9 ms·

2021 Revision of the Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools

KingFelix 6y ago
My son is struggling with middle school zoom math courses. I hope he doesn't suffer in the long term because of it.
- polka_haunts_us 6y ago
  A relative works at the Community College level of public education, and generally during economic downturns they prosper because a lot of people go back to school for qualifications, but they were telling me this year a lot of their math classes (remote only) had low enrollment while other STEM classes were normal or up. I can only assume that's because a lot of people just cannot handle learning math remotely for whatever reason.
- mechnesium 6y ago
  Check out Khan Academy—it is an exceptional way to learn math. Far better than that Common Core nonsense.
  - jdale27 6y ago
    FWIW, Khan Academy is pretty well aligned with Common Core, at least in terms of material covered: https://www.khanacademy.org/commoncore/map https://www.khanacademy.org/commoncore/map I think a lot of what people complain about with Common Core is bizarrely written school materials that were developed by some bureaucracy and don't make a whit of sense to an adult who already knows the skill, let alone to a kid. Khan Academy definitely does better on that count in my opinion, so it's a good supplement.
    - mechnesium 6y ago
      Exactly! I don’t have an issue with the Common Core material, but the methods are how you described—bizarre.
  - andrepd 6y ago
    What exactly do you have against common core?
    - Jtsummers 6y ago
      Many people have conflated Common Core (a set of objectives of what should be learned and by when, generally pretty good) with the materials that came out to support it from textbook publishers and others (pretty shitty).
    - mechnesium 6y ago
      Mostly the mathematical methods that I’ve seen mandated by common core, such as area model multiplication and decomposition addition. I think it’s completely confusing kids, slowing them down, and crippling their analytical skills.
  - threatofrain 6y ago
    > Far better than that Common Core nonsense. You should check out Khan Academy because it's well aligned to the Common Core. The general effect of the CA Common Core was advance the math curriculum by about 6 months.
mncharity 6y ago
> something is not quite right. > Check with the administrator for this site or application. > Support ID: [...] The most recent archive.org (Dec 17) doesn't have the "the draft chapters approved by the IQC". Google cache has the page, and at least some of the chapters. Fwiw.
yottalove 6y ago
Read and understand the thirteen books of the Elements by Euclid, preferably in the original Greek. This ought to be sufficient for a fundamental understanding of the mathematical method, its power and application--all generated from a handful of axioms and postulates which in turn can be re-visioned to form entirely distinct but consistent systems.
- LolWolf 6y ago
  There are better presentations of geometry than the Elements :) (Plus, the original constructions, without algebra, are rather tricky and don't generalize well!) If we're interested in the mathematical method and its power, a good start might be to, well, go with more exploration-based approaches, where students have to learn things in order to solve a "real"(-ish) problem. Of course, the training required and attention to students would rocket and is likely infeasible, but hey, if Euclid's elements in the original Greek are on the table, this doesn't look too bad !
  - ARandomerDude 6y ago
    > better presentations > more exploration-based approaches Do you know of any that you'd recommend?
- pkaye 6y ago
  Back in the 80s, we learned the Euclid axioms and postulates in geometry class which was around 8th grade. Not sure what is taught these days. Edit: I think that was the first class where we learned about proofs and we solved so many that I really get the hang of it.
- AnimalMuppet 6y ago
  "For California Public Schools". I'm pretty sure that most high school kids are not going to be reading Euclid in the original Greek...
- Koshkin 6y ago
  Here's a beautiful rendition of the original text alongside with an English translation: https://farside.ph.utexas.edu/Books/Euclid/Elements.pdf https://farside.ph.utexas.edu/Books/Euclid/Elements.pdf
brodouevencode 6y ago
A lot of equity talk in there.
- User23 6y ago
  What exactly is equity in this context anyhow? Is it supposed to be a smarter sounding version of equality or something else? Is the idea for kids to graduate with shares in something?
  - kardianos 6y ago
    Equity in this context... is equity in every context, that is equal outcomes for various groups. Equity for Marx was between classes, Equity for Mao was more social, equity from 1960s on is mostly intersectional grouping. Equity is at odds with equality; they cannot exist together. This is why CA fought (and lost) to revoke Prop 209 which guaranteed a certain racial equality. As seen in the recent SF school admission, the board would have prefered a neoracist admission standard, but couldn't do that overtly because Prop 209 still stands, so they changed it from test to lottery. In this context (Math), everything is political, including (especially) math and the sciences. Everything is political because equity theorists say that everything, including math, is socially constructed. So the structural racism (axiom) that is present everywhere must be deconstructed in every classroom and every workplace. It is all neoracist. It is the new, hip, way to achieve segregation and discrimination based on race.
    - jkhdigital 6y ago
      While I do think the term “neoracist” is appropriate for some of the new social justice dogma about race, we also need a term for when these same ideas are applied to non-racial group distinctions.
      - pythonslayer 6y ago
        There is truly nothing comparable to the application of the concept of race. In fact, race is already a catch-all term of sorts for an ideological byproduct of industrial capitalism. See chapter 4 of Barbara Fields’ Racecraft for a history: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kC4oWIwS84gBQaVhJiFmCd42b0eZijR1/view?usp=drivesdk https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kC4oWIwS84gBQaVhJiFmCd42b0e...
323454 6y ago
From Chapter 2 "Teaching for Equity and Engagement" p40: > Ms. Ross teaches fifth grade at the Jackie Robinson Academy. She has been focusing on developing her students’ sociopolitical consciousness through language arts and wants to bring mathematics into their thinking (SMP.1, 2). To begin the process, the class is led in an analysis of word problems from their fifth-grade mathematics textbook (NF.1, 2, 4, 5, 6). Ms. Ross selects three word problems to connect with the class’s current read-aloud of George, a novel by Alex Gino that shares the story of a 10-year-old transgender fourth grader and her struggles with acceptance among friends and family. In doing so, the teacher is reflecting the recommendations of California’s Health Framework, which suggests that sensitive discussions of gender are important for students > The word problem analysis serves as a springboard for students to investigate their own questions. One student asks, “Are there word problems that have a male knitting a scarf, cooking, cleaning?”; and another ponders, “Does the textbook always use girl names for girl stuff and boy names for boy stuff?” Lastly, another student asks, “Are there word problems that challenge gender stereotypes?” When examining the entire textbook, the students noted that there were a few instances of gender-fluid problems (e.g., David’s dad baked a dozen cookies to share with him, his sister, and his mom); however, the problem continued to conflate gender with a heterosexual identity. The class could not find problems involving non-nuclear families (e.g., two moms, a single dad) or gender nonconforming characters (e.g., John cutting ribbon). Ms. Ross has students notice these patterns, but also asked students to question why certain items (e.g., toys, activities, careers) are perceived as being “for” only girls or boys, and the implications for these assumptions. She continues to engage her students by asking, “Why does this matter? Who does this privilege? Who is silenced?” This lesson is highlighted as an exemplary instance of mathematics education. The students go on to "fix" the word problems (in one instance completely losing the sense of the original problem). I think it's good to re-write mathematics textbook word problems to be more inclusive. I don't think it's good to have students play out that process in their math class. Math class is for learning... math. They can learn how to perform a social justice critique in social justice class. If this is representative of the direction the state wants to move in, then I don't have a lot of optimism for the future of public education in California.
- sudosysgen 6y ago
  The idea that classes should have interplay with each other is not new. I don't know about you, but in my social sciences classes we did a fair bit of math and even had projects that counted for both math and social sciences, for example. It was in general a good thing. The above isn't an example of pure math education. It's an example of what math teachers should do if they want to incorporate for example elements from the Health or Social Sciences curriculum.
biffstallion 6y ago
Of course less math, and more Equity nonsense. In other words, some people won't learn because white knights need to help them learn. Talk about California-centric buffoonery. I mean, cursive handwriting isn't even taught anymore in public schools. Never mind having these kids ACTUALLY COUNT BACK CHANGE at a drivethrough.
Darmody 6y ago
Ah, yes, the good old indoctrination that all authoritarian governments loved this last century. When you get politics and ideologies to be taught in school, you're doomed. It's sad to see the US turning into this.
- bigmattystyles 6y ago
  You have a point but let's no pretend this is new - there's been so much whitewashing of American history for instance. The way the jim crowe is just sort of skipped; most textbooks go from the civil war to voting rights and even then, there's more emphasis on the better moments. This is just another set of people getting the power over curriculum. It's not great either but it isn't new.
  - fyrn- 6y ago
    Anacdotal, but my History class in highschool covered the Jim Crow laws, and that was at a pretty rural public school. The books we were using were pretty old so I don't think it's that new.
    - bigmattystyles 6y ago
      I have to admit my statement was anecdotal as well. My whole view is colored by what I've read about textbooks in Texas and how they removed or toned down the role of slavery in the civil war. I concede that much of that reporting is biased)
  - Darmody 6y ago
    This is very different from whitewashing. Every country whitewashes parts of its history, sometimes unwillingly. This is an attempt to change the political landscape in the future through indoctrination. And it will not stop here.
    - bigmattystyles 6y ago
      I agree, though I would argue that whitewashing history is a subset curriculum design - I would argue though that whitewashing history is definitively an attempt to maintain the political landscape through indoctrination.
skavi 6y ago
There may be some form of survivorship bias against refreshed math curriculums in many of the people who use HN. I assume many of us are in STEM fields and did well enough in K-12 programs to get there.
- bslorence 6y ago
  I wonder how many STEM professionals' K-12 education has anything at all to do with their career. Zero connection for me, and I went to a flagship Silicon Valley high school and maxed out the math curriculum there. I can't think of anything I learned in K-12 that relates directly to software development & IT. I did however make a friend at that high school (in English class) whose dad worked at a big tech company and helped me get into the industry. The school's computer programming club was fun too. Then again I'm almost 40; maybe it's different for younger people.
  - iguy 6y ago
    If you "maxed out the math curriculum", then surely you got some idea that you enjoyed logic, and were better than average at solving puzzles? Presumably writers seldom end up writing about the texts they studied in high school, but they may pick up similar impressions of what they like, and what they are good at.
    - bslorence 6y ago
      I suppose everyone's experience is a little different. I started writing code when I was about 7 and I really don't think the K-12 curricula I went through had much direct impact on my career. Maybe some people catch the bug in school, I sure didn't. This was roughly 1986-1998, though, maybe things have changed significantly.
      - iguy 6y ago
        That sounds in a way the best case scenario, not to need anything from school. (Although not the one which schools should be designed around.) Or do you think that a better-designed school could have pushed you further, perhaps?
mattmcknight 6y ago
Reading the introduction, it's an extended insult to anyone proceeding faster than the government prescribed standard pace, accusing them of failing to process things in depth. (And for those who missed a concept- too bad you have to keep going at the same pace.) The primary objective seems to be ensuring no one gets visibly ahead of anyone else. It's attempting to push the SFUSD no Algebra until high school madness on everyone. The description is so full of contradictions that it can't be rationally understood- there are not allowed to be advanced students, but "high achievers" are helped by going "more in depth", while they "learn to appreciate the beauty of mathematics and the connections between mathematical areas". They sit there and complain about a "rush to calculus", but then in order to take Calculus in SFUSD you have to rush through the classes that immediately precede it. "All students can take Common Core-aligned mathematics 6, 7, and 8 in middle school and still take calculus, data science, statistics, or other high-level courses in high school." And how does that turn out? "In SFUSD, students have many options for a fourth year of math, including Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus and AP Statistics. There are also many ways to reach a fourth year of math, including choosing to take a “compression” course that combines Algebra 2 and Precalculus in 11th grade; choosing to “double up” on math during 9th or 10th grade; or taking a summer Geometry course between 9th and 10th grades."[1] Why the great opposition to 8th grade (or earlier) Algebra? "In order to reach algebra in grade eight, students must cover all of middle grades math in just two years (or else skip some foundational material)." Or, you need to cover the 9 years (K-9) in 8 years, which doesn't sound quite as daunting...not to mention the possibility of starting ahead. However, they are concerned that students path is set in 5th grade. Rather than look at this as a lack of imagination in the naming of courses, such that they all need to be one year endeavors... I fully support getting rid of some closed notion of "tracking" where people have no ability to move at their own pace and speed up or slow down. However, all of their complaints against tracking (save one) apply to this solution, as it is locking all students into one, inadequate track. [1] https://archive.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/1.9.19%20Math%20Enrollment%20Press%20Release%20-%20Google%20Docs.pdf https://archive.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/1.9.19%20Mat...
mattmcknight 6y ago
Reading the introduction, it's an extended insult to anyone proceeding faster than the government prescribed standard pace, accusing them of failing to process things in depth. (And for those who missed a concept- too bad you have to keep going at the same pace.) The primary objective seems to be ensuring no one gets visibly ahead of anyone else. It's attempting to push the SFUSD no Algebra until high school madness on everyone. The description is so full of contradictions that it can't be rationally understood- there are not allowed to be advanced students, but "high achievers" are helped by going "more in depth", while they "learn to appreciate the beauty of mathematics and the connections between mathematical areas". They sit there and complain about a "rush to calculus", but then in order to take Calculus in SFUSD you have to rush through the classes that immediately precede it. "All students can take Common Core-aligned mathematics 6, 7, and 8 in middle school and still take calculus, data science, statistics, or other high-level courses in high school." And how does that turn out? "In SFUSD, students have many options for a fourth year of math, including Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus and AP Statistics. There are also many ways to reach a fourth year of math, including choosing to take a “compression” course that combines Algebra 2 and Precalculus in 11th grade; choosing to “double up” on math during 9th or 10th grade; or taking a summer Geometry course between 9th and 10th grades."[1] Why the great opposition to 8th grade (or earlier) Algebra? "In order to reach algebra in grade eight, students must cover all of middle grades math in just two years (or else skip some foundational material)." Or, you need to cover the 9 years (K-8) in 8 years, which doesn't sound quite as daunting...not to mention the possibility of starting ahead. However, they are concerned that a student's path is set in 5th grade. Rather than look at this as a lack of imagination in the naming of courses, such that they all need to be one year endeavors... I fully support getting rid of some closed notion of "tracking" where people have no ability to move at their own pace and speed up or slow down. However, all of their complaints against tracking (save one) apply to this solution, as it is locking all students into one, inadequate track. [1] https://archive.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/1.9.19%20Math%20Enrollment%20Press%20Release%20-%20Google%20Docs.pdf https://archive.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/1.9.19%20Mat...
trhway 6y ago
Somebody has been able to sneak Chapter 5 "Data Science" in. Waiting for the Chapter "AI" in a few years.
modern_massacre 6y ago
I spent several years as a middle school math teacher before switching to software engineering about 3 years ago. I am sad to see Jo Boaler/youcubed quoted and promoted in this Middle School Math framework. This person has persuaded school districts and admins throughout CA to believe that every mathematics lesson should be a student-led, creative, multi-disciplinary experience. School districts are shown hyper-curated math lessons where teacher input is minimal and students are allowed to creatively interact with a math topic that's several grade levels below them, and school districts then have their district-level math coaches repeat these lessons ad nauseum to teachers in order to push teachers to a more student-led instruction model. I once saw one of these district coaches in an 8th grade honors Algebra classroom present a lesson on counting dots -- how interesting it is how some students count one by one, some group count, some use symmetry, some start at the top, some at the bottom, etc. Don't get me wrong, these demonstrations are interesting, and allow students the ability to explore and discuss more than a standard teacher-led mathematics classroom. But my experience is that they are closer to one-off, interesting demonstrations rather than an appropriate model to handle an entire mathematics curriculum. When superintendents and administrators are presented these demonstrations, and they observe how much discussion there is, how students can be creative, how students are able to confidently interact with the material, they then believe that's what every math lesson should look like, and set their expectations accordingly. There are a lot of fancy ideas of what modern day math lessons should look like. Student-led investigations, few teacher prompts, creative outlets for students, and for some unknown reason, an underlying belief that students who are deficient in math will be able to achieve higher with this model. These ideas, and the people that promote them, are then able to secure massive textbook and district consultation contracts, but the actual teachers in the district are left wanting. The thing is, for this type of lesson model, the amount of resources necessary for every lesson is incredible. Interactives, worksheets, the overall pedagogical arch of the lesson, the right teacher questions to ask -- for the types of lessons that is being promoted, it's just not something that can be done 5 times a week for multiple classes. The district/admin expectations are set by these companies/evangelists, the appropriate materials are not furnished to the teachers to actually do something as involved as what they're expecting, and there's no possible way that teachers could create the amount of content that's expected. Ideologically, it was hard for me to square my love of math and what I fundamentally believe how math should be taught with what I saw at the admin/district level, and my Principal was more than happy to explain that I was in the wrong. As a 6th grade math teacher, I was told by my Principal that every student (and their parent) entering my classroom had been taught math under this "Jo Boaler" model, and had never seen a math fact quiz. So when a student needs to multiply 7 by 8? I actually had students that were making an 8 x 7 grid of dots and then counting to 56. Even though the Common Core framework has comments about the need for fluency, this model of instruction where students should both investigate a topic and then use that same investigative approach (e.g., setting up m rows of n dots to multiply m * n rather than memorizing the result for 0 <= m,n <= 12) just didn't jive with me. A common kneejerk argument for not prompting students to memorize math facts is because students can "just use a calculator." There's even calculators on their phones nowadays! However, I believe basic math facts are closer to language than math, especially with how often such basic math facts are expected to be known as students progress. A 7th grade teacher adding two fractions together with unlike denominators isn't going to stop mid-example and do a counting exercise for 6 * 7, so wouldn't it be a minor detriment each time a student that doesn't have 6 * 7 memorized see that unknown math fact in class? Saying that the student could simply use a calculator each time they encounter an unknown math fact is, in my opinion, like saying that there's no need to memorize words when learning a foreign language, because if you don't know the definition of "el", "es", "esta", or "un" when in a Spanish class, you can just use Google Translate to figure it out! What I found out from veteran teachers -- I was told too late for me to be saved, unfortunately -- is that the expectation for new teachers is to drink all the admin Kool-Aid with reckless abandon until you have tenure, and then you see admin maybe once every five years after that. Instead, when I had issues with the textbook we were provided, or saw struggling students left in the dust during student-led investigations, it was in my error as a new teacher to question these approaches and provide other instructional materials for students. Too bad for me, as I really loved teaching that middle school age group and interacting with my students. The money, freedom, and severely reduced working hours in software engineering, though, are a welcome change :P
sbuttgereit 6y ago
I've read some of the linked documents now and I have a kid that is reaching kindergarten age and in SFUSD. The kid's been in some of the SFUSD preschool programs since it seemed to be the only source of certain autism related services before kindergarten age. Given the kinds of communication I receive from the district (the majority are coordinating welfare programs rather than supporting some academic mission), recent news, and these sorts of standards cropping up, I'm becoming increasingly convinced that I should avoid the public school system here. The preschool is dealing with such basic things that it probably doesn't matter, but as time goes on the picture doesn't sound promising. So to take this discussion off on a tangent... is private school the only real option? Are there home-schoolers here that can provide some insights? I did mention he's autistic, but very high functioning and we're already making progress without the aforementioned district autism services anyway. Anyway, not sure where to start in the Bay Area and this head-shaking document prompted the thought to ask.
- jxramos 6y ago
  are you saying the content in the communications materials emanating from the SFUSD are not very "mission oriented" for lack of a better phrase, for what you'd consider a schools mission orientation should be?

My son is struggling with middle school zoom math courses. I hope he doesn't suffer in the long term because of it.

polka_haunts_us 6y ago
A relative works at the Community College level of public education, and generally during economic downturns they prosper because a lot of people go back to school for qualifications, but they were telling me this year a lot of their math classes (remote only) had low enrollment while other STEM classes were normal or up. I can only assume that's because a lot of people just cannot handle learning math remotely for whatever reason.
mechnesium 6y ago
Check out Khan Academy—it is an exceptional way to learn math. Far better than that Common Core nonsense.
- jdale27 6y ago
  FWIW, Khan Academy is pretty well aligned with Common Core, at least in terms of material covered: https://www.khanacademy.org/commoncore/map https://www.khanacademy.org/commoncore/map I think a lot of what people complain about with Common Core is bizarrely written school materials that were developed by some bureaucracy and don't make a whit of sense to an adult who already knows the skill, let alone to a kid. Khan Academy definitely does better on that count in my opinion, so it's a good supplement.
  - mechnesium 6y ago
    Exactly! I don’t have an issue with the Common Core material, but the methods are how you described—bizarre.
- andrepd 6y ago
  What exactly do you have against common core?
  - Jtsummers 6y ago
    Many people have conflated Common Core (a set of objectives of what should be learned and by when, generally pretty good) with the materials that came out to support it from textbook publishers and others (pretty shitty).
  - mechnesium 6y ago
    Mostly the mathematical methods that I’ve seen mandated by common core, such as area model multiplication and decomposition addition. I think it’s completely confusing kids, slowing them down, and crippling their analytical skills.
- threatofrain 6y ago
  > Far better than that Common Core nonsense. You should check out Khan Academy because it's well aligned to the Common Core. The general effect of the CA Common Core was advance the math curriculum by about 6 months.

> something is not quite right. > Check with the administrator for this site or application. > Support ID: [...] The most recent archive.org (Dec 17) doesn't have the "the draft chapters approved by the IQC". Google cache has the page, and at least some of the chapters. Fwiw.

yottalove 6y ago

Read and understand the thirteen books of the Elements by Euclid, preferably in the original Greek. This ought to be sufficient for a fundamental understanding of the mathematical method, its power and application--all generated from a handful of axioms and postulates which in turn can be re-visioned to form entirely distinct but consistent systems.

LolWolf 6y ago
There are better presentations of geometry than the Elements :) (Plus, the original constructions, without algebra, are rather tricky and don't generalize well!) If we're interested in the mathematical method and its power, a good start might be to, well, go with more exploration-based approaches, where students have to learn things in order to solve a "real"(-ish) problem. Of course, the training required and attention to students would rocket and is likely infeasible, but hey, if Euclid's elements in the original Greek are on the table, this doesn't look too bad !
- ARandomerDude 6y ago
  > better presentations > more exploration-based approaches Do you know of any that you'd recommend?
pkaye 6y ago
Back in the 80s, we learned the Euclid axioms and postulates in geometry class which was around 8th grade. Not sure what is taught these days. Edit: I think that was the first class where we learned about proofs and we solved so many that I really get the hang of it.
AnimalMuppet 6y ago
"For California Public Schools". I'm pretty sure that most high school kids are not going to be reading Euclid in the original Greek...
Koshkin 6y ago
Here's a beautiful rendition of the original text alongside with an English translation: https://farside.ph.utexas.edu/Books/Euclid/Elements.pdf https://farside.ph.utexas.edu/Books/Euclid/Elements.pdf

brodouevencode 6y ago

A lot of equity talk in there.

User23 6y ago
What exactly is equity in this context anyhow? Is it supposed to be a smarter sounding version of equality or something else? Is the idea for kids to graduate with shares in something?
- kardianos 6y ago
  Equity in this context... is equity in every context, that is equal outcomes for various groups. Equity for Marx was between classes, Equity for Mao was more social, equity from 1960s on is mostly intersectional grouping. Equity is at odds with equality; they cannot exist together. This is why CA fought (and lost) to revoke Prop 209 which guaranteed a certain racial equality. As seen in the recent SF school admission, the board would have prefered a neoracist admission standard, but couldn't do that overtly because Prop 209 still stands, so they changed it from test to lottery. In this context (Math), everything is political, including (especially) math and the sciences. Everything is political because equity theorists say that everything, including math, is socially constructed. So the structural racism (axiom) that is present everywhere must be deconstructed in every classroom and every workplace. It is all neoracist. It is the new, hip, way to achieve segregation and discrimination based on race.
  - jkhdigital 6y ago
    While I do think the term “neoracist” is appropriate for some of the new social justice dogma about race, we also need a term for when these same ideas are applied to non-racial group distinctions.
    - pythonslayer 6y ago
      There is truly nothing comparable to the application of the concept of race. In fact, race is already a catch-all term of sorts for an ideological byproduct of industrial capitalism. See chapter 4 of Barbara Fields’ Racecraft for a history: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kC4oWIwS84gBQaVhJiFmCd42b0eZijR1/view?usp=drivesdk https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kC4oWIwS84gBQaVhJiFmCd42b0e...

323454 6y ago

From Chapter 2 "Teaching for Equity and Engagement" p40: > Ms. Ross teaches fifth grade at the Jackie Robinson Academy. She has been focusing on developing her students’ sociopolitical consciousness through language arts and wants to bring mathematics into their thinking (SMP.1, 2). To begin the process, the class is led in an analysis of word problems from their fifth-grade mathematics textbook (NF.1, 2, 4, 5, 6). Ms. Ross selects three word problems to connect with the class’s current read-aloud of George, a novel by Alex Gino that shares the story of a 10-year-old transgender fourth grader and her struggles with acceptance among friends and family. In doing so, the teacher is reflecting the recommendations of California’s Health Framework, which suggests that sensitive discussions of gender are important for students > The word problem analysis serves as a springboard for students to investigate their own questions. One student asks, “Are there word problems that have a male knitting a scarf, cooking, cleaning?”; and another ponders, “Does the textbook always use girl names for girl stuff and boy names for boy stuff?” Lastly, another student asks, “Are there word problems that challenge gender stereotypes?” When examining the entire textbook, the students noted that there were a few instances of gender-fluid problems (e.g., David’s dad baked a dozen cookies to share with him, his sister, and his mom); however, the problem continued to conflate gender with a heterosexual identity. The class could not find problems involving non-nuclear families (e.g., two moms, a single dad) or gender nonconforming characters (e.g., John cutting ribbon). Ms. Ross has students notice these patterns, but also asked students to question why certain items (e.g., toys, activities, careers) are perceived as being “for” only girls or boys, and the implications for these assumptions. She continues to engage her students by asking, “Why does this matter? Who does this privilege? Who is silenced?” This lesson is highlighted as an exemplary instance of mathematics education. The students go on to "fix" the word problems (in one instance completely losing the sense of the original problem). I think it's good to re-write mathematics textbook word problems to be more inclusive. I don't think it's good to have students play out that process in their math class. Math class is for learning... math. They can learn how to perform a social justice critique in social justice class. If this is representative of the direction the state wants to move in, then I don't have a lot of optimism for the future of public education in California.

sudosysgen 6y ago
The idea that classes should have interplay with each other is not new. I don't know about you, but in my social sciences classes we did a fair bit of math and even had projects that counted for both math and social sciences, for example. It was in general a good thing. The above isn't an example of pure math education. It's an example of what math teachers should do if they want to incorporate for example elements from the Health or Social Sciences curriculum.

biffstallion 6y ago

Of course less math, and more Equity nonsense. In other words, some people won't learn because white knights need to help them learn. Talk about California-centric buffoonery. I mean, cursive handwriting isn't even taught anymore in public schools. Never mind having these kids ACTUALLY COUNT BACK CHANGE at a drivethrough.

Darmody 6y ago

Ah, yes, the good old indoctrination that all authoritarian governments loved this last century. When you get politics and ideologies to be taught in school, you're doomed. It's sad to see the US turning into this.

bigmattystyles 6y ago
You have a point but let's no pretend this is new - there's been so much whitewashing of American history for instance. The way the jim crowe is just sort of skipped; most textbooks go from the civil war to voting rights and even then, there's more emphasis on the better moments. This is just another set of people getting the power over curriculum. It's not great either but it isn't new.
- fyrn- 6y ago
  Anacdotal, but my History class in highschool covered the Jim Crow laws, and that was at a pretty rural public school. The books we were using were pretty old so I don't think it's that new.
  - bigmattystyles 6y ago
    I have to admit my statement was anecdotal as well. My whole view is colored by what I've read about textbooks in Texas and how they removed or toned down the role of slavery in the civil war. I concede that much of that reporting is biased)
- Darmody 6y ago
  This is very different from whitewashing. Every country whitewashes parts of its history, sometimes unwillingly. This is an attempt to change the political landscape in the future through indoctrination. And it will not stop here.
  - bigmattystyles 6y ago
    I agree, though I would argue that whitewashing history is a subset curriculum design - I would argue though that whitewashing history is definitively an attempt to maintain the political landscape through indoctrination.

skavi 6y ago

There may be some form of survivorship bias against refreshed math curriculums in many of the people who use HN. I assume many of us are in STEM fields and did well enough in K-12 programs to get there.

bslorence 6y ago
I wonder how many STEM professionals' K-12 education has anything at all to do with their career. Zero connection for me, and I went to a flagship Silicon Valley high school and maxed out the math curriculum there. I can't think of anything I learned in K-12 that relates directly to software development & IT. I did however make a friend at that high school (in English class) whose dad worked at a big tech company and helped me get into the industry. The school's computer programming club was fun too. Then again I'm almost 40; maybe it's different for younger people.
- iguy 6y ago
  If you "maxed out the math curriculum", then surely you got some idea that you enjoyed logic, and were better than average at solving puzzles? Presumably writers seldom end up writing about the texts they studied in high school, but they may pick up similar impressions of what they like, and what they are good at.
  - bslorence 6y ago
    I suppose everyone's experience is a little different. I started writing code when I was about 7 and I really don't think the K-12 curricula I went through had much direct impact on my career. Maybe some people catch the bug in school, I sure didn't. This was roughly 1986-1998, though, maybe things have changed significantly.
    - iguy 6y ago
      That sounds in a way the best case scenario, not to need anything from school. (Although not the one which schools should be designed around.) Or do you think that a better-designed school could have pushed you further, perhaps?

mattmcknight 6y ago

Reading the introduction, it's an extended insult to anyone proceeding faster than the government prescribed standard pace, accusing them of failing to process things in depth. (And for those who missed a concept- too bad you have to keep going at the same pace.) The primary objective seems to be ensuring no one gets visibly ahead of anyone else. It's attempting to push the SFUSD no Algebra until high school madness on everyone. The description is so full of contradictions that it can't be rationally understood- there are not allowed to be advanced students, but "high achievers" are helped by going "more in depth", while they "learn to appreciate the beauty of mathematics and the connections between mathematical areas". They sit there and complain about a "rush to calculus", but then in order to take Calculus in SFUSD you have to rush through the classes that immediately precede it. "All students can take Common Core-aligned mathematics 6, 7, and 8 in middle school and still take calculus, data science, statistics, or other high-level courses in high school." And how does that turn out? "In SFUSD, students have many options for a fourth year of math, including Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus and AP Statistics. There are also many ways to reach a fourth year of math, including choosing to take a “compression” course that combines Algebra 2 and Precalculus in 11th grade; choosing to “double up” on math during 9th or 10th grade; or taking a summer Geometry course between 9th and 10th grades."[1] Why the great opposition to 8th grade (or earlier) Algebra? "In order to reach algebra in grade eight, students must cover all of middle grades math in just two years (or else skip some foundational material)." Or, you need to cover the 9 years (K-9) in 8 years, which doesn't sound quite as daunting...not to mention the possibility of starting ahead. However, they are concerned that students path is set in 5th grade. Rather than look at this as a lack of imagination in the naming of courses, such that they all need to be one year endeavors... I fully support getting rid of some closed notion of "tracking" where people have no ability to move at their own pace and speed up or slow down. However, all of their complaints against tracking (save one) apply to this solution, as it is locking all students into one, inadequate track. [1] https://archive.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/1.9.19%20Math%20Enrollment%20Press%20Release%20-%20Google%20Docs.pdf https://archive.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/1.9.19%20Mat...

mattmcknight 6y ago

Reading the introduction, it's an extended insult to anyone proceeding faster than the government prescribed standard pace, accusing them of failing to process things in depth. (And for those who missed a concept- too bad you have to keep going at the same pace.) The primary objective seems to be ensuring no one gets visibly ahead of anyone else. It's attempting to push the SFUSD no Algebra until high school madness on everyone. The description is so full of contradictions that it can't be rationally understood- there are not allowed to be advanced students, but "high achievers" are helped by going "more in depth", while they "learn to appreciate the beauty of mathematics and the connections between mathematical areas". They sit there and complain about a "rush to calculus", but then in order to take Calculus in SFUSD you have to rush through the classes that immediately precede it. "All students can take Common Core-aligned mathematics 6, 7, and 8 in middle school and still take calculus, data science, statistics, or other high-level courses in high school." And how does that turn out? "In SFUSD, students have many options for a fourth year of math, including Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus and AP Statistics. There are also many ways to reach a fourth year of math, including choosing to take a “compression” course that combines Algebra 2 and Precalculus in 11th grade; choosing to “double up” on math during 9th or 10th grade; or taking a summer Geometry course between 9th and 10th grades."[1] Why the great opposition to 8th grade (or earlier) Algebra? "In order to reach algebra in grade eight, students must cover all of middle grades math in just two years (or else skip some foundational material)." Or, you need to cover the 9 years (K-8) in 8 years, which doesn't sound quite as daunting...not to mention the possibility of starting ahead. However, they are concerned that a student's path is set in 5th grade. Rather than look at this as a lack of imagination in the naming of courses, such that they all need to be one year endeavors... I fully support getting rid of some closed notion of "tracking" where people have no ability to move at their own pace and speed up or slow down. However, all of their complaints against tracking (save one) apply to this solution, as it is locking all students into one, inadequate track. [1] https://archive.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/1.9.19%20Math%20Enrollment%20Press%20Release%20-%20Google%20Docs.pdf https://archive.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/1.9.19%20Mat...

trhway 6y ago

Somebody has been able to sneak Chapter 5 "Data Science" in. Waiting for the Chapter "AI" in a few years.

modern_massacre 6y ago

I spent several years as a middle school math teacher before switching to software engineering about 3 years ago. I am sad to see Jo Boaler/youcubed quoted and promoted in this Middle School Math framework. This person has persuaded school districts and admins throughout CA to believe that every mathematics lesson should be a student-led, creative, multi-disciplinary experience. School districts are shown hyper-curated math lessons where teacher input is minimal and students are allowed to creatively interact with a math topic that's several grade levels below them, and school districts then have their district-level math coaches repeat these lessons ad nauseum to teachers in order to push teachers to a more student-led instruction model. I once saw one of these district coaches in an 8th grade honors Algebra classroom present a lesson on counting dots -- how interesting it is how some students count one by one, some group count, some use symmetry, some start at the top, some at the bottom, etc. Don't get me wrong, these demonstrations are interesting, and allow students the ability to explore and discuss more than a standard teacher-led mathematics classroom. But my experience is that they are closer to one-off, interesting demonstrations rather than an appropriate model to handle an entire mathematics curriculum. When superintendents and administrators are presented these demonstrations, and they observe how much discussion there is, how students can be creative, how students are able to confidently interact with the material, they then believe that's what every math lesson should look like, and set their expectations accordingly. There are a lot of fancy ideas of what modern day math lessons should look like. Student-led investigations, few teacher prompts, creative outlets for students, and for some unknown reason, an underlying belief that students who are deficient in math will be able to achieve higher with this model. These ideas, and the people that promote them, are then able to secure massive textbook and district consultation contracts, but the actual teachers in the district are left wanting. The thing is, for this type of lesson model, the amount of resources necessary for every lesson is incredible. Interactives, worksheets, the overall pedagogical arch of the lesson, the right teacher questions to ask -- for the types of lessons that is being promoted, it's just not something that can be done 5 times a week for multiple classes. The district/admin expectations are set by these companies/evangelists, the appropriate materials are not furnished to the teachers to actually do something as involved as what they're expecting, and there's no possible way that teachers could create the amount of content that's expected. Ideologically, it was hard for me to square my love of math and what I fundamentally believe how math should be taught with what I saw at the admin/district level, and my Principal was more than happy to explain that I was in the wrong. As a 6th grade math teacher, I was told by my Principal that every student (and their parent) entering my classroom had been taught math under this "Jo Boaler" model, and had never seen a math fact quiz. So when a student needs to multiply 7 by 8? I actually had students that were making an 8 x 7 grid of dots and then counting to 56. Even though the Common Core framework has comments about the need for fluency, this model of instruction where students should both investigate a topic and then use that same investigative approach (e.g., setting up m rows of n dots to multiply m * n rather than memorizing the result for 0 <= m,n <= 12) just didn't jive with me. A common kneejerk argument for not prompting students to memorize math facts is because students can "just use a calculator." There's even calculators on their phones nowadays! However, I believe basic math facts are closer to language than math, especially with how often such basic math facts are expected to be known as students progress. A 7th grade teacher adding two fractions together with unlike denominators isn't going to stop mid-example and do a counting exercise for 6 * 7, so wouldn't it be a minor detriment each time a student that doesn't have 6 * 7 memorized see that unknown math fact in class? Saying that the student could simply use a calculator each time they encounter an unknown math fact is, in my opinion, like saying that there's no need to memorize words when learning a foreign language, because if you don't know the definition of "el", "es", "esta", or "un" when in a Spanish class, you can just use Google Translate to figure it out! What I found out from veteran teachers -- I was told too late for me to be saved, unfortunately -- is that the expectation for new teachers is to drink all the admin Kool-Aid with reckless abandon until you have tenure, and then you see admin maybe once every five years after that. Instead, when I had issues with the textbook we were provided, or saw struggling students left in the dust during student-led investigations, it was in my error as a new teacher to question these approaches and provide other instructional materials for students. Too bad for me, as I really loved teaching that middle school age group and interacting with my students. The money, freedom, and severely reduced working hours in software engineering, though, are a welcome change :P

sbuttgereit 6y ago

I've read some of the linked documents now and I have a kid that is reaching kindergarten age and in SFUSD. The kid's been in some of the SFUSD preschool programs since it seemed to be the only source of certain autism related services before kindergarten age. Given the kinds of communication I receive from the district (the majority are coordinating welfare programs rather than supporting some academic mission), recent news, and these sorts of standards cropping up, I'm becoming increasingly convinced that I should avoid the public school system here. The preschool is dealing with such basic things that it probably doesn't matter, but as time goes on the picture doesn't sound promising. So to take this discussion off on a tangent... is private school the only real option? Are there home-schoolers here that can provide some insights? I did mention he's autistic, but very high functioning and we're already making progress without the aforementioned district autism services anyway. Anyway, not sure where to start in the Bay Area and this head-shaking document prompted the thought to ask.

jxramos 6y ago
are you saying the content in the communications materials emanating from the SFUSD are not very "mission oriented" for lack of a better phrase, for what you'd consider a schools mission orientation should be?