You may recall a few months back that I wrote about the mega boondoggle panel created by MCPS to review mathematics instruction.
Well the K-12 Mathematics Work Group is soliciting feedback from parents. The local PTA’s (not folks who left MCPS because of the math instruction, mind you, nor the GTA, which has been most active and vocal on the issue) have been asked to compile each school’s feedback and send it to the group by Oct. 23.
Questions to answer:
- What aspects of the MCPS mathematics program do you consider to be strengths and do you believe should continue?
- What aspects of the MCPS mathematics program would you like to see changed, improved, and/or enhanced?
- Do you feel that your child is prepared with the mathematical knowledge he or she needs for his/her next steps? Next course? Why or why not? Explain.
- What experiences has your child had, or what experiences do you wish your child had, that have made or would make your child stronger in mathematics?
- What suggestions do you have to offer for the improvement of the MCPS mathematics teaching and learning program?
If you live in Montgomery County, here’s your chance to give them an earful. Please email comments to math@mcpsmd.org by Friday October 23.
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I have some suggestion(s), but they are not necessarily easy to implement. More dice-based games. More pretend shopping with real money (coins). More games in general. Particularly at the Elementary level, but probably also in Middle School.
I am really happy with the kindergarten and first grade math. The problems, I suspect, come later.
I am not happy with the K curriculum in general. Based on what comes home daily, all they are getting is drills in “writing” which is to say, copying sentences from the board in “Kindergarten letters” ie, not all caps. And the rest is math–even the social studies is another excuse for a handout to be sequenced. Color-cut-and-glue is a one-word command. It’s breaking my heart.