Ability Grouping makes a comeback

From the New York Times: Grouping Students by Ability Regains Favor in Classroom

It was once common for elementary-school teachers to arrange their classrooms by ability, placing the highest-achieving students in one cluster, the lowest in another. But ability grouping and its close cousin, tracking, in which children take different classes based on their proficiency levels, fell out of favor in the late 1980s and the 1990s as critics charged that they perpetuated inequality by trapping poor and minority students in low-level groups.

NYC is struggling with how to teach GT students.

Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker who is running for mayor, has proposed expanding the number of gifted classes while broadening the criteria for admission in hopes of increasing diversity. (The city’s Education Department has opposed the proposal, saying that using criteria other than tests would dilute the classes.)

And teachers?

Teachers and principals who use grouping say that the practice has become indispensable, helping them cope with widely varying levels of ability and achievement.

Elementary School teacher Jill Sears:

My instruction aimed at the middle of my class, and was leaving out approximately two-thirds of my learners,

The comments are interesting.

Commenter SGC:

You need not "teach to the middle". If you aim high with your expectations and impose rigor and high standards in the classroom, most students can achieve and succeed regardless of "so-called" ability.

Enjoy.

Father of Algebra assignment

From an Algebra 2 class.  Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Would you guess this comes from an IB classroom or a Classical School classroom?
Anything like this in college level math courses?

Heat, but no light?

Due to TABOR, our elections were held this past Tuesday, instead of next week. The three candidates I supported for the School Board Election went down. (BTW-each of the winners received a significant amount of their campaign contributions from teachers' unions!) Three weeks ago, my neighbor had a community forum with some of the candidates. A little wine, cheese, and school topics chat with the neighbors.

I asked the candidates questions about the Common Core, school funding, and Educator Effectiveness plans in Colorado. I was a minority. Nobody seems to know what goes on in a school, these days. The main question many wanted answered had to do with the district start date. Not all schools in my district are air-conditioned and the kids get really hot in August. Really hot. Boy those little sweetpeas get hot. For about two weeks, it can be over 80 degrees in some classrooms. So yeah, their kids come home sweaty.

Of course start dates are driven by many things, one of which would be the mandated test dates in March and April. What school district chooses to start after Labor Day when the rest of the state starts mid August? Another start date driver is the desire to end first semester before the Christmas break. Which allows us to get out of school by Memorial Day, which allows high school students the ability to get summer jobs, take community college course over the summer, etc.

Back the the whine and cheese forum...
Since it's hot, the classrooms run fans. The fans make noise and it's hard to hear the teacher, so one candidate discussed having seen a teacher using a microphone (you know, like Brittney Spears) and the classroom had speakers in the ceiling. A school I've worked at in the past used such a system to accommodate hearing impaired students.  "Oooh", the parent who complained about the noisy fans said, "I don't want to take away from money that might be spent on technology and smartboards in the classroom for that"

So I guess, to many parents' minds, a smartboard trumps the ability to hear a teacher.

When I start to worry about education, I am grateful for our charter school. It's not perfect and we do get complaints, but none of them are about the heat.

What if you're already a lean, mean educating machine?

I sit on a school board of a charter school that had its per pupil revenue cut again last year. We're under $6k per pupil, and we operate well on less money than the district schools have. Our school gives merit increases instead of the traditional step-salary schedule and this is now the second year that we have been unable to give any raises, excepting what is mandated by the state for the teacher retirement program.

Until the state raises PPR, however, the chances of teachers getting raises are minimal.  We ask a lot of our teachers and they deliver. How much longer will they be willing to do so? The surrounding district is still paying scheduled salary increases.

However...we do have a little bit of cash and so voted to allot some of it to provide a bonus for the teachers that have helped the school through the last few years when we were growing. Mind you, the amount of the bonus ranged between $700 -$1500. Hardly seems worth their hard work, yet as a Board, we want to acknowledge their dedication.

Last week, this arrived in my inbox:

Dear BOD Members,

I want to personally thank you for the bonus I will receive on October’s paycheck, as well as the hard work you put in to make XXX Schools what they are.  I recognize that money is hard to come by from the culmination of our economic situation and school growth.  Please know that I feel XXX is a fantastic place to be, and I look forward to helping us grow to be excellent in everything that we do.

Thanks again for thinking of me.

OK, so it's only one teacher, but I bet that's more personal thanks than the district board gets.

Teachers' unions, explained

Making the rounds of some charter schools.
Enjoy.

America's Ten Most Expensive Colleges

America's Ten Most Expensive Colleges—And How Much Financial Aid They Provide
Via Good Education.

My husband is a 1985 graduate of #6 - Claremont McKenna,  where the average student currently pays $20,423 of the $55,865 sticker price.

Someday

The National PTA partnered with experts on the Common Core State Standards to create grade by grade guides that reflect the Common Core State Standards. The site also has a brief powerpoint of additional materials for mathematics describing focus and coherence. Slide #5 caught my attention:

'nuff said.

Evaluating Teachers - a teen's perspective

Having one son in a charter school and sports means plenty of driving. Yesterday, I was taking three boys from the high school to the baseball fields a couple of miles away and was lucky to hear this nugget of wisdom:

C: The principal was observing Mr. X (the Latin teacher) today. Class was so much better than usual, we didn't just sit there and read like we usually do.
T: Totally.
J: Yeah, teachers really seem to have better lessons when Principal Y or Mr. Z (Headmaster) is watching them. It's like they think it though better and try to make it more fun to show-off or something.

Big "Aha!" moment from the MSMI2010 follow-up day

Saturday 9/25 - late afternoon:

My notes from Wu discussing the teaching of division with remainder:

Actually, this was a big "Duh!" moment.

Prior posts from MSMI2010.

One school's take on teacher certification

VickyS asked in another thread: "In my state, and I assume most others, you don't need state licensure to teach in a private schools. Are those teachers any less effective for it?

Here's one example that answers Vicky's question with a resounding "No!" Ridgeview Classical School is continually ranked in the US News & World Report as a top charter school in the country. One year, they were #15 overall. Their previous principal, Dr. Terrence Moore, (currently an Assistant Professor of History at Hillsdale College in Michigan) wrote frequently about teacher certification and the value of ed. schools. (And classical education, and phonics, and Core Knowledge...) He recommends two books for people seeking information on schools of education: Rita Kramer’s Ed School Follies and, even better, George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

From his article, Association of Teacher Qualification and Certification is a False One:

When I taught history at the university level, I noticed an extreme division in my classes. The history majors reveled in the subject, did all the reading, and had significant things to say in class. The ed-school students sat at the back of the class, had little to say, showed little sign of enjoying or mastering the material, and usually skimmed by with a C minus. Which group is more qualified to teach history to the nation’s children?

His thesis from A Monopoly on ’Relating to Children’?: Teacher Certification Further Refuted:

Certified teachers do not have a monopoly on being able to relate to kids but are very often the people least able to do so.

Ouch! The Ridgeview Classical School is well-known locally for seeking out non-certified teachers in the school. In fact, anyone seeking a teaching position in Fort Collins should consider the current open positions at Ridgeview:

(All emphases are mine)

Special Education Teacher

...The candidate does not need to have a degree in special education to be considered for this position. Any interested candidate who has a strong background in liberal arts, science, or brain-based fields will be considered, as long as there is a commitment to obtain appropriate CDE licensure. It is necessary that the candidate maintains high academic standards for all students regardless of background or learning differences. The special education teacher must demonstrate the ability to teach students (K – 12), who need additional supports and services beyond the scope of the classroom setting, and is also expected to participate in the identification process for students who struggle academically or behaviorally. Candidates should have experience in different kinds of classroom settings.

Humanities Teacher

Ridgeview is looking for a versatile teacher who can teach literature, Latin, and history (especially American) to students from upper elementary to high school. Applicants should have degrees in at least two of those subjects or be able to demonstrate their versatility in other ways. A teaching certificate is not a requirement. Teachers are expected to be content experts in their field. Applicants should be able to demonstrate excellent classroom control and considerable experience in teaching students of different ages.

Mathematics

Ridgeview seeks a math teacher for the middle and high school. Applicants should be expert mathematicians with a degree in their field and the ability to communicate their expertise to their students. Teaching certification is not required for this position. Applicants should be able to teach a wide variety of math classes from pre-algebra to high-level math electives.

Project M3 Mentoring Mathematical Minds

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this gifted math program:
Project M3
From the Overview:

* 12 units of mathematics for talented students in grades 3, 4, and 5
* 4 units per grade level: Number, Algebraic Reasoning, Geometry and Measurement, and Data Analysis and Probability based on NCTM content Standards
* Emphasis on mathematical discourse within the classroom
* Emphasis on problem solving and spirit of inquiry
* Differentiation of selected units for use with all students in years 4 and 5
* All materials to implement the curriculum will be provided including manipulatives and supplemental resources

I'm unfamiliar with it and am working with a school that is considering Singapore Math along with this Project M3 or MathLand. I don't believe MathLand is in print anymore, so I'm not sure where the school found textbooks to review. I seem to recall it was a highly constructivist program approved, then rejected in California.

A parent discovers what passes for education in her daughter's HS.

Alaskan Blogger Michelle Mitchell of Scribbit wrote about a conversation between herself & her daughter: No Child Left Behind. Because They ALL Need to be Watching Television at School.

"How many movies do you watch a week?"

She thought a bit, counting up on her fingers and trying to remember. "Oh--I don't know--five or six, maybe more. We watch t.v. pretty much every day in at least one class and any time we have a sub they put in movies or something. We watch stuff like Mythbusters a lot and call it chemistry."

I checked with my son, the IB freshman. He claims to watch "3 movies or tv videos a week, max".

The comments are pretty interesting, from teachers who agree & homeschool their OWN children to teachers who take Mitchell to task for implying they have a "cake" job.

Here's hoping that revolt against lousy instruction goes viral for all subjects.

IB World History Test

My 9th grade son was working on his home enjoyment.
"Mom!", he shouted, "Come look at the test I have to take". I think he just likes to get me riled up.


(Click to enlarge)



















Contrast this paper with this one, making the rounds of the internet: Are you smarter than a 1954 8th grader?

I think I may still have some glitter laying around.

Sample Geometry assignments

I posted about my son skipping out of geometry earlier on this blog. (Thanks to all who commented!) Both my 8th & 9th grade sons are were in geometry classes at different schools.

These were Wednesday's homework assignments. The first two pages are from the book: Geometry by McDougal Littell (2004 version). They were the 8th grader's homework assignments.

The second two pages are the first 2 of 3 created by the 9th grader's geometry teacher. The school uses the newest version of Prentice-Hall Geometry & Algebra 2 books. The pages were a take-home quiz and he could work with partners. Just the first 26 questions.

I see more challenging problems in the 6B Singapore Math workbook.

The older son starts Algebra 2 on Monday. He's already read through the first few chapters that he's missed and over the weekend we'll be working problems similar to what he did last year in Paul Foerster's Algebra.

(FYI- I didn't check my son's work, he did the assignment in 10 minutes in the car. He asked me to black his name out. - Anyone want to talk about years of failed handwriting instruction?)

NCTQ report recommends CO adopt Singapore Math

The National Center on Teacher Quality released a report entitled: Race to the top: Colorado may be used to high altitudes but can it compete in Race to the Top?

Commissioned by the Piton Foundation, the Donnell-Kay Foundation, the Colorado Children's Campaign and the Public Education & Business Coalition, the report suggests 7 strategies the state might take while applying for the RTT funds.

• Strategy 1: Performance management (Teacher Evaluation, Tenure & Dismissal) - Given the tremendous impact teachers have on learning, no strategy a state will take on is likely to have a greater impact on student achievement than one that seeks to maximize teacher and principal performance.

• Strategy 2: Equitable Distribution of Teachers and Principals - Schools serving children living in poverty are more apt to employ teachers with lower qualifications than schools serving more affluent children.

• Strategy 3: Induction - CO should develop a statewide system of induction support for new teachers, particularly in its high needs and remote rural schools.

• Strategy 4: Compensation Reform - CO needs to move away from lockstep salary schedules towards a system that differentiates salary on a number of factors, including teacher effectiveness, the relative difficulty of a school setting and the demand for teachers with particular skills or knowledge.

• Strategy 5: Teaching in STEM fields: CO should develop a coherent state strategy to address the difficulty school districts face in attracting and retaining sufficient numbers of qualified STEM teachers.

• Strategy6: Statewide Adoption of an Effective Curriculum: Students achieve when 4 elements are in place: Standards, Curriculum, Teachers & Assessment.

• Strategy 7: Educator Preparation (Including Alternate Certification) - In spite of countless studies looking at the value of teacher education, we have only been able to learn (apparently) that no single method of teacher preparation yields more effective teachers than another.

I'll be honest, I haven't read through the entire report as yet, however I managed to get through Strategy 6, in which the authors recommend statewide adoption of Singapore Math at the elementary level. The report notes that:

...curriculum has been troublingly absent in conversations about education reform as well as ignored in the indifferent approach some educators take to curricula adoptions.

... the current emphasis on human capital and effective teachers has been at the expense of an equally urgent emphasis on the importance of good curricula.

And when discussing common standards, the report flat-out states:

We would go so far as to say that if the standards were in conflict with the Singapore curriculum, a state ought to consider opting out of the new standards.

Well, you don't hear that everyday!
Read and enjoy.
(Cross-posted at Singapore Math Source)

Recommended Algebra 2 materials

I'm looking for recommendations on Algebra 2 materials. A little background- Both of my sons are in geometry. The 8th grader is at a rigorous middle school. The 9th grader is at the local high school in an IB program. Back in 7th grade, he attended a strong school in AZ that refused to differentiate in math, so he basically repeated the 6th grade Singapore program in a class considered Pre-Algebra.

He is currently acing Geometry using a Prentice Hall text. He never has homework and has missed 10 points out of 400+ all quarter. At back to school night, the teacher told us how excited she was with the text because it had all these online lessons(!). The school is also using Prentice Hall for Algebra 2.

My son would like me to homeschool him in Algebra 2 over the summer so that he can begin Pre-Calculus next year. I figured he could just sign up at the local community college, but they don't really offer anything like this, unless he tests into College Algebra. To do so, he must also test at college level for reading & writing.

I'm guessing it will be up to me (and him). I'll start by giving him the New Elementary Mathematics level 2 placement test. Although I saw the Teaching Company program recommended, I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a strong Algebra 2 text for us?

Teachers with disabilities

The Onion nails it:

"Rather than punishing our teachers or kicking them out, we give them a gold star every time they do something right," Zicree continued. "If they write the correct answer to a math problem on the board, they get a gold star. If they volunteer to read aloud during English class, they get a gold star. You'd be amazed what a little positive reinforcement can do. Some of our teachers† have even stopped drinking in their cars during lunch."

Enjoy!
Report: Increasing Number Of Educators Found To Be Suffering From Teaching Disabilities

where have I been?

So....yesterday I stumbled across this fantastic blog devoted to Singapore Math.

Then today I was reading the Grade 4 Word Problem on the new blog.

Then....after clicking around some more...I discovered that: the great new blog is written by Cassy T. The way you can tell is: it says so on the top of the blog.

So now I'm praying Cassy's blog hasn't been around for MONTHS.

[pause]

And I find that: YES!

IT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR MONTHS! Since February 19, 2009 to be precise.

Remind me never to get involved in a school board campaign again.

Challenging Word Problems to be discontinued

A bit off the latest controversial topics, but I thought readers of this board would want to know that the Singapore Math series: Primary Mathematics Challenging Word Problem from EPB Pan Pacific is being discontinued. According to the publisher, these books are:

"Highly recommended for capable students as a source of interesting review and challenging word problems"

If you've ever used the books, you know what a loss this will be to future users. While the books may be relics compared to the current Singapore Syllabus, one can't help wonder if the changes in the "Teach Less, Learn More" syllabus in Singapore haven't contributed to the country's ever so slight drop on the most recent TIMSS.

SingaporeMath.com may have most books in the series available through summer, although it sounds like Primary 3 is in short supply.

For your problem-solving enjoyment, here's a sample from the end of the Primary 6 book - Challenging level:

Cindy had four times as many postcards as Annie. After Cindy gave 20% of her postcards to Jane and Annie gave 10% of her postcards to Jane, the number of Jane's postcards increased by 75%. If Jane had 252 postcards in the end, how many postcards did Cindy have at first?

Have fun!

High School Quest

In a comment somewhere, Catherine asked for an update about our high school quest.
My son has chosen the Middle Years IB program in the district. His classes will include:

• Intro to Literature
• Geometry
• World Geography/History
• Spanish 1 (He chose this, he's had 2 yrs of Latin)
  
• Biology
• Health/PE combined-semestertotal

He also chose:

• Theater (instead of art or music) -semester
  
• Geospace (Astronomy & Geology)
• Team PE -semester
• Business Economics - semester
  

No study hall. (unless you count the PE classes)

I've had to put aside John Taylor Gatto's Weapons of Mass Instruction, to read Robert Fried's The Game of School. Somebody tell me these books have a happy ending!

Instead of homeschooling the boy, we're providing value-added instruction. Last night we watched Religulous and that provided plenty of opportunity for discussion.


An update on our charter school's expansion into high school:

A final proposal was submitted to the school board and they agreed to send it on to the district. The original goal was to give the school a science/math focus.

There was an interesting discussion at the Information Night or "reveal" night for parents. The proposed coursework for 9th - 12th grade would require:

• 4 yrs math
• 4 yrs science
• 3 years foreign language

In the local district, students are required to take 2 years of each. Some parents at the "reveal" night thought that the curriculum would be too boring and rigorous. I pointed out that the local colleges: CSU, UNC & CU Boulder required 3 years of each subject to be admitted (UNC only requires 2 yrs of a language), and ivy league schools were in line with what the charter school would be requiring, hence the name "Liberty Preparatory Academy".

The budget proposes offering 40 new courses with only 8 new teachers. Here's how the math track would look... Currently students take the following math courses:

• Pre-algebra (may test out) 7th grade
• Algebra 7th or 8th And a few 9th graders)
• Geometry 8th or 9th
• Algebra 2 9th

Proposed courses beyond 9th grade are:

• Pre-Calculus
• AP Calculus
• Discrete Math -semester
• Personal Finance -semester
• Discrete Math -semester

Taking my younger son as an example, here is what his math options would look like:

• 7th grade - Algebra
• 8th grade - Geometry
• 9th grade - Algebra 2
• 10th grade - Pre-Calculus
• 11th grade - AP Calculus
• 12th grade - 2 semester courses. of course he can always take these in 11th grade as electives. To continue in math, he'd have to go to the local community college.

Also at the Information Night, the social committee presented how fun the new high school was going to be. "I mean, we all loved high school because it was so much fun!" she gushed. I'm not exaggerating when I say she used the word"fun" 13 times in her presentation. There was also concern and discussion about the Character Foundation Stones, the hoity-toity name of the school and the dress code.

Overall, there was a lot of interest in the proposal with close to 200 families asking for more information.