Educational Research Analysts   May 2007 Newsletter
  page
 4
  
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Summary comparison of 6th grade Math textbooks
  Nonconforming *  
 
SAXON MATH
Course 1
Harcourt Achieve ©2007
MATH
Course 1
McDougal ©2007
HOLT MATH
Course 1
Holt ©2007
TEXAS MATH
Course 1
Prentice ©2008
TEXAS MATH
Course 1
Glencoe ©2007
EVERYDAY MATH
McGraw ©2004
CONNECTED MATH 2
Prentice ©2008
OVERALL RATING BEST GOOD FAIR FAIR POOR VERY POOR WORST
  Daily number fact
practice during 1st
semester; daily mental
math exercises all year		   * Texas designated this program "nonconforming" because it fails to meet state standards. The Texas textbook review panel found that Everyday Math meets only 64.10% of Texas 6th grade Math standards (see pp. 1-3 of the panel's findings).
How much do these programs stress …
reinventing
algorithms
more efficiently
memorized?		 Teaches standard algorithms; develops concepts incrementally Teaches
standard
algorithms		 Teaches
standard
algorithms		 Teaches
standard
algorithms		 Usually teaches
standard
algorithms		 Students often learn
non-standard
algorithms or invent
their own algorithms.		 Protracted student efforts to invent own algorithms preempt class time, multiply redundancies.
calculator
dependence over
mental training?		 Calculator use
suggested for
34 problems,
not expected elsewhere		 Calculator use
stipulated for
157 problems,
not expected elsewhere		 Calculator use
stipulated for
69 problems,
accepted elsewhere		 Calculator use
stipulated for
110 problems,
accepted elsewhere		 Calculator use
stipulated for
245 problems,
accepted elsewhere		 Calculator use
encouraged about
57% (4/7)
of the time overall		 Calculator use
encouraged for
most problems
estimation
over exact
answers?		 92 problems
require estimation,
not exact answers
(rounding not counted)		 416 problems
require estimation,
not exact answers
(rounding not counted)		 314 problems
require estimation,
not exact answers
(rounding not counted)		 290 problems
require estimation,
not exact answers
(rounding not counted)		 455 problems
require estimation,
not exact answers
(rounding not counted)		 161 problems
require estimation,
not exact answers
(rounding not counted)
Heavy calculator use
de-emphasizes estimation.		 158 problems
require estimation,
not exact answers
(rounding not counted)
Heavy calculator use
de-emphasizes estimation.
peer dependence
over personal
skill-building?		 Stresses independent
work, except:
9 activities for pairs or small groups; all but 2 are in TE only		 Stresses independent
work, except:
26 group "Activity" exercises including games
that introduce chapters		 49 suggested
group activities,
13 of these in SE		 80 group activities,
usually for pairs;
includes recurring
"Alternative Assessments"
for student pairs		 26 group activities;
most suggested
in TE, not SE		 175 suggested
group activities, most
for partners, dilute
independent work.		 114 activities for
pairs or small
groups; part of
every lesson
How thoroughly do these programs reinforce the following skills?
adding and
subtracting
decimals		 364 problems
(no calculator dependence)		 164 problems
(no calculator dependence)		 177 problems
(calculator used if faster)		 165 problems
(calculator used if faster)		 144 problems
(calculator used
for large numbers)		 79 problems
(not including games, which may or may not use calculators)		 113 problems
(calculator used for all but initial problems on these operations)
adding and
subtracting
fractions		 379 problems
(no calculator dependence)		 407 problems
(no calculator dependence)		 493 problems
(suggests converting fractions
to decimals on
calculator before solving)		 322 problems
(suggests use of
"fraction calculator")		 406 problems
(calculator not used
for adding and
subtracting fractions)		 246 problems
(suggests use of
"fraction calculator")		 152 problems
(calculator not used
for adding and
subtracting fractions)
multiplying
and dividing
decimals		 607 problems
(no caculator dependence)		 505 problems
(no calculator dependence)		 527 problems
(calculator used if faster)		 256 problems
(calculator used if faster)		 422 problems
(calculator used
for large numbers)		 209 problems
(not including games,
which may or may not
use calculators)		 280 problems
(calculators encouraged for
all but initial problems
on these operations
multiplying
and dividing
fractions		 470 problems
(no calculator dependence)		 415 problems
(no calculator dependence)		 454 problems
(suggest converting
fractions to decimals on
calculator before solving)		 297 problems
(suggests use of
"fraction calculator")		 343 problems
(calculator not used
for multiplying and
dividing fractions)		 446 problems
(suggests use of
"fraction calculator")		 316 problems
(calculator use accepted
but not encouraged
for these operations)
finding area
and perimeter of
geometric shapes		 Thorough
(2 of our 11 pages of
documentation cover this)		 Thorough
(2 of our 11 pages of
documentation cover this)		 Fair
(2 of our 11 pages of
documentation cover this)		 Poor
(2 of our 11 pages of
documentation cover this)		 Fair
(2 of our 11 pages of
documentation cover this)		 Minimal
(2 of our 11 pages of
documentation cover this)		 Inconsistent
Strong on some topics,
weak on others
(see our documentation)
Also see: the Calculator Dependence comparison, our newsletter coverage, or request other available comparisons of these programs
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