LeboMathFacts.org
Important Update |
| It's hard to believe that it's been one year since we launched lebomathfacts.org. Today we have good news to report. At the present time, the Mt Lebanon School District is beginning to implement changes to the math curriculum that should address many of the concerns that parents had with the math program. These changes include not only curriculum content, but increased teacher support, teacher training and updated classroom materials aligned with the Common Core. Although changes to the math curriculum have begun this school year, the updated curriculum will not be fully implemented until the 2014-2015 school year. The updated math curriculum will meet and, in some areas, exceed Common Core standards. We should begin to see the following changes in our schools. Math Facts The mastery targets for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division basic facts have been updated, made more robust, and accelerated. Math fact instruction will occur both in the classroom and as homework. Testing of math facts will include a pre-test and both timed and untimed assessments. Standard Algorithms Standard US algorithms for addition, subtraction, multiplication and long division will be taught as part of the math curriculum and presented to students following a conceptual foundation of math functions. The Common Core curriculum calls for fluency in addition and subtraction using the standard algorithms by 4th grade, fluency in multiplication by 5th grade, and fluency in division by 6th grade. The district expects to introduce standard algorithms in earlier grade levels than the Common Core standards. Fractions and Decimals Instruction in fractions and decimals will be significantly expanded and more rigorous in the updated curriculum. By the end of grade 5 students will be expected to add, subtract, multiply and divide with both fractions and decimals in plain computation and in problems solving settings. We look forward to these changes, and thank you for your interest and support. |
47 comments:
http://multimedia.mtlsd.org/Play.asp?766975703321798!4
Great video, but I'd be more impressed if they knew how to use a log log duplex decitrig.
To be honest I haven't followed the math issue closely, but aren't these changes exactly what the parents lobbied the board for a year ago and were met with stonewalling.
Who knows, there maybe be hope that the board may be finally starting to listen to their constituents.
I hear next year parents or taxpayers may be allowed to roll their eyes when they hear obstinate comments from board directors.
Well done Lebomathfacts.org!
Yes, well done, Parents! I hope MTLSD works with your children who were subject to the current curriculum. They missed out on standard algorithms, math facts, and fractions and decimals. MTLSD should offer free tutoring. These kids need to catch up!
Elaine
I would like to know if these changes were as the result of pressure from parents and/or math professionals, or as the result of federal requirements. Perhaps it was a combination of both. In any event, it certainly appears to be good news.
Those of us who have a science and technology background were appalled over the adoption of TERC by the District. The announcement by LeboMathFacts.org does not mention TERC, and perhaps that system may not have "gone away," but at least the kids will get training in the kind of math necessary for a career in the sciences.
Mr. Gideon, good question.
If the changes are because of federal mandated changes it begs the question, are our educators leaders or followers?
Supposedily, we hire the best the brightest. If that is the case why did it take so long to revise the math program.
We're talking about kids learning math. As Elaine points out, do they need to play catch up now?
Elementary PSSA math scores are down, and the district needs to do something to fix it.
The math moms said it would happen!
However it came about this news is positive and a step in the RIGHT direction.
Personally, I would like to see a designed experiment that would assess the effectiveness of the new instructional method. One component of the analysis should assess the effectiveness of the instructor to administer this instructional method. In other words, can our teachers teach this method? The method may be sound, the kids may have the aptitude to assimilate the material, but if the clown in the front of the room is incompetent then the approach is doomed to failure.
- and what happens if the clown doesn't know what he or she is doing?
----> NOTHING.
Mr. Kendrick, Lebomathfacts.org apparently believes there will be increased teacher instruction & training, which should calm your fears.
The fact that it is considered necessary should be kept in mind and evaluated in preparation for the next contract negotiations
I hate to sound like a broken record, but the teachers can only teach what the board approves. I know that some teachers were appalled at the current program and were secretly teaching what the kids should have been learning. Don't blame the teachers on this one.
Elaine
Regarding the new Math Regulations: new Amendment was added to Chapter 4 in 2010
and went into effect on July, 2013. It is now a PA law that all school districts are required to meet these new standards which are beyond the core
academic standards.
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/portal/server.pt/community/state_academic_standards/19721
I'm not blaming anyone for anything. I have simply pointed out that a study should be performed and a process needs to be in place to perform remedial action if action is needed.
One of the many problems with public education today is that there isn't a mechanism to address deficiencies in the teaching process. This is a consistent theme that transcends everything from the lack of corrective action plans following No Child Left Behind testing or remedial actions that would follow teacher performance evaluations (assuming that teacher performance evaluations are even possible).
John, that was directed toward "11:00 AM."
Elaine
11:00 am here.
Elaine, I won't disagree with you entirely about laying blame on the teachers.
But, why would teachers "appalled at the current curriculum" have to teach secretly something else?
If they are appalled why can't they speak up? They're protected by tenure, they have probably one of the strongest unions in the nation and yet they have to run clandestine teaching plans.
The NEA, PSEA makes it no secret when they feel there isn't enough money pouring into education or when their members are asked to make scarifices that affect their paychecks.
I thought teachers primary concern was giving kids the best education possible.
If math curriculums are so appalling and the teachers feel so strongly about it why weren't they siding with the parents that were trying to change the appalling curriculum?
Lets see, we have people bashing anonymous post here, but secretive teaching is acceptable?
I'm sorry, on this one I don't agree, if we can't rely on the trained protected "professionals" to speak up for the kids, who do we depend on?
If the teachers speak up then, what happens is, they will be given unsatisfactory ratings leading to being fired, thus destroying their teaching career. They're are bullied out of the district. Very political and sometimes unions go along with this. I observed that when teaching in the City Schools and this happened 30 years ago!
Is Jackie commenting now?
Jackie, if that's you - Merry Christmas!
Thanks to the Lebo Math Facts parents who made this change occur. My child came home very HAPPY from math class today with a worksheet he was eager to complete. I think he was relieved he would finally be doing math like his parents always have. His teacher also told the class that she was teaching them an algorithm that she also learned as a student. It was probably a relief for her as well.
Now if the elementary schools could also provide true acceleration for the kids who really get math easily, we'd be fairly set.
TERC is not going away. But the new curriculum will teach, to mastery, the US standard algorithms. So it's a much more balanced approach which is what we've been asking for since the beginning. The problem right now is that so many of our kids are learning/using the algorithms at home or with a tutor - and they are still being told they can't use it as a strategy to solve the problem. That will change next year, hopefully. This will be confusing to the older kids, I'm sure. "Huh? You told me we couldn't do that last year?!"
It's been professional malpractice, in my opinion. It's one thing to be forced to teach it. It's another to tell the kids they are wrong or they can't "do stacking" in school. My child will probably have a math tutor through high school, getting caught in the crossfire of this BS in elementary school.
8:09, which supports my opinion on excusing teachers.
No one is saying they don't work hard, but as an essential part of the triad intent on providing students with the best education possible they can't remain silent.
If you accept my premise of an educational triad, admistration, parents/students and teachers if one leg is weakened the tripod falls down.
If the teachers were appalled with the math curriculum they should have been front and center in calling for its overhaul, not secretly circumventing the curriculum.
8:09 am Doesn't there seem to be a desire to control how the kids learn that seems out of place or unhealthy? It reminds me of being told that my child cannot bring his writing home from middle school because outside methods might undermine their efforts. Contrast this with music instruction, for example, where kids generally are encouraged to have private instruction.
Short answer: standardized tests.
8:21: The bottom line is if teachers speak out, they lose their job. Period.
But wasn't it Mr. Cooper that said our teachers had nothing to fear by voicing their opinions????
Was he lying? Should there have been a collective eye rolling throughout Mt. Lebanon.
Plus, if they'd be so quick to can a teacher, what sort of dastardly things would they do to a parent or their child, that makes waves?
Is the Super plagiarizing ? http://www.mtlsd.org/superintendent/blog.asp
Mt. Lebanon High School Top Performing School in Allegheny County 11:17 AM
8:34 PM, I think it came from here. HeadLine Article
Elaine
They would be quick to can a teacher. They already retaliate against any student, and set them up for further failure. If parent speaks out, their child is further harassed and it goes on and on. I know, I went through all of this with the district. Then, my younger child, was retaliated, in later years. It's disgusting!
This whole exchange about teacher silence is hilarious. Those of us who are Mt Lebanon alumni used to listen to class after class of endless bitching about the Mt Lebanon Schools, like, "The Fallacy of Education in the Mt Lebanon Schools", "The Administrators who aren't doing their jobs", "The Mt Lebanon Schools are a falacious teenage daycare center", "The School Board doesn't bargain with us in good faith", "You will get information about your SAT scores because our union filed a lawsuit", etc.
Nothing happened anyone who wasted class after class bitching and bitching and bitching.
I would challenge any of you to give me the name of one Mt Lebanon teacher who was ever reprimanded or terminated for expressing their viewpoints.
Remember this-
Interesting you bring that up 9:22...
http://triblive.com/mobile/2014219-81/curriculum-teachers-district-schools-leaders-class-coaches-full-advanced-association
"Mt. Lebanon officials budgeted $55,157 for a new elementary math facilitator. The district has a director of student support services and nine subject-area supervisors who oversee curriculum."
"At North Hills, curriculum leaders are teachers who get extra time free from class. Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair use part-time curriculum leaders.
North Hills has 16 leaders, making stipends of either $2,866 or $3,866. At Upper St. Clair, they make $5,000, $8,000 or $11,000, which is as much as five times what department heads make ."
Will we be spending even more money to train our teachers in math instruction?
TERC is a completely different way of teaching and looking at math. COMPLETELY different than we all and all of the teachers in our bldgs were taught math. Did MTLSD provide any training before forcing this on them? I know they eliminated the curriculum coordinator who bought this crap for our elementary schools. Now they want to hire one back? Do they ever think about the kids before they make these decisions? I know they don't listen to parent input.
Well Mr. Kendrick, there could be several answers to your question, but since personnel matters aren't open to the public it is futile to even discuss it. But, here are things we do know.
Sable was driven out and we paid a hefty price to do it.
Zeb Jesante left for Bethel.
Recently a number of principles have left for positions at other school disticts.
There have been good teachers that have left over the years.
We'll never know what the reasons for leaving were, but one sometimes might ponder why would anyone leave the top district thay pays very well.
The other possible explanation could be the code that one "doesn't talk out of school".
As a quick FYI the 9 subject department heads no longer exist. There is a secondary and an elementary curriculum supervison that replaced those nine positions.
Thanks, 8:31 for the FYI.
Does the math facilitator still exist and are they possibly the catalyst behind the math curriculum changes?
10:27, ever hear of Pam Pulkowski?
Although not a teacher, she was dealt a bad hand by the district.
Facilitators were only included for the first few years of the TERC implementation. They were budgeted over 2 or 3 years (can't remember which) so they should be long gone by now. I don't know if the Board or staff recommended that they stay on after that. They were only supposed to help educate staff on how to teach the new material and the head of the math department at the time (he is since long gone) estimated 2-3 years if I recall.
Mr. Highland also left as a principal the past five years ago and I believe he went to the North Hills.
I'm still waiting to hear the namne of a teacher. You've mentioned some administrators but I don't see any teachers.
Unless,... this is more evidence that the asylum is truly being run by the teachers union.
I really shouldn't surprise anyone to learn that the teachers union runs the district. Years ago a powerful Mt Lebanon teacher's union activist taught a math class and today her family are literally running the district!
I wouldn't surprise me to learn that the administrators had no say in the management of the school, got disgusted, gave up and quit!
There is not a single principal in the district that has more than five years of service I believe.
That isn't to say none of them are good. But almost all left between Allison and Steinhauer. Some have had more than one in his tenure.
McFeeley is new to his position but has been around for a number of years.
Dr. Walsh is new at Jefferson Middle.
Mr. Wolfson is new at Mellon
Ms. Murray is new at Howe but I believe she was a teacher before.
Mr. Ramsey is new at Foster (took over for the guy that went to USC who took over for a lady that had been there for years)
Ms. Schnirel this is the one I don't know about. Her name seems to have been around for awhile. Maybe she is the longest tenured principal.
Mr. Thornton is new at Jefferson Elementary
Ms. Irvin is new at Lincoln.
Mr. Friel is new to Markham.
Mrs. Davis is newish at Washington.
Mind you, again, that by "new" I mean less than five years.
It does beg the question of what happened when Steinhauer took over, if anything. And I am not suggesting it is a bad thing. I certainly don't have a view into the performance of past and present principals. It just seems odd to me that the positions all turned over at around the same time.
Mrs. Schnirel was a teacher, reading specialist or some other position at Howe.
Her husband just retired a few years ago from a principal or administrator position at one of the elementaries I believe.
9:22 AM, we burned through some very capable superintendents, as well. Unfortunately, Timmy is a keeper.
Elaine
Curious.
Are Assist. Super Davis and Washinton Principal Davis related?
Yes. Husband and wife.
Elaine
My three sibs and I had the same principals throughout our education (not in Lebo) and there was a big age span among us. I think it says something about the prospect for invested leaders when they are on board for a few years and then leave. Are they just figure heads following directives or true educational leaders making a difference?
9:22, Dr. Murray has been at Howe for 3 years now. Prior to that, she was a unit principal at the high school.
Mr Ramsey is new to Foster but he was a middle school principal before.. not sure if he was an assistant or what...
Dr Irvin replaced another principal who was at Lincoln for a few years.
If my memory serves correctly we had three or maybe even four generations on the payroll simultaneously at one point.
Honest to God, I thought that some of these folks were going to literally drop over dead and fossilize right there in front of the classroom!
Are husband and wife a good idea?
Many private companies have policies that forbid spouses to work together.
I worked at one where a couple dated secretly, then announced they were getting married.
One had to quit.
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