2 + 2 = Progress

Posted by helen at 9:12 AM

Today's Times highlights a National Science Foundation study on gender differences in math -- and despite the diatribes of Ivy-bound thinkers like Dr Lawrence Summers, the news is good: A review of 7,000,000 students in 10 states shows no gender split in math achievement scores.

In a related report on NPR, high school teachers say that their advanced-math classes enroll about 50:50 girls and boys, a sea change from a generation ago. But one math-loving girl put a real-world perspective on the study's findings: Patricia Li, a San Jose, CA, high-school senior summering at MIT, says it's not that more boys like math than girls -- more like, everyone dislikes math in equal measure, which is its own kind of progress.

See the article in Science magazine for all the number-crunching, math-laden details.

Unpacking Klein-speak in D.C.

Posted by helen at 10:27 AM

Here's a paragraph from Chancellor Joel Klein's testimony yesterday before the House panel on education; below it, some amplification on what the stats really mean, thanks to this handy PowerPoint from the DOE.

"In fourth-grade math, for example, the gap separating our African-American and white students has narrowed by more than 16 points. In eighth-grade math, African-American students have closed the gap with white students by almost 5 points. In fourth-grade reading, the gap between African-American and white students has narrowed by more than 6 points. In eighth-grade reading, the gap has closed by about 4 points."

First, the good news: Overall, nearly 80% of fourth-graders score at or above grade level in math. That's good. The race gap Klein highlights persists but is narrowing. Also good. But the 18-point split between black and white students leaps to 30 points by 8th grade, when math proficiency drops to 59% overall. So closing a gap by 5 points IS progress -- but the gap that remains is six times as wide.

In English Language Arts (ELA), 26 points separate black and white fourth-grade students who score on or above grade level; the gap endures, at 29 points, in eighth grade. But the overall average score plummets in parallel with the math score -- 61% score at or above grade level in fourth grade, but fewer than half, 43%, earn level 3/4 on their eighth grade ELA.

And two items worth the mention, although Klein elected to skip them: This year, grade 5 level 3/4 ELA scores were 69%; grade 6 level 3/4 scores plummeted to 53% -- roughly, a 20% drop. What happened in that transitional year? And top scorers on the Level 4 ELAs represent a very small slice of the New York City pie: Only 5.8% of fourth graders and 2.9% of eighth graders scored Level 4 on these critical standardized exams.

Head spinning yet? The numbers sure are...

2008 Test scores

Posted by helen at 5:01 PM

Scores for city schools have posted on the DOE website.

Look here for math scores; here for ELA.

We're looking closely, too, and eager to hear what you think: surprised by the gains? skeptical or grateful? is test prep an issue in your child's school? what's your take?

Let us hear from you.

Scooooooore: ELA and Math test scores released today

Posted by helen at 10:00 AM

At high noon today, the New York State Department of Education will present the 2007-08 English/Language Arts (ELA) and Math scores for students statewide, including New York City public school students. (We'll post a link when they go live, anticipated for noon.)

Of course, the official New York State report cards, available for most city schools, are two years out of date (with data from 2005-2006). Last year, new report cards posted in late May. This year, it's late June and we don't yet know when the updated report cards will go live. We've heard "end of June" -- but who's counting?

Update: Sorry for initial misdirect; here's the link to 2008 ELA and Math scores. It's an unwieldy pdf; we're looking for a more compact, accessible link.

Just heard from David Cantor of the DOE, who says they'll post city stats today; stay tuned.

Middle School Muddle: Middle schools and math

Posted by inthemiddle at 11:45 AM

Prospective and current middle school parents might want to question math curriculums more aggressively. What topics are covered and what kind of background and training does your child’s math teacher have?

Chances are the answer to both questions could be not enough.

A new study, “Mathematics Teaching in the 21st Century,’’ by Michigan State University researcher and Professor William H. Schmidt, reminded me why I should be paying more attention to math issues during middle school tours.

All too often, middle schools offer an unfocused curriculum taught by unprepared educators who can't help middle school kids make the transition from arithmetic to real mathematics, Schmidt's study found.

Teachers in five other countries are more prepared to teach math than middle school teachers in the United States, the study says.

Schmidt believes the existence of a coherent and challenging math curriculum should be a deciding factor for judging the quality of a middle school. Kids who don’t get the math they need will have trouble with math in high school and won’t get very far, he warns.

Any parent touring middle schools in New York City can quickly discern wide variation in the way math is taught. Some schools offer more and push students to learn high-level math, like the well regarded NEST+M, which offers a challenging program of Singapore math. Some middle schools provide Regents-level math and others don't.

School of the Future offers a “curriculum map’’ for 7th grade, promising “a linguistic/real life approach to mathematics.’’ One school I toured handed out a sheet noting that math is part of the 6th-grade curriculum; another simply said it offers “high-quality instruction,’’ without further explanation.

It's easy to get confused and skip the math questions if you don't know what to ask.

That's one reason Schmidt has long pushed for specific content standards laying out what every child is expected to learn and know by every grade in mathematics. If such standards existed nationally, parents would know what to expect. The standards would inform teacher training in math, he says.

“It’s incumbent on education schools and on our society to deem math education important enough to have such standards,’’ Schmidt told me during an interview about his study last week.

“It’s logical,’’ he explains. “With clear standards, you would have the whole system organized instead of arbitrary and hit and miss.’’

If you follow Schmidt’s logic, choosing a middle school with a particularly strong art or music program should not mean sacrificing math education. Each and every middle school would offer similar math curriculums with properly trained teachers.

Parents who want to know more about math requirements can consult the New York State math standards, which describe should be taught in each grade. That they are somewhat confusing to follow comes as no surprise to Schmidt.

“The problem is the standards are not very accessible to parents,’’ Schmidt says. “And they can be so full of jargon it’s difficult for parents to agitate for them.’ ’

School officials may tell you it’s really hard to find enough highly trained and math teachers, says Schmidt. "But your child shouldn't have to suffer as a result.''

Parents, says Schmidt, should ask questions about math and demand answers.

It's one small way to push for change.

Read all of Liz Willen's Middle School Muddle

Math coaches: are they good at math? coaching?

Posted by Philissa at 5:10 PM

The DOE touts math coaches as an effective way for one "expert" to provide instructional support to many schools. But just how good are the city's 400 math coaches? That's the question CCNY dean Alfred Posamentier frets about in a guest column in yesterday's Daily News. There are no clear standards for what's required to become a coach, and coaches are hired at principals' discretion. So while CCNY has a privately-funded training program for teachers that builds on what Posamentier terms their "proper mathematics background," it's possible that many coaches don't have the math skills -- or even the teaching skills -- to be telling others how to teach math.

When I graduated from college, the DOE's Teaching Fellows program offered me a position as a high school math teacher. If they'd let me teach math, chances are there are math-deficient teachers making their way toward coachhood. Now that's scary.

More on math scores (updated)

Posted by Unknown at 12:32 PM

6/17 update: For a summary of the reasons to be wary of the new math test scores, check out Diane Ravitch's article over at the NYC Public School Parents blog. Ravitch urges readers to "wait patiently to see whether the recent gains on the state tests are reflected on the national tests when the results are posted in November 2007."

6/15 post: The math scores published last week have attracted a wave of commentary, everything from ecstasy to serious skepticism. Today a few more publications weigh in. Elizabeth Green at the New York Sun reports that city officials are touting charter school scores as evidence that charter schools are working. She writes:

This year, 74% of city charter students scored proficient on the state math test, up from 66% last year, a review of state data by a procharter group, the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence, found. Just 65% of students citywide scored as well this year, up from 57% last year.

Meanwhile, the Times published a cautiously optimistic editorial, concluding that "all signs suggest that the city and state are on the right track."