Websites and Math Documents Related to K-6 Math Curricula
This website contains information on math curricula and related matters,
for example, teacher training.
Newfoundland Curriculum Documents
Readers interested in viewing documents governing the new WNCP Common
Curriculum Frameworks for Mathematics (2009) promulgated by the
Department of Education should go
here. These documents comprise the intended curriculum in
Newfoundland and Labrador and specify what is taught to NL
children in each grade. Readers should compare what they see in the
NL documents with the ideal curriculum described by Schmidt et al., the
K-6 document for Singapore or the CCSS-M.
The CD Howe report by Anna Stokke on declining math skills can be found
here.
The CD Howe report by Anna Stokke documents declining math skills in Canada
as measured by the 2012 PISA results for all Canadian provinces
and TIMSS results for Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
Newfoundland finished below the OECD average on PISA.
Success rates on a computational item related to fractions
(1/3 - 1/4) were more than 40 points higher in all the
A+ countries than by the best Canadian province. This is not an insignificant
difference and is relevant to NL since AL also is also a WNCP province.
The report is also highly critical of the pedagogical methods
promulgated by the WNCP.
The Myth of Equal Content, Wm Schmidt and L. Cogan can be obtained
here.
"The Myth of Equal Content" compares learning outcomes for two
school boards in the US having quite different math curiicula. One
fits the mile-wide-inch-deep descriptor, the other is closer to the A+
descriptor. The relative learning outcomes are similar to those found
in the international study, but the data is entirely North American and
more recent.
Western Canadian (WNCP) K-6 Curriculum Issues
Readers interested in problems with the WNCP Common
Curriculum Frameworks for Mathematics as implemented
in Western Canada should check out the
Western Initiative for Strengthening Education in Math.
Two points about the WNCP K-6 math curriculum stated at the WISEMATH site:
-
the standard algorithms for arithmetic are no longer being taught;
-
the architects of the WNCP believe that learning math
facts prevents understanding.
Since not knowing facts would prevent a child from learning the
standard algorithms, it seems clear why the algorithms are no
longer taught. The important point is that the most recently adopted
math curriculum for this province is the WNCP, a fact stated in the
NL curriculum documents (see Kindergarten Mathematics Curriculum Guide -
Interim, p. 1).
Comparing Direct Instruction with Other Instructional Forms
An on-line summary of
Project Follow Through can be found at Athabaska University. PFT is
the largest educational study to date and compares instructional techniques.
Direct Instruction is found to produce the best educational outcomes for
children.
Rote Learning of Math
How much rote learning, if any, should occur in a K-6 math curriculum
has been a matter of great debate since the 1960's.
Recent studies by cognitive
psychologists establish the importance of rote learning.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
Here are the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M)
taken from the official website
Standards.pdf .
The CCSS-M represent an attempt to implement an A+ curriculum
in the various states. It is my view that the standards still
contain too many topics in K-5 to be considered an A+ curricula. Even with
the additional topics, the CCSS-M would be a sustantial improvement
on the current NL standards on the simple grounds that fluidity with
the standard algorithms of arithmetic and completion of fractions in Grade
5 are expectations.
Implementing a new curriculum can be problematic.
Information related to CCSS-M implementation issues can be found
here .
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
The
NAEP
is a US website that reports on educational achievement. It is the
best hard data site that I know of in North America. No similar site
exists for Canada.
The Education Policy Center at Michigan State University
The
Education Policy Center
(EPC) at Michigan State University is the home of Wm. Schmidt and colleagues.
The EPC website contains information on numerous topics some of which
are discussed below.
K-6 Teacher Training
Here is information on world class
teacher training programs.
Teacher Evaluation Methods
Every one wants their child to be taught by the best teachers. When
evidence exists that students are not learning what they should, blaming
teachers is an easy solution. Here is what folks need to know about
teacher evaluation.