Friday, December 12, 2008
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study Report
The 2007 TIMSS report was just released on the internet. The good news: Math scores have increased for fourth and eighth grade students in the U.S. The U.S. is now scoring above average compared to 35 countries at the fourth grade level and 47 countries at the eighth level. All 5 countries, that scored measurably higher than the American 8th graders, are in Asia.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The Algebra Project
After reading the report from the Brown Center, November 16th blog post, I decided to look into the Algebra Project founded by Robert Parris Moses.
I had visited Algebra Project web site previously and upon reviewing it remembered why I had discarded it to the trash bin of my mind. The website piques one's interest with titles such as, "Raising the Floor: Algebra Project National Conference", "Connecting Community and Schools", and "Building Excellence in Teaching", but is disappointing because it doesn't answer many pertinent questions. I wasn't able to find any definitive information, on the site, describing the program for teachers or data showing the Project's outcomes. Since the Project was founded in 1982, isn't it logical to expect to see data on its website to show that it is working? In other words, the site didn't answer any of my questions about what the Project actually DID, and even the blurbs about its philosophy weren't clear.
I found a paper, The Road Coloring Problem, written by Gregory Budzban, Department of Mathematics, Southern Illinois University, that gives a hint to the impetus of the Algebra Project. In the paper, Dr. Budzban describes a project that Dr. Moses did with one of his high school algebra classes based of the Road Coloring Problem.
does answer my question about where I can find information on how the Algebra Project works,
I completely agree. To further improve student outcomes in mathematics, in the U.S. we need to change the way we think about math education.
I am not swayed to believe that access to mathematics education is entirely an equal rights issue, in terms of race, as implied on the Algebra Project's website. It may be better argued that mathematics education is a class issue, but that doesn't tell the full story either. Although access to quality education can be argued to be a class issue, availing oneself to math education seems to be a cultural issue.
Children who are born into families inculcated in education will be better prepared to maneuver through the educational system than other children. They will have advantages in understanding the importance of attendance, being able to organize their binders and backpacks, getting help from tutors when needed, preparing for SATs, and slogging through the paperwork for applying to colleges, loans, and grants. For many students, this translates into an advantage in mathematics, but not always.
Mathematics apathy is cultural, specifically American in nature. Just as children born into families that are familiar with the ropes and red-tape of the educational system have an advantage, children inculcated into math-wise families will think of math as a natural part of a comprehensive education. If a parent works in a job that requires mathematics (surveyor, bank clerk, bookkeeper, machinist, chemist, engineer, physicist, actuary, accountant, computer programmer), white collar or blue collar, the child will be more likely to think that mathematics is important. Many highly educated Americans, and frighteningly too many school teachers, don't know a thing about mathematics and many let it be known that they don't care.
Therefore, I agree with Robert Moses that changing the way the community thinks is essential to changing the way math education is viewed in the United States. The National Mathematics Advisory Panel even mentioned the problem in their report published earlier this year.
Gregory Budzban, contributor to the Algebra Project, and who's paper is cited previously, responds to how he views mathematics education in the U.S.:
The concept of Algebra for all 8th grade students, the impetus of my last post, was not addressed in any of the information I found regarding the Algebra Project.
I had visited Algebra Project web site previously and upon reviewing it remembered why I had discarded it to the trash bin of my mind. The website piques one's interest with titles such as, "Raising the Floor: Algebra Project National Conference", "Connecting Community and Schools", and "Building Excellence in Teaching", but is disappointing because it doesn't answer many pertinent questions. I wasn't able to find any definitive information, on the site, describing the program for teachers or data showing the Project's outcomes. Since the Project was founded in 1982, isn't it logical to expect to see data on its website to show that it is working? In other words, the site didn't answer any of my questions about what the Project actually DID, and even the blurbs about its philosophy weren't clear.
I found a paper, The Road Coloring Problem, written by Gregory Budzban, Department of Mathematics, Southern Illinois University, that gives a hint to the impetus of the Algebra Project. In the paper, Dr. Budzban describes a project that Dr. Moses did with one of his high school algebra classes based of the Road Coloring Problem.
"Over the next several months, together with other members of the Algebra Project, we put together a proposal to write a new 9th grade curriculum based in part on the RCP (Road Coloring Problem) and also drawing from Moses' and others work on curriculum based on 'mathematically rich' experiences."I'm skeptical... a curriculum based on the Road Coloring Problem? Dr. Budzban, however,
does answer my question about where I can find information on how the Algebra Project works,
"A detailed explanation of the Algebra Project "Five Step Process" is contained in Radical Equations, and any serious discussion of it would require an article in itself."There is one important point that I gathered from the Algebra Project's website, and Dr. Budzban's paper: Community involvement is very important in order to change the way we think about mathematics .
I completely agree. To further improve student outcomes in mathematics, in the U.S. we need to change the way we think about math education.
I am not swayed to believe that access to mathematics education is entirely an equal rights issue, in terms of race, as implied on the Algebra Project's website. It may be better argued that mathematics education is a class issue, but that doesn't tell the full story either. Although access to quality education can be argued to be a class issue, availing oneself to math education seems to be a cultural issue.
Children who are born into families inculcated in education will be better prepared to maneuver through the educational system than other children. They will have advantages in understanding the importance of attendance, being able to organize their binders and backpacks, getting help from tutors when needed, preparing for SATs, and slogging through the paperwork for applying to colleges, loans, and grants. For many students, this translates into an advantage in mathematics, but not always.
Mathematics apathy is cultural, specifically American in nature. Just as children born into families that are familiar with the ropes and red-tape of the educational system have an advantage, children inculcated into math-wise families will think of math as a natural part of a comprehensive education. If a parent works in a job that requires mathematics (surveyor, bank clerk, bookkeeper, machinist, chemist, engineer, physicist, actuary, accountant, computer programmer), white collar or blue collar, the child will be more likely to think that mathematics is important. Many highly educated Americans, and frighteningly too many school teachers, don't know a thing about mathematics and many let it be known that they don't care.
Therefore, I agree with Robert Moses that changing the way the community thinks is essential to changing the way math education is viewed in the United States. The National Mathematics Advisory Panel even mentioned the problem in their report published earlier this year.
Gregory Budzban, contributor to the Algebra Project, and who's paper is cited previously, responds to how he views mathematics education in the U.S.:
"Any curriculum process of this sort (referring to his curriculum collaboration with Robert Moses) must be aware of the 'math wars'. Students need both conceptual understanding and the ability to perform (without the aid of technology) the algorithms and procedures that we refer to as symbolic manipulation. Students must be prepared for the various state and national tests that have become increasingly important for their educational careers. There is no other short term option.Gregory Budzban's point is beautifully stated and I love Jerry King's metaphor.
"For me, another part of the motivation for the work is to give students a sense of the
creative and aesthetic nature of mathematical research. Much of what passes for math curriculum at the K-12 level is the equivalent of grammar and vocabulary in a natural language. Imagine if, for twelve years, all you were taught was grammar and vocabulary in your native language. Imagine that you never had the opportunity to read anything other than the 'grammar book' and all you did was diagram sentences and write definitions. This is the equivalent of what we do in mathematics education at the K-12 level, in my opinion.
"For a true national mathematical literacy effort an important question is, 'How does one keep students involved and motivated?' For this, it is imperative that we display to students the creative and aesthetic nature of our beautiful subject. Jerry P. King wrote eloquently concerning this in his book, The Art of Mathematics. Yes, I understand students need the basics and a good foundation. My response to those who would emphasize only the basics, only the three 'R's' above all else is, 'Two of the three R's are misspelled.'"
The concept of Algebra for all 8th grade students, the impetus of my last post, was not addressed in any of the information I found regarding the Algebra Project.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Algebra Plan in California Halted
On Tuesday, October 28, 2008, a Sacramento Superior Court judge ordered the California State Board of Education to postpone its plan to test all 8th grade students in Algebra.
The last minute decision for the test, made by the board in July, had been pushed by Governor Schwarzenegger and was opposed by California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O'Connell.
The History of the Trend
In 1990 only about a sixth of eighth graders were enrolled in an algebra course. The Clinton administration, in response to America's poor showing in math relative to other developed nations, made enrolling all students in an algebra course by the 8th grade a national goal. Robert Moses, founder of the U.S. Algebra Project, added to the movement by claiming the issue to be "The New Civil Right".
The campaign continued and the enrollment of eighth graders in algebra rose from 16% in 199o to 24% in 2000. The trend proceeded into the next decade and by 2007, 31 percent of all 8th graders were taking advanced math (algebra or above).
According to a recently published Brown Center report, the push for universal enrollment of eighth graders in algebra, is based on an equity argument and is not based on empirical evidence. From the point of view of the equity movement, "democratizing eighth grade algebra promotes social justice", advancing students who had not been able to previously take advanced math, particularly students of color and students from poor families.
The Brown Center of Education Policy, part of the Brookings Institution, used NAEP data (National Assessment of Educational Progress) to investigate the ramifications of increasing the percentage of students enrolled in advanced math classes by the eighth grade.
The Findings of the Brown Center Report
The typical eighth grader knows more math today than in 2000, but the typical eighth grader in advanced math knows less.
The Brown Center decided to look at the students scoring in the 10th percentile and lower on the NAEP math test. In 2000, 8.0% of these "low-achieving" students were enrolled in advanced math courses. By 2005, the rate of low-achieving students had risen to 28.6%. The report calls these students "the misplaced students". In the same time period "high-achieving" students, enrolled in advanced math courses, dropped from 27.0% to 20.0%.
The phenomenon "has been viewed as an accomplishment, not a cause for worry". The low achieving 8th grade students score an average of 211 on the NAEP math test. This is 27 scale points below the national average for fourth grade students. Since 11 scale points on the NAEP test is equivalent to approximately one grade level, the misplaced students are functional at a second grade level, about 7 grade levels below fellow students in the same courses.
Fractions and are a particular problem for the misplaced students. Knowledge of fractions, an elementary school subject, is essential for success in advance level math courses.
Misplaced students are more likely to come from poor families and are overwhelmingly black and Hispanic. The schools with higher percentages of misplaced students tend to be large and urban. The schools with higher percentages of misplaced students also tend to shun tracking (placing students by ability). The teachers of misplaced students are more likely to have taught for less than five years, are less likely to hold a regular or advanced teaching certificate, and are less likely to have majored in mathematics.
Referring to these schools, the report states, "Let us not forget the hundreds of thousands of well-prepared students-who are also predominately black, Hispanic, or poor-sittting in the same classrooms as the misplaced students and equally deserving of a good education. Well-prepared students need a real algebra class, not a fake one teaching elementary school mathematics".
It falls to the teachers to make up for the skill deficiencies of the misplaced students. The system put the burden on the algebra teacher to find a way to fix the problem of unprepared students. Recall from above: In 2007 31% of students were performing in the lowest 10th percentile. The average of these students were performing at about a second grade level... and it is up to the algebra teachers to fix the problem.
Many of the advocates for 'algebra-for-all'
Another irony: The mathematics required on the California High School Exit exam is far below the level of the test proposed for all eighth graders in California.
The Recommendations of the Brown Center Report:
We, as a country, ranking 24th of 29 developed nations in mathematics, also pay the price of such education policy.
The last minute decision for the test, made by the board in July, had been pushed by Governor Schwarzenegger and was opposed by California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O'Connell.
The History of the Trend
In 1990 only about a sixth of eighth graders were enrolled in an algebra course. The Clinton administration, in response to America's poor showing in math relative to other developed nations, made enrolling all students in an algebra course by the 8th grade a national goal. Robert Moses, founder of the U.S. Algebra Project, added to the movement by claiming the issue to be "The New Civil Right".
The campaign continued and the enrollment of eighth graders in algebra rose from 16% in 199o to 24% in 2000. The trend proceeded into the next decade and by 2007, 31 percent of all 8th graders were taking advanced math (algebra or above).
According to a recently published Brown Center report, the push for universal enrollment of eighth graders in algebra, is based on an equity argument and is not based on empirical evidence. From the point of view of the equity movement, "democratizing eighth grade algebra promotes social justice", advancing students who had not been able to previously take advanced math, particularly students of color and students from poor families.
The Brown Center of Education Policy, part of the Brookings Institution, used NAEP data (National Assessment of Educational Progress) to investigate the ramifications of increasing the percentage of students enrolled in advanced math classes by the eighth grade.
The Findings of the Brown Center Report
The typical eighth grader knows more math today than in 2000, but the typical eighth grader in advanced math knows less.
The Brown Center decided to look at the students scoring in the 10th percentile and lower on the NAEP math test. In 2000, 8.0% of these "low-achieving" students were enrolled in advanced math courses. By 2005, the rate of low-achieving students had risen to 28.6%. The report calls these students "the misplaced students". In the same time period "high-achieving" students, enrolled in advanced math courses, dropped from 27.0% to 20.0%.
The phenomenon "has been viewed as an accomplishment, not a cause for worry". The low achieving 8th grade students score an average of 211 on the NAEP math test. This is 27 scale points below the national average for fourth grade students. Since 11 scale points on the NAEP test is equivalent to approximately one grade level, the misplaced students are functional at a second grade level, about 7 grade levels below fellow students in the same courses.
Fractions and are a particular problem for the misplaced students. Knowledge of fractions, an elementary school subject, is essential for success in advance level math courses.
Misplaced students are more likely to come from poor families and are overwhelmingly black and Hispanic. The schools with higher percentages of misplaced students tend to be large and urban. The schools with higher percentages of misplaced students also tend to shun tracking (placing students by ability). The teachers of misplaced students are more likely to have taught for less than five years, are less likely to hold a regular or advanced teaching certificate, and are less likely to have majored in mathematics.
Referring to these schools, the report states, "Let us not forget the hundreds of thousands of well-prepared students-who are also predominately black, Hispanic, or poor-sittting in the same classrooms as the misplaced students and equally deserving of a good education. Well-prepared students need a real algebra class, not a fake one teaching elementary school mathematics".
It falls to the teachers to make up for the skill deficiencies of the misplaced students. The system put the burden on the algebra teacher to find a way to fix the problem of unprepared students. Recall from above: In 2007 31% of students were performing in the lowest 10th percentile. The average of these students were performing at about a second grade level... and it is up to the algebra teachers to fix the problem.
Many of the advocates for 'algebra-for-all'
"do not believe that students must learn basic mathematics in order to successfully tackle higher-level mathematics. They will argue that keeping remedial math students out of algebra in eighth grade denies these students the opportunities that good math students take for granted".What is commonly overlooked is that the burden of such an idealistic view falls on the classroom teacher.
Another irony: The mathematics required on the California High School Exit exam is far below the level of the test proposed for all eighth graders in California.
The Recommendations of the Brown Center Report:
- Get the goal right.
- Teach and assess prerequisite skills.
- Early intervention.
- Collect data, conduct research.
We, as a country, ranking 24th of 29 developed nations in mathematics, also pay the price of such education policy.
Monday, November 10, 2008
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