May 2007 Newsletter

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TEXAS MATH:
STUCK IN REVERSE

— SANCTUARY FOR LOW EXPECTATIONS —

Students are first required to …	… in 5th grade in:					… in 6th grade in:			… in 7th grade in:
	EE = Texas' old Essential Elements Math curriculum, dropped in 1997 TX = Texas' current degraded Math standards, written after the Texas Education Code forbad the State Board of Education to "designate methodologies" in textbooks
multiply decimals	CA	NY	FL	PA	EE				TX
divide decimals	CA	NY					FL	EE	TX
multiply fractions	CA		FL	PA	EE	NY			TX
divide fractions	CA					NY	FL	EE	TX

Q	Why does the State Board of Education not require teaching more Math skills sooner?

A	That would be counterproductive as long as it lacks the power to eliminate inefficient teaching methods. The sooner you try to teach more skills with bad pedagogy, the less students learn.

Q	What is an example of bad pedagogy in Texas Math programs?

A

For 2007 local adoption, Texas approved 6th grade Connected Math, which:

Multiplies laborious guessing at how to compute and problem-solve (inefficiency).
Takes much time to do this, with less time for practice (minimal automaticity).
Promotes calculator-dependence (not personal mental training) in computation.
Encourages peer-dependence (not individual skill building) in problem-solving.
Assigns complex tasks before mastering simple skills (reversing Bloom's taxonomy).

Until Texas law lets the State Board of Education
weed out poor Math teaching methods,
Texas Math is

MARCHING BACKWARD.