ANOTHER NEW MATH FRAMEWORK?

Although the current state standards for Mathematics were just updated in 2013, the California State Board of Education (SBE) is currently developing a new Mathematics Framework, which would completely replace the previous standards. The stated goal of the new framework is to help students achieve greater levels of success and proficiency.

On the surface, it sounds reasonable to ensure that students are provided with the most up-to-date standards for achieving academic success, but the changes described in the proposed Mathematics Framework are alarming. The following claims are made in the draft:

Unproductive Beliefs About Teaching Math:

An effective teacher makes the mathematics easy for students by guiding them step by step through problem solving to ensure that they are not frustrated or confused.

The role of the teacher is to tell students what definitions, formulas, and rules they should know and demonstrate how to use this information to solve mathematics problems.

The role of the student is to memorize information that is presented and then use it to solve problems on homework, quizzes, and tests.

Students can learn to apply mathematics only after they have mastered the basic skills.

To be clear, these are the teaching methods that the State Board of Education is planning to eliminate. Traditionally, after using his or her professional skills to teach a new math lesson, a teacher would assign a set of relevant math problems and provide assistance to students until they gain mastery of the particular skill. Students are then tested to demonstrate mastery. This entire system of teaching math would be abandoned under the new proposal.

Under the new framework, teachers would present a general math concept or “big idea” and instruct students to solve “one rich task”, which might require several days of “exploration, sense-making, and discussion.” Teachers would not demonstrate the proper method to solve the math problem. But rather, students would be instructed to “use their own intuition” in considering ways they might solve the problem. Teachers also must “find out about and bring into mathematics the culture of their students, engaging in culturally relevant pedagogy”. The assumption is that students from various cultural backgrounds bring with them different methods of problem solving, and respecting these cultural differences is more important than teaching foundational computation skills.

Evaluating and debating various methods of solving mathematical problems is the work of graduate level college students. Students in elementary, middle and secondary school do not yet possess the necessary mathematical skills required to engage in these advanced discussions. And, if this new framework is adopted, California students may never gain those skills in public schools.

This information was taken from Chapter 2 of the proposed Mathematics Framework, titled “Teaching for Equity and Engagement”. Please take some time to read this document for yourself.

Will PVPUSD Resist These Changes?

Over 1200 math teachers in California have signed an open letter objecting to the proposed changes. Many parents also agree that these changes will not assist their children in achieving academic success. However, in Palos Verdes schools, resistance might be difficult. The staff member with the most influence over curriculum selection in PVPUSD is Dr. Linsey Gotanda, the Deputy Superintendent. Coincidentally, she also holds a seat on the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC). The IQC is an advisory committee to the State Board of Education and is responsible for developing and drafting all new curriculum frameworks, including Mathematics. This means that the person who evaluates and recommends the curriculum used in PVPUSD is also drafting the new Mathematics Framework. Perhaps it is time to ask Dr. Gotanda to make her educational philosophies more transparent.

According to state law, curriculum and textbook adoptions require substantial involvement from teachers, parents and community members. Potential new curriculum must be piloted by teachers and ultimately approved by the School Board. However, at the April 27, 2022 Board meeting, the adoption of two new textbooks was on the agenda. During this meeting, several people spoke and pointed out that input had not been gathered from parents or community members, the Board Members admitted they had not read the textbooks themselves, and Superintendent Cherniss explained that in PVPUSD, most curriculum and textbooks to be considered for our students are recommended by Dr. Gotanda. It is worth noting that after listening to all the comments and discussions, Matthew Brach was the only Board Member who voted not to adopt the new textbooks.