another headache teachers face. Teacher training is never a bad thing. Everyone can use more education about how to best help kids learn, parents included. We are all learners! It would be almost embarrassing if I totaled the hours I spent studying and re-learning mathematics before I felt qualified to teach my child pre-school math. Not because I couldn't solve 1st or 2nd Grade math problems either (I could :D). But having a full grasp on the mathematical properties involved in even basic arthematic, and being able to communicate an understanding of these underpinnings to a young child, from the outset, in ways that would make sense to a young mind, and figuring out how to scaffold the knowledge and skills in a way that built a good foundation, and making it all enjoyable and as hands-on and meanful as possible—took work. In my case it took A LOT OF WORK. Are some people faster studies, or did I go over-board when I found myself becoming passionate with interest? Probably yes on both counts. But.... Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Last night, for example, my little 4th Grader came home a little confused when his math homework (with inadequate advance explaination of the vocabulary) asked him to use "partial products" to solve multiplication problems with one 2-digit factor and one 1-digit factor. I took one look, and said, "they're asking you to use the distributive property." His confusion evaporated, he said "thanks Dad," and the homework was done in 5 minutes. The "old-Bill" might have been scratching his head :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Whoa...4th grader? When did that happen?! I remember you talking about him when he was a K'er..and maybe even before that. *sniff* time flies.... Don't I know it! :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 If you've ever seen the type of tests teachers have to pass to get credentials, you would not make such a judgmental comment. Do you honestly think anybody could get through college not understanding first and second grade math? Teacher training is different that educating a person about first and second grade math. New textbook programs come with a myriad of books, charts, worksheets and manipulatives that need to be coordinated and understood. It would take anybody a solid 40 hours just to read through a Teachers Edition. Then figuring out how to administer a new program's assessment schedule, is another headache teachers face. Teacher training is never a bad thing. Everyone can use more education about how to best help kids learn, parents included. We are all learners! It is not a judgmental comment at all. To answer your question: yes, I honestly think that there are some teachers out there who got through college without understanding elementary math. In fact, my son had such a teacher his last year in public school. About 6 years ago, the state of Mass. revised its teacher certification test. That year, 75% of the recent teaching graduates failed the math section of the certification test. The highest level of math tested on this exam was at the 6th grade level. Obviously, a person who has not mastered the math concepts herself is not going to be able to teach these concepts to someone else. A few years ago, the Dept. of Education piloted the Singapore Math program at various schools throughout the nation. They were surprised when the US test scores did not match those of Singapore. The consultants determined that one of the main reasons for the score discrepancy was that, unlike Singapore's teachers, the teachers in the US did not possess the math skills needed to teach the Singapore program. The Common Core is supposed to increase standards. Without competent teachers, standards are useless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 We have Math in Focus here. The teachers already knew math and how to teach it. But they did massive training and implementation has been great. I am very thankful they focus on training and teaching a high level of craft. My husband is a soldier and is constantly training and evaluating. People with an attitude they have no way to improve don't go far. And no it is not because he doesn't know his level 1 soldier skills. Of course he knows them. But he also is teaching others and running a group. I think it is similar to teaching, but no one thinks it is a good idea in other areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weddell Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Does anyone have any links to threads or blogs with criticisms of Everyday Math? Our school just changed this year to another program from Everyday Math (I'm not sure the name of what they changed to). But all the children of my friends go to schools where they are still using Everyday Math. I'm known as a curriculum junky among those friends and I was asked for opinions. All I know is that I keep reading on this board that Everyday Math is not highly regarded, but I guess I wanted to know specific reasons why. ETA: I mean to say, that I have read some of the criticisms but I'm looking for criticisms that are well thought out and have the argument nicely laid out. It's easy to find rants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A THREAD FROM LAST MONTH. ;) Any other opinions on Envision Math? My children are using it in school now. My oldest wants to come back home. I'm hoping to have her return home in 5th grade, and I'm wondering how she will do with MathMammoth or Teaching Texbooks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Hello, DS9 used it last year in third grade, and I agree with Bill that it is Singapore lite with some emphasis on mental math. To me, it seemed like there was not enough practice problems, and some of the problems/questions were so vague or poorly worded that even math genius DH was scratching his head regarding what they were asking. If I could go back and repeat the year, I would afterschool using Singapore Math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 About 6 years ago, the state of Mass. revised its teacher certification test. That year, 75% of the recent teaching graduates failed the math section of the certification test. The highest level of math tested on this exam was at the 6th grade level. Obviously, a person who has not mastered the math concepts herself is not going to be able to teach these concepts to someone else. And terrifyingly, MA has the highest math scores in the nation on those international tests - what does that say about what's going on in the rest of the country? Our district and the neighboring one both use EM and have some of the highest math scores in the state (we do live in MA). However, there's a significant Asian population here and I'd say 99.9% of them are intensely afterschooling using Asian methods, often in addition to sending them to Kumon and the Russian Math program. And many of the non-Asian families are doing that too, to keep up. I'm thinking the schools (and EM) can't take as much credit as they think for the great math scores... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 It is not a judgmental comment at all. To answer your question: yes, I honestly think that there are some teachers out there who got through college without understanding elementary math. In fact, my son had such a teacher his last year in public school. About 6 years ago, the state of Mass. revised its teacher certification test. That year, 75% of the recent teaching graduates failed the math section of the certification test. The highest level of math tested on this exam was at the 6th grade level. Obviously, a person who has not mastered the math concepts herself is not going to be able to teach these concepts to someone else. this is very true. DS used to be in a private school. there were countless times that the kids had to correct the teacher and shen even admit that she is not good with math... and that was 4th grade math DS will come home so confused how he did a simple question wrong and I look over... guess what, the teacher was wrong. you loss the confidence in the teacher after that happened few time.. i at the end told DS just ignore what the teacher said... completely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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