SOCMM
Public Comments before
CVUSD
School Board
March 22, 2005
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Honorable School Board Members, My
name is Jo Anne Cobasko, I represent Save Our
Children from Mediocre Math, which seeks “Math Choice” immediately so all
CVUSD students have access to a CA approved math curriculum.
Reasons to
Support “Math Choice”
- The
Everyday Math (EM) curriculum was rejected by the State Board of
Education, it is does not meet the CA Math Standards.
- EM
delays the memorization of basic math facts beyond the grades required by
the CA Math Standards.
- EM
does not emphasize nor reinforce pencil and paper computational skills.
- EM
advocates for the use of calculators beginning as early as Kindergarten
providing a crutch to students who fail to memorize their math facts.
- EM
does not teach the standard algorithms for addition, subtraction,
multiplication, or division, leaving students ill prepared for advanced
mathematics such as algebra and calculus.
- EM is
poorly presented, covers far too many topics with little depth, and it
does not promote mastery of basic skills.
- EM is
a “discovery” based curriculum, which requires students to invent,
construct, or “discover” their own algorithms.
- EM
encourages teachers to act as facilitators to assist students in
discovery, not as experts providing direct instruction in mathematics.
- According
to the National Research Council, there is no body of valid research that
proves the effectiveness of Everyday Math; therefore it must be considered
“experimental.”
- Few
teachers have the mathematical understanding necessary to convey the
conceptual theories of the unusual algorithms used in the EM
curriculum. This is clearly
demonstrated in the district’s video.
- The
use of esoteric algorithms limits the ability of parents to provide
assistance to struggling students at home.
- Private
tutoring firms flourish in districts that use Everyday Math.
- Economically
disadvantaged students suffer the greatest harm as these parents can not
afford private tutoring.
- EM is
not aligned with the annual standardized tests which measure student
achievement.
- Over
220 Professors of Mathematics and Science including department heads from
Caltech, Stanford, Harvard, and Yale, 7 Nobel Laureates and winners of the
Fields Medal, the highest honor bestowed in mathematics, all endorsed an
open letter to the US Secretary of Education publicly denouncing Everyday
Math and other similar programs in a full page add in the Washington Post.
The School
Board needs to reconsider the decision to approve the use of Everyday
Math. The State Board of Education
rejected it for failing to meet CA Math Standards. The decision to adopt Everyday Math for use
in our schools is seriously limiting the academic and economic futures of all Conejo
Vallley Unified
School District students. Implement Math Choice immediately and reverse
the damage inflicted by this grossly inadequate math curriculum.
Save Our Children from Mediocre Math
Web site: http://socmm.home.att.net
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