Anyone having serious issues with Mathspace? FCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even I cried literally in the beginning of the school year as a 7th grade parent when I used “Mathspace” in trying to help my child. I posted my complaint in a textbook thread back then. I’m very very sad at FCPS wasting our children’s youth by not teaching math, by not using textbooks.

PP here - I have been doing Mathspace for DC ever since. I bought the McGraw Hill Algebra 1 textbook. I follow our math teacher in Schoology in assigning problems to DC every other day.

[Anonymous]

In our experience at Rocky Run MS and Chantilly HS, the students generally learn math through paper packets created by the math department. No textbooks, but targeted pages of examples, practice problems, and homework problems. Much better than lugging around textbooks. We've had a few teachers give Mathspace assignments here and there -- no big deal, it just seemed to care about proper rounding (or using exact values) and making sure that students entered in x=4 instead of just 4. It did not require that you enter in all of the steps. You could solve the problem on paper and then just type in the answer.

[Anonymous]

My Algebra 1 kid(middle School) is also having BIG issues. The program is HORRIBLE! If you mistakenly hit SHIFT instead of Return is marks an answer incorrect. If you do not enter an answer EXACTLY how "the program wants"(does not matter if answer is correct.) It marks it wrong. My child typically receives A/A-/B+ on all other assignments/tests/quizzes but has repeatedly received 50, 60 and 70's for Mathspace assignments strictly because things get entered in a way "mathspace" does not like or a slip of a finger even with multiple tries that it gives. Child has spoke to teacher, teacher accommodates (sometimes) with an extra point or two because they know child knows the work. Just another ridiculous FCPS approved "learning" program that causes frustration not learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If anyone has connections, PLEASE, get them to get rid of Mathspace!!!

Supposedly we spent $9m on online materials and signed 7 year contracts. The county isn't getting rid of it. Hooray... (believe me, I complain at every department chairs meeting I attend!)

Curious then why don't you just all agree to count it as a "Completion Grade" and not an actual number letter grade? My HS'er has so many other in class work assignments, review packets, test, quiz etc. Why does the stupid Mathspace have to be counted as a grade? It seems to just bring whatever category teacher put in in down in the grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even I cried literally in the beginning of the school year as a 7th grade parent when I used “Mathspace” in trying to help my child. I posted my complaint in a textbook thread back then. I’m very very sad at FCPS wasting our children’s youth by not teaching math, by not using textbooks.

100% this. My daughter - never a top math student and always anxious about math - had so much freaking anxiety over Mathspace. I helped her every single day from 7th-12th grade with this asinine program, and there were always tears (from both of us). As so many others have said, if you input the answer in a slightly different (but still correct) way, it marks the problem wrong. And then doesn't explain why. It is the most ridiculous program I've ever come across and I'm appalled that it's still being used (DD graduated in 2021). Shame on FCPS. Bring back textbooks.

[Anonymous]

My son's teacher at Thoreau is also using math space for assessment grades. He is very frustrated and has missed points for problems when the answer was correct but not entered the certain way that Math Space requires. I just ordered the McGraw Hill text book. If there are other resources those of you have found helpful, please lmk. I'm going to follow up with the FCPS contacts listed to complain and thanks to the PP for the FB page.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Algebra 1 kid(middle School) is also having BIG issues. The program is HORRIBLE! If you mistakenly hit SHIFT instead of Return is marks an answer incorrect. If you do not enter an answer EXACTLY how "the program wants"(does not matter if answer is correct.) It marks it wrong. My child typically receives A/A-/B+ on all other assignments/tests/quizzes but has repeatedly received 50, 60 and 70's for Mathspace assignments strictly because things get entered in a way "mathspace" does not like or a slip of a finger even with multiple tries that it gives. Child has spoke to teacher, teacher accommodates (sometimes) with an extra point or two because they know child knows the work. Just another ridiculous FCPS approved "learning" program that causes frustration not learning.

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/procedures%20-for-complaints-and-appeals

I would do this (through the full appeal process if necessary) every single time a point on a graded assignment is missed even though the answer is correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Algebra 1 kid(middle School) is also having BIG issues. The program is HORRIBLE! If you mistakenly hit SHIFT instead of Return is marks an answer incorrect. If you do not enter an answer EXACTLY how "the program wants"(does not matter if answer is correct.) It marks it wrong. My child typically receives A/A-/B+ on all other assignments/tests/quizzes but has repeatedly received 50, 60 and 70's for Mathspace assignments strictly because things get entered in a way "mathspace" does not like or a slip of a finger even with multiple tries that it gives. Child has spoke to teacher, teacher accommodates (sometimes) with an extra point or two because they know child knows the work. Just another ridiculous FCPS approved "learning" program that causes frustration not learning.

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/procedures%20-for-complaints-and-appeals

I would do this (through the full appeal process if necessary) every single time a point on a graded assignment is missed even though the answer is correct.

Not the PP, but Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Math space worries me. The teacher has already informed the students that kids don’t like it because you “can’t change answers” yet he will use it for grades. Ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

I believe Math Space is an Australian program, and they have different ways of writing the answers. So even if you get the correct answer, but don't input it exactly the way they require, you'll get the question wrong. It is the most infuriating, idiotic, waste of time I have ever encountered. It caused my kids anxiety and tears and did nothing to help them with math. I find it disgraceful that FCPS persists in keeping this program around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe Math Space is an Australian program, and they have different ways of writing the answers. So even if you get the correct answer, but don't input it exactly the way they require, you'll get the question wrong. It is the most infuriating, idiotic, waste of time I have ever encountered. It caused my kids anxiety and tears and did nothing to help them with math. I find it disgraceful that FCPS persists in keeping this program around.

I think it’s a stretch to say that Australians write math answers different than Americans do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe Math Space is an Australian program, and they have different ways of writing the answers. So even if you get the correct answer, but don't input it exactly the way they require, you'll get the question wrong. It is the most infuriating, idiotic, waste of time I have ever encountered. It caused my kids anxiety and tears and did nothing to help them with math. I find it disgraceful that FCPS persists in keeping this program around.

Great. Not looking forward to this year in math at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe Math Space is an Australian program, and they have different ways of writing the answers. So even if you get the correct answer, but don't input it exactly the way they require, you'll get the question wrong. It is the most infuriating, idiotic, waste of time I have ever encountered. It caused my kids anxiety and tears and did nothing to help them with math. I find it disgraceful that FCPS persists in keeping this program around.

I think it’s a stretch to say that Australians write math answers different than Americans do.

Some of the symbols and ways of writing the answer out are indeed different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I asked my 8th grader in Algebra 1 about this. He is an A student in Math.
He hated Mathspace from the first day of school and while has tolerated it, he is not loving the experience at all.
He said that what would take him 15 minutes in pencil and paper would take him 45 minutes on Mathspace because he would have to type in all the characters in the way that the program wants to see it.
The program is also really slow.

This is really discouraging. 30 minutes of additional homework time + frustration isn't conducive for learning anything.

FCPS students should organize a protest to against math space .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD taking HS precalc/trig and hates that everyone in her class can see her score on an assessment in Mathspace, especially when simple typing errors are the only issues. Technology detracts from the math completely and just another annoying tool to add to Blackboard and Google. Too many tools and no standardization just leads to added stress foe these kids.

This is actually illegal. It's the first FERPA rule most teachers learn...

Yes，sue FCPS. There must be a reason they using the terrible online to replace textbooks. Kickback?