Past Newsletters

Contained here is as an archive of past newsletters from La Cañada Math Parents.

  • Fall 2020 [Nov. 02, 2020]
    • Welcome to new LCHS Math Teachers
    • LCHS Math Teacher Lineup
    • Middle School Math Placement Results Show Continued Growth
    • Middle School Students Shine in Math Olympiad Contest
    • Math Support Opportunities for Students
    • Math Enrichment Opportunities
    • LCMP Offers Math Olympiad to 7/8
  • Special Edition: La Canada 7th & 8th Graders Excel in AMC 8 [Jan. 09,2020]
  • Special Report: LCUSD Continues Overstates CAASPP Rankings [Nov. 20, 2019]
  • New Years 2019 [Jan. 15, 2019]
    • Four LCHS 7/8 Students Earn Honor Roll in AMC 8
    • A Look at CAASPP Math Scores
    • When Top 3 Isn’t Top 3
    • Elementary Principals Embrace Hattie
    • Common Core Changes Have Derailed Math Recovery in California
  • Halloween 2018 [Oct. 21, 2018]
    • Welcome to New LCUSD Math Teachers
    • Math Enrichment and Support Opportunities
    • Spartan Vanguard Club Launched Successfully
    • Middle School Math Placement Test Results Show Improvement
    • LCHS Math Course Names Continue to Cause Confusion
    • Superintendent Announces Another Math Review Goal for 2018-19
    • Pseudoscience as a Guide for Elementary Math Instruction
  • Late Summer 2018 [Aug. 04, 2018]
    • Sinnette Presents Findings of Superintendent’s Goal to Governing Board
    • Parent Comments on Superintendent’s Goal from June Board Meeting
    • Teacher Poll About Math Instruction Raises Questions
    • Second Middle School Math Placement Exam Scheduled for Aug. 6th
    • Meeting: Advanced Math Options in High School
    • Problems With the Growth Mindset
  • Early Summer 2018 Math News [Jun. 23, 2018]
    • Superintendent to Present Options to Board on Math Review Goal
    • LCHS Responds: What Teacher Problem?
    • LCHS Set to Welcome New Teachers
    • Board Approves New LCHS Math Course
    • The Very Strange, Peculiar Case of the LCHS Math Pathways
    • Assessing Everyday Math at the End of Year 2
  • End-of-Year Math Newsletter [May 30, 2018]
    • Report on Superintendent’s Elementary Math Committee
    • Editorial: Hope and (No) Change
    • Math Competition Results: Math Field Day, Math Olympiad, Mathzilla! 5.0
    • Middle School Math Placement Test Results
    • Thanks and Best Wishes to Mr. McDermott!
    • Why Can’t LCHS Keep Its Math Teachers?
  • CORRECTION: HS Math Pathways [Mar. 20, 2018]
    • Correction about ways to complete Calculus by end of LCHS.
  • Spring Updates [Mar. 20, 2018]
    • Elementary Math Forums Identify Problems, and Possible Solutions
    • Math Competition Results: Westmont, MathCounts, AMC 8, Math Olympiad
    • Math Field Day Coming Up April 28th
    • Mathzilla! 5.0 Descends May 3rd
    • Middle School Math Placement Date Announced
    • Potholes on the Road to 1-to-1 Computing Nirvana
  • Facebook Group, Elementary Forum Feedback, Math Academy Update [Jan. 27, 2018]
    • LCMP Facebook Group Launched
    • Superintendent’s Math Forum Update
    • Math Academy Updates
  • New Year’s Updates [Jan. 05, 2018]
    • LCMP Pre-Meeting for Superintendent’s Math Forum
    • Superintendent’s Math Discussion Forum (01/23/18)
    • How to Measure School Quality?
    • CAASPP Math Scores
    • How Does LCHS Compare to the Top Schools in California?
    • New School Metric Reveals Trouble in Paradise
  • Winter 2017 Updates [Dec. 04, 2017]
    • Superintendent’s TK-12 Math Review Goal for 2017-18
    • Math Competition Opportunities in High School
    • Middle School Math Pathways and Placement Exam
    • California’s New School Dashboard — Helpful or Not-so-Much?
  • Halloween Math News [Oct. 23, 2017]:
    • Welcome to New LCUSD Math Teachers
    • New Textbooks for Grades 7/8
    • Math Competition and Support Opportunities
    • Superintendent Announces TK-12 Math Review as a Goal for 2017-18
    • Parents Launch Unofficial Math Academy Pilot
    • Governing Board Election
  • FWD: Washington Post: “Calculus for 8th Graders?” [Sep. 20, 2017] – Article from the Sep. 17, 2017 Washington Post about the Math Academy program in the nearby Pasadena Unified School District.
  • LCMP Math Academy Talk: “Math Academy and Radical Math Acceleration” [Aug. 02, 2017] – Announcement of upcoming talk at LCUSD District Office by Jason and Sandy Roberts, founders of Math Academy, a program for radical math acceleration.
  • Cognitive Science and Learning Math [Jul. 15, 2017] – Recently published article in cognitive science that explains why math curricula based on the 1989 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards were so problematic and led to declines in performance on national and international tests.
  • LCMP Meeting Announcement – Elementary Math Survey Results [Jun. 11, 2017] – Announcement about upcoming public LCMP meeting where results from LCMP’s parent elementary math survey were published.
  • End of Year Updates for 2016-17 School Year [May 29, 2017]:
    • LCHS 7/8 & LCHS Math Teacher Update
    • Elementary Math Oversight Committee Wraps Up
    • Elementary Math Survey
    • LCHS 7th Grade Placement Test Results
    • Math Field Day and Mathzilla 4.0 Results
    • Math Developments in Nearby Districts
  • Updates for April 2017 [Apr. 26, 2017]:
    • LCHS 7/8 Picks a New Math Textbook
    • Update on 7/8 + LCHS Math Instructors
    • Elementary Math Oversight Committee
    • Upcoming Math Competitions: Field Day & Mathzilla
    • Math Olympiad season concludes
    • Point – Counter Point: Explain Your Answer
  • LCUSD Governing Board Meeting to Discuss Textbook Selection Process [Mar. 14, 2017] – Reminder of LCUSD Governing Board meeting on 03/17/17 that included agenda item to approve staff’s recommendation for Math In Focus as the new math textbook for grades 7 and 8. Agenda item included discussion about revising the textbook selection process to remedy deficiencies discovered during the Everyday Mathematics elementary math textbook selection process the previous year.
  • Follow up: A foreshadowing of things to come? Pottsgrove, PA [Feb. 26, 2017] – Link to article about rancorous school board meeting in Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania where angered parents in year three of Everyday Mathematics adoption demanded a review of the textbook implementation and consideration of rescinding the decision.
  • LCMP General Meeting Reminder [Feb. 07, 2017] – Reminder of general meeting of LCMP to discuss ongoing issues in year one of Everyday Mathematics adoption, upcoming adoption of middle school math textbook including another constructivist math curriculum similar to EM, issues in LCHS 7/8 with certain newly hired math teachers, and the future purpose, objectives and organization of LCMP.
  • Opportunity to Co-sign Letter to LCHS 7/8 Principal Gold [Feb. 02, 2017] – Solicitation for LCMP members and other LCUSD parents to co-sign a letter to LCHS 7/8 Principal Jarrett Gold objecting to the process by which parents were included on the LCHS 7/8 math textbook review committee and asking for changes, including making the final committee meeting open to the public.
  • Reminder: K-5 District Math Night this Wed; LCHS 7/8 Math Textbook Review starts next Wed. [Jan. 08, 2017] – Meeting reminder about LCUSD’s K-5 Parent Math Night, hosted at Paradise Canyon Elementary School on Jan. 11, 2017 by a representative from McGraw-Hill, publishers of Everyday Mathematics, and district administration. The stated purpose of the talk was to educate parents about the Everyday Math curriculum that was in its first few months of adoption across LCUSD elementary schools.
  • LCUSD Elementary Math Oversight Committee Seeks Parent Feedback [Nov. 29, 2016] – Call to parents to contact the parent representatives from their school on the LCUSD Elementary Math Oversight Committee and provide feedback about their child’s experience with Everyday Mathematics thus far. The LCMP email was sent in lieu of any official communication from school or district officials, who found it unnecessary to inform parents about the existence of the committee, who the parents were on the committee, and its purpose and proceedings.
  • Everyday Math Survival Guide [Jun 06, 2016] – Thank you from LCMP president Sugi Sorensen to LCMP members about their involvement in the Everyday Mathematics adoption battle and forward of a letter from Stanford mathematics professor James Milgram to LCUSD parents with advice on how to survive Everyday Mathematics. To make up for the deficiencies in EM, Professor Milgram suggested parents consider tutoring, supplementing at home, or switching to a private school; specific textbooks and programs he believed to be superior to EM that parents can access; and he also recommended that parents opt their children out of state testing at the end of the school year.
  • REMINDER: Important Meetings on Math Textbook Tonight!!! [May 26, 2016] – Reminder to LCMP members about LCUSD Governing Board special meeting on the pending elementary mathematics textbook adoption, pre-meeting Board Workshop hosted by the Governing Board, and a pre-pre-meeting hosted by LCMP on “Is Everyday Mathematics Good for La Cañada?” with guest speaker James Milgram, Professor of Mathematics at Stanford University and lead writer of the 1998 California K-12 Mathematics Standards.
  • Please Review Everyday Math Sample Material [May 24, 2016] – Email reminder to LCUSD parents about a special opportunity to review the Everyday Mathematics curriculum material at the LCUSD Administrative Offices before the Governing Board’s vote to adopt on May 26, 2016. As a reminder, LCUSD offered parents only a three hour window to review all six proposed curricula at an earlier date, in contravention of California Educational Code and LCUSD Governing Board Policy. LCMP asked and the district consented to provide additional review opportunities for LCUSD parents.