Anyone having serious issues with Mathspace? FCPS

[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!)

Instructional Services Department head is not an elected position. Too bad parents can't do anything useful about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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!)

That is sickening. My child's math teacher was defending it at BTSN, noting that it's an Australian program that uses different terminology and "we'd just have to get used to some give and take"! WTH?? How about a good old fashioned American text book??

This is unreasonable. Something is fishy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

For what grounds? Sue for what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Like what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

For what grounds? Sue for what?

FCPS uses too many Online teaching platforms from startup companies. A special investigation may discover something interesting. But, as normal parents who can't afford private school, you just can't do anything.

[Anonymous]

Would it be helpful to contact school board about this? How many of them are FCPS parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. Cooper Middle School says they still use a textbook for their math courses as well as math space. Could you use these books as a supplement?

https://cooperms.fcps.edu/resources/resources-students/textbooks-and-homework-help

I think you’ll find that the more affluent the area (which strongly correlated to high test results), the more resistant schools are to changing up their methods that have been working for them. (E.g., wink and nod to the “adopting” of the new online digital curriculum but we’re gonna go ahead and keep doing what works for us, mmmmkay??”) And parents at those schools don’t complain or alert Gatehouse or school board bc why fix what ain’t broken over there, and their students will continue to do well without actually having to go through the turmoil that the rest of the schools are facing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would it be helpful to contact school board about this? How many of them are FCPS parents?

Not enough of them are parents at all imho.

At least four of them either have no kids or none in the school system. Annoying.
Two of them keep trying to use their school board positions as a stepping stone to run for “bigger” offices and when they lose they end up back in the fcps school board. Drawing a salary while stirring up political activist support for their next aspirational career move.
Parents/voters asleep at the wheel mostly and as long as there’s a “D” next to their name on the ballot, they’ll just keep getting elected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. Cooper Middle School says they still use a textbook for their math courses as well as math space. Could you use these books as a supplement?

https://cooperms.fcps.edu/resources/resources-students/textbooks-and-homework-help

I think you’ll find that the more affluent the area (which strongly correlated to high test results), the more resistant schools are to changing up their methods that have been working for them. (E.g., wink and nod to the “adopting” of the new online digital curriculum but we’re gonna go ahead and keep doing what works for us, mmmmkay??”) And parents at those schools don’t complain or alert Gatehouse or school board bc why fix what ain’t broken over there, and their students will continue to do well without actually having to go through the turmoil that the rest of the schools are facing.

My kid was at Cooper last year and did NOT have a hard copy text book for algebra.

[Anonymous]

I know it’s hard for us old people to get used to no textbooks, but when your kids get to college, it’s all online. None of my kids had actual textbooks beginning in middle school, and they did fine. They adapt. They figure it out. I purchased hard copy algebra textbooks for myself to help them, and we rarely (if ever) cracked them open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. Cooper Middle School says they still use a textbook for their math courses as well as math space. Could you use these books as a supplement?

https://cooperms.fcps.edu/resources/resources-students/textbooks-and-homework-help

I think you’ll find that the more affluent the area (which strongly correlated to high test results), the more resistant schools are to changing up their methods that have been working for them. (E.g., wink and nod to the “adopting” of the new online digital curriculum but we’re gonna go ahead and keep doing what works for us, mmmmkay??”) And parents at those schools don’t complain or alert Gatehouse or school board bc why fix what ain’t broken over there, and their students will continue to do well without actually having to go through the turmoil that the rest of the schools are facing.

One of the posts says"
OP here again - my child is at Langley and her teacher said this is being used county-wide? She said the goal is to stop using textbooks altogether. "

Maybe it's depends on school. Langley doesn't get good teachers maybe. After all, their computer teacher/ football coach just got arrested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know it’s hard for us old people to get used to no textbooks, but when your kids get to college, it’s all online. None of my kids had actual textbooks beginning in middle school, and they did fine. They adapt. They figure it out. I purchased hard copy algebra textbooks for myself to help them, and we rarely (if ever) cracked them open.

Bullshit. My professors uses textbooks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know it’s hard for us old people to get used to no textbooks, but when your kids get to college, it’s all online. None of my kids had actual textbooks beginning in middle school, and they did fine. They adapt. They figure it out. I purchased hard copy algebra textbooks for myself to help them, and we rarely (if ever) cracked them open.

But at least don't use crappy tools to replace textbooks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

For what grounds? Sue for what?

FCPS uses too many Online teaching platforms from startup companies. A special investigation may discover something interesting. But, as normal parents who can't afford private school, you just can't do anything.

Not enough interest in the general public to care about questioning the origin of the startups that are getting million-dollar contracts from FCPS. For example, might surprise people to learn that Paranorna Ed (the company that has a multi-million dollar contract to collect the socio-emotional survey data from your kids in fcps) info is owned Merrick Garlands son-in-law.
Glad our progressive school district is trying to give back to small businesses so the “little guy” can make it through these tough times, Amiright???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. Cooper Middle School says they still use a textbook for their math courses as well as math space. Could you use these books as a supplement?

https://cooperms.fcps.edu/resources/resources-students/textbooks-and-homework-help

There are no text books on that site- all references are to online materials- Discovery Educstion is a “Techbook” and online and Mathspace is an online textbook. cuethink is digital too and then the old friend, ST Math.

CueThink

Resource for All Math Levels

Discovery Education Math Techbook

Math Textbook for Math 7 and Math 8

Mathspace

Math Textbook Math 7, Math 7 HN, Prealgebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 1 Honors, Geometry, and Algebra 2

Mathspace with Skills Check-ins

Classes that use this resource:

Math 7
Math 8
Prealgebra
Mathspace with Skills Check-ins provides adaptive feedback as students solve math problems and provides the teacher with detailed data to support personalized feedback. It also provides access to an ebook to support. instruction.

Other Resources

STMath- A