Schools Chief Puts Math Plan to Test
By HOWARD BUCK
Not one person among the nearly 100 huddled in an Evergreen Public Schools meeting room Wednesday night would argue the U.S. isn’t mired in a deep mathematics funk.
That included Terry Bergeson, state schools superintendent, on a listening tour to road-test proposed changes in Washington K-12 learning standards.
Those new rules will drive math teaching and testing for years to come.
“We have so many doubts about doing math in this country. It makes me crazy,” Bergeson said.
The competitive urgency is that of the Sputnik satellite-era “10 times over,” Bergeson said. “It’s time for us to get out of this crisis.”
To that end, state education leaders have labored seven months to overhaul standards for each grade level, kindergarten through 12th. An early draft report has gone to the state Legislature.
From early number counting to geometry to statistics, each step is now spelled out.
Except at high school levels, which remain a stumbling block. Those recommendations will come in the next three weeks.
Highlights of the proposal:
Less breadth of curriculum, to allow more class time to teach skills and concepts in-depth.
Clearly listed standards and methods that allow more student support at home.
New, end-of-course exams in high school, combined with a shorter version of the math Washington Assessment of Student Learning, or WASL, by 2010.
Parents, math teachers and coaches, school principals, and superintendents split into small groups Wednesday to tell Bergeson’s team what’s right in the new proposal, and what still needs fixing.
The high school breakout easily drew the largest crowd.
“Allow teachers to use different methods, and not fall back on, ‘This is how we’re told to do it,’ ” said Loren Sickles, father of four Evergreen district pupils.
Each year’s students differ; ability to adjust teaching methods is critical, Sickles said. “As things have spiraled down, they don’t think they’re free to do this anymore,” he said.
Sickles is no fan of the WASL. He has been frustrated by the current, jargon-filled standards when he’s stepped in to help his children with math, he said.
“I can usually figure out what’s going on, but by then, I’m exhausted,” Sickles said.
Debra Schneider, a high school and middle school math coach for Evergreen schools, said teachers also are drained by lack of clear directions.
Explicit standards would foster better teaching and improved student effort, where expectations are understood, Schneider said. She cited rigorous, but superclear, Advanced Placement curriculum as worth modeling.
She said teachers must be given support during the year, not just during summer training, to reach a higher standard.
Schneider and others said it’s vital for a state “rollout” of new standards this spring to engage parents. She said parents are key to a mass “culture change” needed to motivate Washington students in math, as other countries have already achieved.
John Deeder, Evergreen district superintendent, said educators need to streamline and smarten up courses to get the public buy-in needed.
“I still believe we have a school system and curriculum that prepares kids for things that aren’t there anymore,” Deeder said of the vastly changed job market.
But the revised standards are definitely on track, with a bit more fine-tuning, he said. There’s no margin for failure left as Washington gets a second chance at reforms, he said.
“We’re killing ourselves on this stuff, just like everyone in this room,” Deeder said of Evergreen’s self-examination. “We’ve got to get it right.”
Update
Previously: The State Board of Education’s draft plan for revised K-12 mathematics standards was sent to the state Legislature on Jan. 31.
What’s new: Clark County school, business and community leaders discussed the draft proposal in Vancouver on Wednesday.
What’s next: By Feb. 29, legislators will get an updated draft plan. The state intends to adopt final standards by May 15 and immediately begin teacher training for the 2008-09 school year. Update rail w/o leadin
update hed On the Web:
Howard Buck covers schools and education. He can be reached at 360-735-4515 or
howard.buck@columbian.com
Originally published by HOWARD BUCK Columbian staff writer.
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