Math textbooks

[Anonymous]

Why are the MS math textbook/workbooks late every year so the kids are working with shrunken photocopies without any teaching pages?? Why can’t they get the books on time- they are the same year to year. I don’t understand this recurrent problem. My kid has such a harder time learning from these random pages with slides all in different places in canvas. Why can’t they get the books before the school year starts??

[Anonymous]

It’s up to the teacher. Those are annoying. We buy them.

[Anonymous]

Could it have to do with lack of $ to buy them? Is it cheaper to photocopy ?

[Anonymous]

This has never happened to my kids.

[Anonymous]

MCPS doesn't have the books for Geometry and Algebra 2. They use the public-source curriculum for that, which is why they hand out photocopies and not bound books.

[Anonymous]

They do have for geometry supposedly- or they just ordered them. So frustrating!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could it have to do with lack of $ to buy them? Is it cheaper to photocopy ?

Lack of money is a lie. MCPS had a SURPLUS of textbooks funds in FY 24 and still got an increase in textbook funds for 2025.

I wrote Taylor, council and the BOE this morning when I read that in the news. I’m livid my 9th graders are still doesn’t have an AP textboook and has teeny tiny illegal photocopies from the teacher. The irony is the RT for this department is quoted in the media as “worried about our school’s diversity if they take out IB”. Why isn’t she concerned her department isn’t fully resources with basic supplies?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could it have to do with lack of $ to buy them? Is it cheaper to photocopy ?

Lack of money is a lie. MCPS had a SURPLUS of textbooks funds in FY 24 and still got an increase in textbook funds for 2025.

I wrote Taylor, council and the BOE this morning when I read that in the news. I’m livid my 9th graders are still doesn’t have an AP textboook and has teeny tiny illegal photocopies from the teacher. The irony is the RT for this department is quoted in the media as “worried about our school’s diversity if they take out IB”. Why isn’t she concerned her department isn’t fully resources with basic supplies?!?

APs have textbooks? Don't most students borrow or buy them to study for the exam?

[Anonymous]

I haven’t seen a math textbook since elementary school.

[Anonymous]

My kids had no textbooks for years. They only had textbooks for APs like history and calculus. And the AP Physics C textbook outweighs them all!

[Anonymous]

MS math has textbooks - all 3 years. For Algebra 1, for Geometry and for whatever they called the class from 6th grade. The are Illustrated Mathematics workbooks - it has the teaching and problem set with space to work out answers all in the same book. They are good. But every year, it takes them all of 1st quarter before they even get the books. I mean, it costs the same to get it in Aug vs Oct/Nov so it's not a $ issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could it have to do with lack of $ to buy them? Is it cheaper to photocopy ?

Lack of money is a lie. MCPS had a SURPLUS of textbooks funds in FY 24 and still got an increase in textbook funds for 2025.

I wrote Taylor, council and the BOE this morning when I read that in the news. I’m livid my 9th graders are still doesn’t have an AP textboook and has teeny tiny illegal photocopies from the teacher. The irony is the RT for this department is quoted in the media as “worried about our school’s diversity if they take out IB”. Why isn’t she concerned her department isn’t fully resources with basic supplies?!?

APs have textbooks? Don't most students borrow or buy them to study for the exam?

The College Board requires that students have access to an approved college textbook (not just a classroom set). If yours doesn’t, let the principal know that you will report the school to the CB if they do not acquire the books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MS math has textbooks - all 3 years. For Algebra 1, for Geometry and for whatever they called the class from 6th grade. The are Illustrated Mathematics workbooks - it has the teaching and problem set with space to work out answers all in the same book. They are good. But every year, it takes them all of 1st quarter before they even get the books. I mean, it costs the same to get it in Aug vs Oct/Nov so it's not a $ issue.

Illustrative math workbooks are NOT textbooks like there are in Asia or many traditional private schools or AP Math classes where the college board has to approve the textbook where there are actually worked examples showing you exactly how to solve a problem step by step.

This is the description of Illustrative Math: Illustrative Mathematics’ collaborative model invites students to talk and write about math, listen to each other’s ideas, justify their thinking, and critique the reasoning of others to further develop their mathematical understanding.

What you don't get is step by step how to solve the problem if you are confused. There might be a lesson summary at the END of a lesson that is EXTREMELY wordy and in paragraph form. Not color coded step by step pictures. You also do NOT get enough practice problems.

Research does NOT support this method as the best way to effectively learn math particularly if you have no one to help you at home. So students who have parents who provide math enrichment are at a huge advantage. My parents could not help me in math but because I had a real textbook with a variety of worked out sample problems with the odd answers in the back and some of those they included worked out examples I was able to work ahead because I enjoyed math.

[Anonymous]

They can use open stax for free textbooks. Some teachers have textbooks but don’t use them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could it have to do with lack of $ to buy them? Is it cheaper to photocopy ?

Lack of money is a lie. MCPS had a SURPLUS of textbooks funds in FY 24 and still got an increase in textbook funds for 2025.

I wrote Taylor, council and the BOE this morning when I read that in the news. I’m livid my 9th graders are still doesn’t have an AP textboook and has teeny tiny illegal photocopies from the teacher. The irony is the RT for this department is quoted in the media as “worried about our school’s diversity if they take out IB”. Why isn’t she concerned her department isn’t fully resources with basic supplies?!?

APs have textbooks? Don't most students borrow or buy them to study for the exam?

The College Board requires that students have access to an approved college textbook (not just a classroom set). If yours doesn’t, let the principal know that you will report the school to the CB if they do not acquire the books.

No, we did not have a textbook for Calc bc. Just a homework problem packet.