Author: sugihs

LCMP Strategy Meeting Tonight

La Cañada Math parents is hosting a strategy meeting tonight at 6PM at the La Cañada Public Library:

La Cañada Public Library
4545 N. Oakwood Ave.
La Cañada, CA 91011

The meeting will be held in the public meeting room. The purpose of the meeting will be to prepare for the Superintendent’s announced Elementary Math Discussion Forum that she has scheduled for Tue. Jan. 23, 2018. We will review the results of the LCMP parent survey conducted last Spring that led to the Superintendent announcing the math review goal, followed by a discussion of ideas to present at the upcoming Discussion Forum. All parents interested in improving the elementary math curriculum, intervention and differentiation opportunities in the district are encouraged to attend.

LCMP Meets with LCUSD Board Members and Superintendent

Several La Canada Math Parents (LCMP) met informally with LCUSD Board President Dan Jeffries, Board member Ellen Multari, and Superintendent Wendy Sinnette on July 20, 2017 to present findings from the LCMP K-6 parent survey and discuss concerns about Everyday Mathematics and opportunities for differentiated instruction in the classroom.  A copy of the LCMP slide presentation from the meeting is posted here:

http://bit.ly/lcfmathsurveyresults

LCMP parents made an effective showing that the District’s Elementary Math Adoption Oversight Committee (disbanded earlier this year) failed to conduct sufficient outreach to parents and severely understated the level of student and parent struggles and concerns with Everyday Math. The tone of the meeting was constructive, and the District officials appeared to take the LCMP concerns seriously, although Superintendent Sinnette stated that the K-6 math textbook selection would likely not be revisited by the Board for another four years and the current adopted material needed to be utilized “with fidelity”. On the positive side, Sinnette and the Board representatives indicated a willingness to further consider the following measures:

  • Creating an LCUSD Board subcommittee, which will hold periodic public meetings to provide ongoing oversight for issues relating to K-6 Math, including the Everyday Mathematics implementation, successful transitions to Grade 6 (Math In Focus) and 7/8 curricula, opportunities for differentiated instruction and/or homogeneous groupings, and other programs and policies to encourage excellence in math education.
  • Reminding teachers that they are free (and encouraged) to use supplemental instructional materials in addition to Everyday Math (K-5) and Math In Focus (6th Grade).
  • Implementing LCUSD Elementary GATE Instructor Gregg’s suggestion to coordinate student math schedules to allow for homogenous group instruction by ability across grades (e.g. advanced fourth and fifth-graders could attend math class with 6th graders learning 6th grade material, etc).
  • Inviting the director of the Pasadena Unified School District’s highly-accelerated Math Academy math pilot program to speak here publicly and share his experience with our parents, teachers and Board members.

In addition, parents presented recent findings from cognitive research and how it relates to the teaching of elementary mathematics. In brief,  the research indicates that the method used by Everyday Mathematics is exactly the opposite of what should be done when teaching a secondary knowledge domain like mathematics to novice learners.

Elementary Math Survey Results Published

The La Canada Math Parents have published the results of its anonymous elementary math parent survey conducted in late May and early June 2017. Survey results may be viewed on the LCMP website here:

https://lacanadamath.org/lcmp-elementary-math-parent-survey/

The public may analyze and scrutinize the raw survey results in a Google spreadsheet here:

http://bit.ly/lcfmathsurveyraw

Highlights from the survey results:

  • 42% of K-5 La Canada public school parents have problems with Everyday Math, not 2% as asserted by District Staff.
  • Only 34% of parents believe K-5 math education is above average in LCUSD.
  • Only 29% of K-6 students receive differentiation.
  • 57% of K-6 students are tutored or supplemented outside of school.
  • 51% of those spend two or more hours tutoring in math per week.
  • Over 60% of those started tutoring in the last two years.
  • 67% of those tutoring in math do not tutor in any other subject.

The results indicate that contrary to assertions made by District staff that concerns with Everyday Mathematics are minuscule, nearly half of La Canada K-5 parents have problems with the curriculum, and a similarly significant percentage of parents are less than satisfied with the quality of elementary mathematics instruction in the district. A whopping 57% of parent respondents indicated they tutor or supplement their child’s math instruction outside of class.

La Canada Math Special Meeting – Wed. 06/14/17 – 6:30pm

The Elementary Math Survey closed on Monday June 5th, 2017. The results of the survey will be presented publicly on Wednesday, June 14, 2017 in a special meeting of the La Canada Math Parents:

Wed. Jun 14, 2017, 6:30PM-8:00PM
La Cañada Public Library
4545 N. Oakwood Ave
La Cañada, CA 91011

The meeting will be held in the library’s public meeting room. The agenda for the meeting will be:

  • Description of Elementary Math Survey reasons & methodology
  • Presentation of survey results
  • Discussion on follow-up action(s)
  • Discussion on the state of elementary math in LCUSD
  • Discussion of Math Academy program in Pasadena USD

Reminder: LCMP general meeting tomorrow at 6:30pm

This is a final reminder that there will be a general meeting of the La Cañada Math Parents group tomorrow, Wednesday, February 08th from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at the La Cañada Public Library:

La Cañada Public Library
4545 N. Oakwood Ave
La Cañada, CA 91011

The gathering will be held in the public meeting room. The agenda for the meeting will be:

  • Discuss the purpose, objectives and organization of LCMP
  • Describe LCMP resources and initiatives
  • Describe Executive Board positions and solicit nominations
  • Discuss current issues:
    • Issues at LCHS 7/8 w/ CC Math 7, CC Math 7 Adv, and LC Math 1
    • LCHS 7/8 math textbook selection
    • Issues w/ Everyday Mathematics in K-5
    • Upcoming School Board election
  • (if time permits) Brief history of the Math Wars

Reminder: LCUSD K-5 Math Night this Wednesday and LCHS 7/8 Math Textbook Reviews Start Next Week

This is a reminder that the La Canada Unified School District will host a K-5 Parent Math Night this Wednesday, 01/11/17 from 6:30 to 8:00pm at the Paradise Canyon Elementary (PCY) Multi-purpose Room (MPR). Official info about the event is maintained on the LCUSD district calendar here:

http://www.lcusd.net/apps/events/2017/1/11/3193197/?REC_ID=3193197&id=0

The stated purpose of the night is “to learn more about Everyday Math, the program that was adopted for Kindergarten – 5th grades.”

In addition, the first of three opportunities for parents to review the four finalist math textbooks for adoption consideration for grades 7 and 8 is next Wednesday, 01/18/17 from 4:00 to 7:00pm in the LCHS IRC. The district has stated that you must pre-register for one of the three review opportunities here. La Cañada Math Parents has been compiling information about the four finalist textbooks on this website here:

https://lacanadamath.org/lcusd-middle-school-math/

We are asking LCMP members who have children in grades 7 & 8 to reach out to their children’s math teachers to find out their opinions of the four textbooks under consideration and share that information with other members. We are also asking LCMP members to please pass the word to fellow LCUSD families who have children in grades 7 & 8, or who will be passing through grades 7 & 8 in the next 5-8 years (i.e. the average lifespan of a textbook in a district) to please start becoming informed about the LCHS 7/8 math textbook decision, and if you have an interest in your child’s math education and are so inclined, please join the La Canada Math Parents mailing list at this link.

7/8 Math Textbook Review Opportunity for Parents

On December 8, 2016, LCHS 7/8 Principal Jarrett Gold sent out an announcement to LCUSD 6th and 7th grade parents that the LCHS 7/8 math teachers had been reviewing math materials and resources for adoption for the past three years, and that they had narrowed their choices down to 4 textbooks. Further he announced that parents would have three days to review the candidate materials and provide input:

  • January 18, 2017
  • January 25, 2017
  • February 1, 2017

The materials will be available for review from 4:00 – 7:00 pm at LCHS in the IRC. Parents interested in reviewing the materials should RSVP to the this Google form link.

Though Dr. Gold’s email did not reveal them, LCMP has learned the identity of the four four finalist textbooks. Click here to see what they are and find out more about them.

 

Elementary Textbook Final Decision

On Thursday May 26, 2016 the La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board voted unanimously (4-0) to approve the Textbook Adoption Committee and District Staff’s recommendation to adopt Everyday Mathematics for grades K-5 and Math In Focus for grade 6 beginning in the 2016-17 school year over the objections of many concerned parents. Board members approving the motion included Dan Jeffries, Brent Kuszyk, Ellen Multari and Kaitzer Puglia. Board President David Sagal was absent. Prior to the vote, a lengthy debate about the decision, including  a special board workshop had ensued with teachers and staff expressing their support of Everyday Mathematics, and parents mostly expressing their concerns or opposition to it. In all, twenty parents spoke during the public discussion period prior to the vote, with all but two asking the board to either delay the vote or reject the motion as proposed to adopt Everyday Mathematics. There was no debate during the three plus hours of presentations and discussion about the committee’s recommendation of Math In Focus for grade 6. The Board expressed vocal support for the creation of a textbook adoption oversight committee that included parents as well as teachers to closely monitor how the adoption of Everyday Mathematics proceeds in the coming years, although no formal motion was made to put this idea into action.

Read the Los Angeles Times account of the meeting and vote here.