Math used in Public Schools k-6

[Stibalfamily]

I am wondering what math programs are the most widely used in Public schools? I want to take a peek at some math curriculums' scope and sequence to see that we are covering are bases. 

[Insertcreativenamehere]

Our district uses Everyday Math.

[HomeAgain]

Everyday Math in our current district, Saxon and Envision in our last.

[Arcadia]

California approved textbook list https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/im/sbeadopted2014mathprgms.asp

California common core state standards for math https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/ccssmathstandardaug2013.pdf

 

My district is supposedly using enVision Math for K-5th but teachers just use their own materials. No one checks that the issued textbooks and workbooks are used. Many after school at Russian School of Maths, Mathnasium or with a tutor.

[Alessandra]

Everyday Math. It is a truly horrifying program.

 

Take a look at the video, Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth, before you take one idea from this program.

[blondeviolin]

Ours uses Go Math

[arliemaria]

Everyday Math. It is a truly horrifying program.

 

Take a look at the video, Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth, before you take one idea from this program.

 

Just watched.  Thank you for sharing.  It made me feel good about our usage of Singapore and Beast Academy as our primary maths.

[Petrichor]

Question: Do districts usually publish which programs they use on their websites? 

[Petrichor]

A local charter uses Saxon. A private school I know of uses Singapore.

 

IDK what our public schools use. 

 

If you want to follow what the public school uses because you plan to put your kids in there at some point, try using a common core aligned curriculum, or you can google "[your state] math standards" 

[Arcadia]

Question: Do districts usually publish which programs they use on their websites?

It’s in the school’s SARC (School Accountability Report Card)

E.g. page 6 of 29 of a top k-8 local public charter http://bullischarterschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/14-15-SARC.pdf

[Petrichor]

Oh wonderful, I just found out ours uses Everyday Math, for elementary, at least.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Dust

[sweet2ndchance]

Our little rural district actually uses Singapore and/or Math In Focus depending on the grade level believe it or not. That's what they have been using for at least the last 5 years since we moved here.

 

The public schools I went to in Phoenix as a kid used Saxon from middle school on up through high school. I don't really remember what was used in the elementary grades though.

 

Only reason I know about our local district is because our older kids were enrolled there at one time. Plus we have family members who are teachers and I talk to ds's SLP (who works through the public schools) a lot about curriculum because she is a homeschooler as well.

 

 

[Petrichor]

They use something called Connected Mathematics for 6th-8th. 

[Momto4inSoCal]

Our district is using Go Math

[Petrichor]

It’s in the school’s SARC (School Accountability Report Card)

E.g. page 6 of 29 of a top k-8 local public charter http://bullischarterschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/14-15-SARC.pdf

 

Do all states require schools to have a published SARC? I can't find that for our district. I ended up finding info on elementary and middle school math on the website somewhere (not a PDF, and can't find anything for high school)

[bethben]

Go Math-- also in the truly horrible category.  They try to push concepts on students that if they would only sequence it better, it would make more sense.  Don't even bother.  Horrible horrible horrible. My dd is using this in public school now.  For concepts, in fourth grade, they "taught" up to multiplication two numbers by two numbers and are "trying" to teach long division.  So far,  they have students skip counting until they get to large three digit numbers and making multiple large circles containing up to 15-20 smaller circles to teach division two numbers by one number.  

[Zoo Keeper]

My local district uses Math in Focus for K-8. 

[Petrichor]

And they use this series of Mcdougal Littel Algebra books in high school: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0618888039/ref=sr_isbn_r?keywords=9780618888030

[Syllieann]

Ours just switched to Singapore for elementary. (They are also doing actual phonics this year!) Prior to that I believe the had everyday math, which is also used by the neighboring city. I doubt the switch to Singapore will be positive, as the teachers just had it flung at them without training. That’s pretty much what they did with everyday math too. I have a feeling the curriculum is not the weak link in this chain.

[Wheres Toto]

Our district uses Scott Foresman enVision Math.  I'm using it for dd because it works well for her and there are videos I can access through the district website if needed (we used it as a supplement last year with some stuff she was struggling with and it ended up working better than MM for her).

 

Evidently there's a homeschool version but we didn't get that one, just bought it from Amazon.

[Crimson Wife]

My daughter’s school switched to EngageNY after Common Core and it is AWFUL.

 

I did not have a super-high opinion of the previous curriculum (Prentice Hall) but that was a million times better than what they are using post-Common Core

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[YodaGirl]

Our public schools use Math in Focus.

[threeofakind]

Math in Focus here too

[Alessandra]

Just watched. Thank you for sharing. It made me feel good about our usage of Singapore and Beast Academy as our primary maths.

I used Singapore U.S. Edition. I kept a copy of the Commom Core standards on my iPad to check that I was doing required things. Most of the differences were in the amount of data analysis --- more in cc than in SM.

[Stibalfamily]

I just looked at are school's report card and they don't list what textbooks they use. I'm not familiar with most of these programs. 

[Ellie]

I just looked at are school's report card and they don't list what textbooks they use. I'm not familiar with most of these programs. 

 

Report cards never list the instructional materials that are used. You would need to call the school and ask which publishers they use--not which *curriculum,* but which publishers or other materials. The *curriculum* will be what is taught in each subject, the scope and sequence.

[blendergal]

Our district uses Eureka Math — everything is free online.

[Roadrunner]

Envision. It's a good enough program, I think.

[....]

Yeah, ours uses Everyday Math.  Somewhere on here there is a really old thread I started about witnessing Everyday Math in action.  I couldn't believe it.  I was beyond shocked that they were teaching the kids math that way.  Basically, dd and another girl were solving a multi-digit multiplication problem... like 35 x 23.  My dd just did the basic algorithm and solved the problem...you know, 3x5, then 3x3 + 1, etc.  The other girl spent forever on this problem and had numbers everywhere.  I mean, there were probably a hundred numbers on her paper.  Then, at the end, she got the answer wrong.  Because...the more numbers you have everywhere, the more chance you have of making mistakes.  I couldn't even figure out where all those numbers came from!  Anyway, she said that's how they were taught to solve those problems in school.  I showed her the way we were taught to solve those (back in Jurassic Times) and she had never seen that method before.   :svengo: 

 

Ugh!  Why?!  Why do they have to make things so complicated?!

 

And don't get me started on how they teach reading in this school district.  Also witnessed that firsthand and my hair almost turned white...

     

[Tanaqui]

Evanthe, she probably was learning the lattice method. I know it seems more complicated to you if you haven't seen it before, but I also know many adults who prefer it because they never understood how the other algorithm works, and so were always likely to make mistakes.

 

(Alternatively, she may have been multiplying in parts, which is a preliminary step to learning the standard algorithm.)

 

As for Everyday Math, what I've read indicates that it works quite well in the intended situation: Teachers who are comfortable with arithmetic and are capable of spending two hours a day on the material with the students.

 

However, most elementary students in the US don't have that situation. Their teachers aren't very good at math, even arithmetic*, never quite understood why the algorithms work, and certainly can't spend two hours a day on the subject when they have a whole list of other things to do during the day.

 

* And this is a crisis, if you ask me. It doesn't matter how great the textbook is if the teacher is now on the third or fourth generation to not really understand it.

[EmilyGF]

Some sort of Pearson math.

It is terrible. All the bad practices from the last generation brought back, as far as I can tell.

 

Emily

[bethben]

And if you think they're teaching tons of material, they're not.  My dd brings home workbooks with 80% of the worksheets not finished.  They were never assigned.  There's no way they could go through all of the material in the textbooks.  My advice?  Pick a good math program that is well respected on the boards, do a placement test for that, and just make sure you're doing a grade a year.  You'll be ahead of most public schools in math understanding (although the ones that do a Singapore math well are doing a decent job).  I never understood how our country could be so far behind in education.  Since sending my dd to a "good" charter school, I TOTALLY understand.

[Zoo Keeper]

My local district uses Math in Focus for K-8. 

 

Just adding that sadly, the teachers in my district had ONE DAY of training before switching to MiF. ONE DAY!  The teachers found Singapore methods new and confusing--the older the teacher, the harder time they had with the switch.   It's the blind leading the blind.  :mellow:  The teachers are confused, the children are confused, and the parents are unhappy--mainly because they don't know the different methods either, and cannot help kids with homework.  Many of them are blaming it on "crazy Common Core"  standards.

 

 

MiF is a good program, when it is taught well. 

[Alessandra]

And don't get me started on how they teach reading in this school district. Also witnessed that firsthand and my hair almost turned white...

Actually, I would like to hear about the reading.

[MinivanMom]

Our district writes most of their own materials which I find baffling. Most of it seems to be modeled after Math in Focus, but with a huge emphasis on group work and discovery. Some teachers seem to really get the Math in Focus approach and are doing a fantastic job while other teachers are muddling through. Having a teacher who likes and understands math is the key factor. They do delay the standard algorithm in order to work on conceptual understanding, but all the parents I know teach the standard algorithm at home (& teachers don't care if the kids learn it early as long as they can also work the problems conceptually). 

 

Many of the local charters and private schools use Singapore. A few private schools use Saxon. I only know about some of these programs like Everyday Math from experiences shared here.

[Lecka]

We just moved. Our previous district used Math in Focus. Our current district uses Engage NY/Eureka Math.

 

They are similar but I have a better impression of Math in Focus.

 

Edit: I will add, Math in Focus is mastery-based, and the poorest math students struggled with that. So kids who were getting extra help for math would get extra review. One of my kids who has special needs was switched to Saxon (I agreed) because he was really struggling with retention.

 

For my other two kids and (from my understanding) almost all the kids, Math in Focus was very good.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Lecka

[ElizabethB]

Yeah, ours uses Everyday Math.  Somewhere on here there is a really old thread I started about witnessing Everyday Math in action.  I couldn't believe it.  I was beyond shocked that they were teaching the kids math that way.  Basically, dd and another girl were solving a multi-digit multiplication problem... like 35 x 23.  My dd just did the basic algorithm and solved the problem...you know, 3x5, then 3x3 + 1, etc.  The other girl spent forever on this problem and had numbers everywhere.  I mean, there were probably a hundred numbers on her paper.  Then, at the end, she got the answer wrong.  Because...the more numbers you have everywhere, the more chance you have of making mistakes.  I couldn't even figure out where all those numbers came from!  Anyway, she said that's how they were taught to solve those problems in school.  I showed her the way we were taught to solve those (back in Jurassic Times) and she had never seen that method before.   :svengo:

 

Ugh!  Why?!  Why do they have to make things so complicated?!

 

And don't get me started on how they teach reading in this school district.  Also witnessed that firsthand and my hair almost turned white...

 

 

Actually, I would like to hear about the reading.

 

Me, too!  Here is a thread for it:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/661986-reading-and-spelling-used-in-public-schools-k-3/

[greenbeanmama]

Math In Focus...though they just sent home the first book they "finished", and less than half of the pages are done, probably closer to a quarter of them.  So, why do they send home so many worksheets printed off of Pinterest, and not use the workbook???

[Targhee]

We lived in two districts that used Everyday Math, and the district where we live now uses Go Math.

 

For what it's worth, Common Core math ideas came from seeing the success in other countries (like Singapore) and trying to apply those methods here. Only they really messed it up :-( In the hands of law makers and textbook publishers, and under the traditions of a quagmired school system, the end products are clunky and miss the mark. Go to the source, like Singapore Primary Math, and USE the HIG and manipulatives, and you will have a much more streamlined and much more effective math program.

[Targhee]

Math In Focus...though they just sent home the first book they "finished", and less than half of the pages are done, probably closer to a quarter of them. So, why do they send home so many worksheets printed off of Pinterest, and not use the workbook???

Old habits die hard, and many teachers don't know how to teach the Singapore methods (which MiF uses) so they revert to what they know.

[Crimson Wife]

 For what it's worth, Common Core math ideas came from seeing the success in other countries (like Singapore) and trying to apply those methods here. Only they really messed it up :-( In the hands of law makers and textbook publishers, and under the traditions of a quagmired school system, the end products are clunky and miss the mark. Go to the source, like Singapore Primary Math, and USE the HIG and manipulatives, and you will have a much more streamlined and much more effective math program.

 

I agree that it's like someone saw Singapore but didn't actually understand it so they wrote a program that is superficially similar but that makes no sense. I've used Singapore 1-8, Right Start B & C, and various Math Mammoth "blue" worktexts so I'm familiar with Asian methods but the awful EngageNY worksheets my youngest comes home with leave me scratching my head a lot of the time.

 

[Lecka]

That happened at my kids' old school, and it turns out they were doing a lot orally or "together in class" using a smart board thing. That school did a lot of teacher training and I thought they did a good job.

 

A lot was done at school, that didn't show a paper coming home. As my kids got older they could say what they did in class, in a way they couldn't when they were younger and it would seem odd to have the workbooks come home with so many pages not used.

 

Also at that school, they started having one math teacher per grade and having kids change rooms in 3rd grade. My understanding is that they could have that teacher have extra, extra training and keep it even for all the kids, instead of having one class where the teacher didn't teach as well. I thought that seemed like a good system.

[kiana]

Also at that school, they started having one math teacher per grade and having kids change rooms in 3rd grade. My understanding is that they could have that teacher have extra, extra training and keep it even for all the kids, instead of having one class where the teacher didn't teach as well. I thought that seemed like a good system.

 

I wish more schools did this. It's a lot easier to find just one qualified math teacher per grade. 

[ScoutTN]

I am wondering what math programs are the most widely used in Public schools? I want to take a peek at some math curriculums' scope and sequence to see that we are covering are bases. 

 

 

Our public library keeps a copy of all current ps texts on the Reserved/Reference shelf. 

 

What are you using? Have you read here much? The curriculum discussions here will include many reputable curricula and posters' evaluations of them. 

 

EnVision or Eureka or GoMath for my local public schools. 

 

Edited November 2, 2017 by ScoutTN

[fralala]

Our public library has copies of all the public school textbooks, too.

 

One recommendation I have when thinking about scope & sequence lists (and recoiling in intimidation) is that they are not necessarily accurate representations of what public school kids are learning, and also that just because something is put in fancy language doesn't necessarily mean you haven't covered it (or your kids haven't figured it out because you interact with them and explain to them things about the world-- this is how I view a lot of the early elementary stuff especially).

 

Personally, when I want to look at a good scope & sequence, I look to Singapore Math -- not what the public schools are (necessarily) using, but a very good and sensible sequence with some good evidence supporting it.

[Meadowlark]

Math Trailblazers

[Stibalfamily]

Our public library keeps a copy of all current ps texts on the Reserved/Reference shelf. 

 

What are you using? Have you read here much? The curriculum discussions here will include many reputable curricula and posters' evaluations of them. 

 

EnVision or Eureka or GoMath for my local public schools. 

 

We use Mammoth Math for 1st and k we used Math U See Primer with a few common core math workbooks. I got ahold of a Go Math and California Math textbook  and workbook and I was surprised how weird they looked by comparison. 

[Cake and Pi]

DS#2's public gifted magnet uses Math Expressions.  The charter school in the same district that he was at last year used Saxon. 

[Melissa in Australia]

Here in VIctoria, Australia teachers use http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/mathematics/introduction/scope-and-sequence for their scope and sequence. they don't do text books as such, rather they just pull lessons out of  multiple sources, construct some of their own lessons and hopefully get through the whole scope and sequence by the end of the year. 

 

They basically do this for every subject. the principal is meant to check over the brief lesson plans and check that all the areas of the curriculum are being covered.

 

 

Messy for those unfamiliar with it. Personally I prefer textbooks

[Farrar]

I'm pretty sure many of our schools don't use a textbook. This is becoming increasingly common, by the way. I've seen some stuff about how it's terrible for kids, but I think this is the direction many schools are moving because the cost of these programs keeps rising and the standards keep changing and there are so many "free worksheets" online that many schools are just not buying anymore.