New Jersey's Star-Ledger is fed up with the endless discussions of what types of math to teach in schools, because no matter how you slice it, NJ's students aren't learning it:
State data released this month show a gap of 10 percentage points between language arts and math on both grade levels. In fourth grade, about 72 percent of students pass math (it's 82 percent for language arts) and the passing rate falls to just under 62 percent in eighth grade (versus 72 for language arts).
The problem gets worse when kids hit high school. Scores for 2004 are not yet available, but in the previous year, 80 percent of high school test-takers sailed though language arts, while just 66 percent passed math.
And how have the battle lines been drawn in the math wars?
On one side are traditional basic skills advocates. On the other are those who favor conceptual understanding and problem-solving -- the experts who say student improvement lies in teacher re-education.
"People hate the way (math) was taught. It was boring. It was about skill and drill," said Eric Milou, president of the Association of Math Teachers of New Jersey and a math professor at Rowan University who is working with a number of districts to improve math skills. "We have to talk about how math should be taught."
Fine - as long as the "skills" aren't left behind when the "drills" are. Some are concerned that overly-conceptual programs may keep children occupied without actually teaching them much. It's good to see everyone agree, though, that the problems need to be fixed starting in elementary school.
Posted by kswygert at November 29, 2004 10:21 AM