Commentary

We Need to Improve Math Education at CCS

We are writing this commentary in the hopes of mobilizing our community to convince the School Board and CCS to make major improvements in math education. We recognize that this is not a topic that typically arouses much passion. Our message to you is that it should. Mathematics is the language of science, technology and finance. Solid math training opens the door to many of the best paying jobs, many in areas that have major benefits for society at large. Strong math skills are essential to success in everyday life. Second, although we are justly proud of our teachers at CCS, the fact is that a substantial number of students fail to meet standards in mathematics at the eighth-grade level. During the ‘07-’08 school year, 23% of our CCS graduates were required to take remedial algebra upon entering CVU, compared to only 3% from Shelburne, 7% from Williston and 15% from Hinesburg. Further, the trend over time has shown little or no improvement in those figures.
It is precisely those two facts that led a number of parents of children at CCS to form a working group to monitor the discussion of math education during School Board meetings. They met with School Board members, school administrators, read numerous scientific reports about math education and contacted officials at the state Board of Education and Vermont Mathematics Initiative (VMI), Vermont’s leading institute to train math expert teachers.
Recently events have taken a marked turn for the worse.
Current Situation
The school has just started to pilot new math programs, at least one of which, according to a recent study by the Department of Education, results in significantly lower student test scores compared to other programs. Our children are part of an experiment meant to discover what form of math program may work best at CCS. What is even more disturbing is that changing math programs, as the main measure, is very unlikely to change student performance, according to the National Math Panel Report and VMI experts. Current recommedations are that a comprehensive reform is needed with professional development of teachers at its core. This past spring the School Board informally agreed that the latter approach is reasonable and did not support piloting new math programs.
Our school (and the entire Chittenden South Supervisory Union district) continues not to have a single VMI-trained (or equivalent) math-contents expert who has the power and responsibility to coordinate math education in our school and to ensure that our kids will meet the new standards that the state will establish next year. Our current math coordinator, who works only part time in our school, can spend very little time in each classroom. Thus, depending on the teacher, your child is being taught math differently, with different teaching materials.
We have been dismayed that a number of administrative officials do not believe that problems with the quality of math education exist, based upon repeated references made to state tests where students from Charlotte score well relative to other schools. There are two major problems with their reasoning. First, doing better than other regional schools is not good enough. The sad fact is that much of the country’s performance in this area is poor. Second, there are significant discrepancies between state test scores and math proficiency: students have even less knowledge than the test scores suggest. It is not acceptable in the 21st century global economy that 23% of our CCS graduates require remedial algebra upon entering CVU.
Numerous parents have written letters recently to articulate their concerns about math education, and some families have removed their kids from CCS in part due to perceived deficiencies in math education. The number of families with children at CCS that use tutors, or supplemental programs such as KUMON, is substantial – we estimate 20% of this year’s 6th grade class.
So far, only a meager Math Action plan has been formed and approved, and it lacks many of the essential elements. It does not address strategies to overcome areas of known concern. Although encouraging contacts with the VMI have been made and we assume some CCS teachers will enroll in some VMI-based courses, it is unclear to what extent the VMI will play an integral role within CCS given its current organizational structure.
Recommendations for improvement
To remedy the current deficiencies and provide a sustainable solution with checks and balances we recommend:
1) focusing current efforts on remedial measures on areas of known deficiencies that include basic computation and algorithms, instant recall, fractions (in line with the new year-by-year benchmarks) and be directed by an expert from the VMI;
2) hiring one math teacher to be responsible for teaching math in the middle grades, coordinating math in the lower and higher grades (supported by a math teacher in the upper grades), and acting as the school math specialist. This new math teacher would also coordinate all math enrichment activities in a transparent and consistent manner and be the contact person with VMI and CVU to ensure continuity in education and professional development.
3) using more rigid measurement tools in assessing math proficiency, including the SSAT test in 8th grade and a test of similar caliber in the lower grades;
4) your sharing your concerns about math with us and telling us what tutoring and supplementation you provide for your child so that we can obtain a better view about the extent of math concerns in our school.
We would be delighted to welcome you to our working group, as collective voices are more likely to be heard. We also ask that you attend the School Board meetings to share your concerns around this topic and to show your support for us. Your children need your voice as well.
We firmly believe that we have many fabulous teachers in our school who put in tremendous effort and dedication to provide for our kids. We can only hope that they are open to changes that we propose and that some of them will embrace professional development taught by experts in the field in order to teach math according to the latest standards and guidelines. We hope to enter into a meaningful dialogue with teachers, school officials and community members in order to effect change immediately. We welcome you all to our group.

Charlotte Parents for Math Excellence

Celia Cazayoux, B.S. Engineering, M.B.A., Chartered
Financial Analyst
Mike Cazayoux, B.S. Engineering, M.B.A., Sr. V.P. Dwight
Asset Management (formerly)  
Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology,
University of Vermont
Missy Kraus, M.B.A., C.F.A., President, M. Kraus &
Company
Brad Palmer, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor of Molecular
Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont
Suzanne Slesar, M.A., Education, Parent/Family Educator