Wednesday, January 31, 2001
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Wednesday, January 31, 2001 |
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Math text choice will be good for students By AMY RILEY As reported last week, the Fayette County school system has announced its choice for math textbooks. McGraw Hill was selected for the elementary grades, taking 56 percent of the overall vote. What will the new program look like? How will it compare to the existing program, "Everyday Mathematics"? And why do two schools still prefer "Everyday Mathematics" while other schools clearly do not? McGraw Hill is structured very differently from the current program, "Everyday Mathematics." Kindergarten through second grade will have consumable textbooks, where students can work right in their book. Grades three through five will have hardback textbooks. That may sound like a silly distinguishing trait, but parents will probably be relieved to have a book to reference when their children need help with their afternoon homework. The McGraw Hill program offers mid-chapter and end of chapter reviews, a chapter test, and plenty of practice exercises to help reinforce new concepts while still retaining previously taught skills. Concepts are taught by chapters, and appear sequentially with a gradual increase in difficulty. The McGraw Hill program comes equipped with extra materials to bring along those students who need some extra help and to extend concepts for students who need a little more challenge. The McGraw Hill program is closely aligned with the Georgia Quality Core Curriculum standards, so students will find themselves prepared for the Georgia tests as well as the nationally normed tests that are required under the Education Reform Act of 2000. Calculator use is minimal and appropriate. What students and parents will realize right off in August is that McGraw Hill is user friendly. Is McGraw Hill perfect? No, and no program is. Textbooks are tools that teachers use to support the established curriculum of what should be taught and when. McGraw Hill does not have the level of extension that "Everyday Math" did, but neither does it produce the level of confusion and frustration that "Everyday Math" did. To me, it is far more reasonable to provide a strong foundational mathematical knowledge base to all students and supplement for problem solving, than to provide strong problem-solving techniques without first laying a strong foundation in the basics. This is considered old-fashioned to some, but to many parents and teachers across the county, and across the country for that matter, this is a long-awaited shift back to a more established and proven middle ground. As stated last week in this column space, two schools, Braelinn and Kedron, still preferred "Everyday Mathematics," but the county adopts textbooks as a whole, and all students in Fayette County will be using the McGraw Hill program. It is worthy of note, too, that Braelinn and Kedron also happen to have the highest average scores in math on standardized tests when compared to other schools in the county. But is it appropriate to suggest or assume that Kedron and Braelinn scored well because of "Everyday Mathematics"? Probably not. If parents believed that their children's test scores were the result of "Everyday Math," they would have voted for it, and only 17 percent of parents at both schools did. No, I think that children at Kedron and Braelinn will do well with any program because they are blessed with a high ratio of stay-at-home parents. They have someone to help them with homework, to reteach something they didn't understand the first time. They may have access to tutors or extra materials, and that's great for them, but that is not the reality for all Fayette students. I think it is no coincidence that teachers and parents in schools with more diverse student populations wholly rejected "Everyday Math." Fayette Elementary, Tyrone, Oak Grove, and Peachtree City Elementary registered zero parent votes for Everyday Math. Fayette Primary, Brooks, Tyrone, and East Fayette registered zero teacher votes for "Everyday Math." Children in families with two working parents, single-parent families, and families for whom English is a second language are disserved by a program that fails to provide a strong foundational knowledge base to ensure that they will succeed in algebra in middle or high school. Fayette County serves nearly 20,000 students. We represent dozens of nationalities, the gamut of family configurations, and a huge range in socioeconomic indicators. By and large, most of us parents are here for the same reason, to provide our children with the best possible public education that this state has to offer. We have a fundamental responsibility to ensure that all students are educated. I think we will be pleased with McGraw Hill. Change is good. Happy homework!
Education First Watch: Fayette County Zoning Department has approved five subdivision plat plans in areas already zoned residential. These developments will add an estimated 109 students to Fayette schools. They are also considering preliminary plat plans for three other subdivisions on land zoned residential, for an additional 104 new students. [Your comments are welcome: ARileyFreePress@aol.com.]
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