New math standards getting high marks from some local teachers
Sunday, August 24, 2008 11:37 PM PDT
By Carrie Pederson
Printable version
E-mail this articleThis summer, the math teachers of Cowlitz County have joined thousands of math teachers statewide in training to meet the state’s new standards for higher math achievement.
“It’s really powerful and exciting because students are going to benefit so much,” said Rebecca Fountain, kindergarten teacher at Butler Acres Elementary School.
Fountain and other teachers statewide received training in the new math standards earlier this summer at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
In a four day session last week at Kelso High School, they brought the training to elementary and middles school teachers from Kelso, Toutle, Castle Rock and Wakiahkum.
This summer, 184 teachers and specialists, 140 from Kelso, were trained in the Kelso district, said Mary Beth Tack, director of secondary education in Kelso.
New math standards, adopted by the state board in April 2008, are “an inch wide and a mile deep” rather than “an inch deep and a mile wide,” teachers say. For example, there are now only seven grade-level expectations for eighth grade rather than over 40.
Teachers are not yet being trained on the new high math standards, adopted in July 2008. By the end of the 2008-2009 school year, the state expects all teachers to be trained on all standards, Tack said.
The state’s goal is to move students from “exposure to mastery,” said Wendy Droke, math teacher at Kelso High School and math trainer.
With the focus to master rather than just touch on concepts, “teachers and students feel like they accomplish something,” Droke said.
“I think it’s easier,” said Sean Scattergood, a third-grade teacher at Beacon Hill Elementary.
With less topics to cover, “it’s easier to focus on the big important things,” he said, like addition and subtraction.
In the training last week, Scattergood said he liked getting an overview on the math goals at all grade levels.
“It’s easier to see how it builds,” he said. “You don’t have to work as hard to see where you are going.”
To meet the state’s goal, mastering skills at each grade level is important, teachers say.
The new math standard, “increases rigor for students across the state,” said Kathy Kegler, lead teacher at Carrolls Elementary. “It’s better blended with the national math standards which are more rigourous.”
Despite the increased rigor, teachers from Catlin Elementary School say it will be easier to “catch” students who don’t understand. The next step, they say, is to figure out how to intervene with those students.
Because teachers are making a transition to the new standards this year, don’t expect to see improved results in test scores right away, math trainers said.
Ella Mentry wrote on Aug 25, 2008 1:48 PM:
El Gabilon wrote on Aug 25, 2008 5:14 PM:
Crystal wrote on Aug 25, 2008 7:36 PM:
Ella Mentry wrote on Aug 25, 2008 7:56 PM:
jwright wrote on Aug 25, 2008 8:18 PM:
Terry Bergeson is still recommending the worst program available, TERC Investigations, which is devoid of computational skill building! Singapore, which consistently scores top in the world and that WA was supposed to align to, is at the bottom of Bergesons list! If these curricula align to the improved standards, then those standards arent the world-class ones mandated by the Legislature and the public!
Its shameful that after all the effort and tax-payers money spent, Bergeson is still pushing more of the same failing programs! "
dan dempsey wrote on Aug 25, 2008 9:16 PM:
The states goal is to move students from exposure to mastery, said Wendy Droke, math teacher at Kelso High School and math trainer.
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12 years of Terry Bergeson and OSPI has just figured out that seeking mastery would be a good idea.
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In math we have watched as district after district adopted the absurd math programs that OSPI rated as most aligned with the WASL, GLEs and EALRs.
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Remediation rates sored at community colleges. Math skills of entering freshman significantly declined at the UW.
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Ella Mentry has it correct:
It's an election year. She's lied, manipulated numbers, refused to provide basic information when repeatedly asked.
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This article is more white washing of the mess Bergeson has created. It would have been nice to have investigative reporting rather than just more cheer-leading "
Rubicon wrote on Aug 25, 2008 9:46 PM:
Small Town Girl wrote on Aug 26, 2008 8:09 AM:
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