Perhaps you have heard that Minooka 201 is piloting a new math curriculum in elementary school. The name of the new curriculum is Go Math. The curriculum that Minooka 201 had been using exclusively in the elementary grades up to this year was Saxon Math. Now, some classes are using Go Math and the other classes are using Saxon Math.
Why the change? Was Saxon Math not a good curriculum? Were the children not doing well in math? Actually, the children were doing very well in math. I am not one to base my decisions on standardized test scores, but math is one subject where test scores are useful since mathematics deals with objectively right or wrong answers. Based on the test scores, Minooka elementary students were performing very well. Our scores in math were consistently in the high 80s and 90s.
No, the reason for the change was the new Common Core State Standards. Go Math, the administration was told, was aligned with the Common Core. Saxon Math was "not quite aligned." Therefore, Saxon Math would have to go. Never mind that students were seemingly doing very well in math. Never mind that Saxon Math actually utilizes a "spiraling" methodology where skills are built up step by step and previously introduced skills are constantly reviewed.
So how is the pilot of Go Math going? Well, from purely anecdotal evidence, it is a slow motion car wreck. And, perhaps, that is no accident, since the only mathmetician on the validating committee for the Common Core State Standards, Professor James Milgram of Stanford University, refused to sign-off on the math standards of the Common Core and has since publicly opposed implementation of the standards (see here, and here). In addition, the District administration rushed into their decision to pilot Go Math at the end of the last school year without adequate preparation or training for the teachers, thus compounding the problems.
If your children were doing well in math, perhaps even enjoying math, and are now doing poorly in math, perhaps even hating math, it may be due to the Go Math pilot and the new Common Core State Standards. And, if you are of a mind to complain about the Go Math pilot and/or the way in which it was implemented, approaching your child's teacher is of limited value since the teachers have no authority to change curriculum. Any complaints should be directed to the Assistant Superintendent (for curriculum), the Superintendent and/or the school board.
I cannot understand why they didn't put more thought into implementing GO Math before they did it. It is nothing but headaches thus far. Saxon has been perfectly fine for my oldest two daughters..my middle daughter actually is in 7th grade in high math from learning from it. I think we sll need to speak to the Asst. Superintendent, Superintendent, and board to hopefully get some better answers. Thank you for honestly expressing your opinion.
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