Anonymous
08/03/2025 14:48
Subject: Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
Anonymous wrote:Hire teachers to teach only math in ES. Just as you have in secondary schools.
Yes. That appears to be the right solution, since the generalist approach is not working.
Anonymous
08/03/2025 14:46
Subject: Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
Hire teachers to teach only math in ES. Just as you have in secondary schools.
Anonymous
08/02/2025 18:47
Subject: Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
MD State says kids started disperforming after they increased standards more than a decade ago.
Kids were rushed through. Have heard stories of people saying students in their kids' classes were not ready for compact math, some dropped to on-level in 5th grade but majority didn't and those who didn't struggled. In middle school when there used to be three tracks, the students who struggled in 5th grade went with the middle track whatever it is called these days.
Kids were rushed through. Have heard stories of people saying students in their kids' classes were not ready for compact math, some dropped to on-level in 5th grade but majority didn't and those who didn't struggled. In middle school when there used to be three tracks, the students who struggled in 5th grade went with the middle track whatever it is called these days.
Anonymous
08/02/2025 18:39
Subject: Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
Anonymous wrote:Eureka is a really language rich curriculum with high rigor as you go up in levels. Teaching the same curriculum to kids who can’t read or add two numbers and students who are advanced does not help either group. Scores would go up if we could focus on teaching the basics. Math classes need to be leveled to provide the correct support. Teaching a curriculum that is too advanced is not helping our students!
Test scores are not going up and this isn't a great curriculum.
Anonymous
08/02/2025 17:58
Subject: Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
Anonymous wrote:Eureka is a really language rich curriculum with high rigor as you go up in levels. Teaching the same curriculum to kids who can’t read or add two numbers and students who are advanced does not help either group. Scores would go up if we could focus on teaching the basics. Math classes need to be leveled to provide the correct support. Teaching a curriculum that is too advanced is not helping our students!
But I thought you said MCPS - all the schools are good!
Anonymous
08/02/2025 17:53
Subject: Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
Plenty of PhD holders and other content matter experts in Fed could use a job. Would they like to teach the young ones?
Anonymous
08/02/2025 17:43
Subject: Re:Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
Anonymous wrote:MCPS has actually said this out loud in board meetings: The reason math proficiencies are in the gutter is that MANY elementary school teachers simply are not good/qualified at teaching math.
Elementary educators are the only level where teachers are expected to teach BOTH ELA/math, and the truth is, many elementary teachers in MCPS simply don't know the math content well enough to teach it to kids.
This was said out loud in Sept. 26, 2024 BOE Business Meeting:
"The pre-K through 12 math plan is focused on the following theory of action. If teachers know the math, they and they know their students and use data to drive equitable instruction, that outcomes will improve," Superintendent Thomas Taylor.
"If I may, at the elementary level, you have one singular teacher in a classroom who now needs to be a content expert in multiple content areas. As someone who's been certified as an elementary teacher for 30 years, that wasn't how I was trained. So I think the competing priorities in an elementary school with a limited amount of time, that is the one commodity you never have enough of. And the dedicated study of the content that needs to happen. We're here talking about math, but I would argue it's the same for literacy, science, and social studies. They really have to dig into understanding what the content is expecting of the students, and then match it to the best
pedagogical, best strategies to use for the students sitting in front of them. Without enough time. Each week to do that collectively as a team, and then be able to turn it around and get some feedback on how you're delivering it in the classroom," Sheila Berlinger, Co-Supervisor, Elementary Mathematics
Yep and math teachers tell their students, students tell their parents and use that reasoning themselves to justify why they don't like math or don't want to try - "But daddy, Mrs.G said she doesn't get math either..."
Anonymous
08/02/2025 16:03
Subject: Re:Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
. Part of it is teaching but part of it is also the curriculum.Anonymous wrote:MCPS has actually said this out loud in board meetings: The reason math proficiencies are in the gutter is that MANY elementary school teachers simply are not good/qualified at teaching math.
Elementary educators are the only level where teachers are expected to teach BOTH ELA/math, and the truth is, many elementary teachers in MCPS simply don't know the math content well enough to teach it to kids.
This was said out loud in Sept. 26, 2024 BOE Business Meeting:
"The pre-K through 12 math plan is focused on the following theory of action. If teachers know the math, they and they know their students and use data to drive equitable instruction, that outcomes will improve," Superintendent Thomas Taylor.
"If I may, at the elementary level, you have one singular teacher in a classroom who now needs to be a content expert in multiple content areas. As someone who's been certified as an elementary teacher for 30 years, that wasn't how I was trained. So I think the competing priorities in an elementary school with a limited amount of time, that is the one commodity you never have enough of. And the dedicated study of the content that needs to happen. We're here talking about math, but I would argue it's the same for literacy, science, and social studies. They really have to dig into understanding what the content is expecting of the students, and then match it to the best
pedagogical, best strategies to use for the students sitting in front of them. Without enough time. Each week to do that collectively as a team, and then be able to turn it around and get some feedback on how you're delivering it in the classroom," Sheila Berlinger, Co-Supervisor, Elementary Mathematics
Anonymous
08/02/2025 14:58
Subject: Re:Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
MCPS has actually said this out loud in board meetings: The reason math proficiencies are in the gutter is that MANY elementary school teachers simply are not good/qualified at teaching math.
Elementary educators are the only level where teachers are expected to teach BOTH ELA/math, and the truth is, many elementary teachers in MCPS simply don't know the math content well enough to teach it to kids.
This was said out loud in Sept. 26, 2024 BOE Business Meeting:
"The pre-K through 12 math plan is focused on the following theory of action. If teachers know the math, they and they know their students and use data to drive equitable instruction, that outcomes will improve," Superintendent Thomas Taylor.
"If I may, at the elementary level, you have one singular teacher in a classroom who now needs to be a content expert in multiple content areas. As someone who's been certified as an elementary teacher for 30 years, that wasn't how I was trained. So I think the competing priorities in an elementary school with a limited amount of time, that is the one commodity you never have enough of. And the dedicated study of the content that needs to happen. We're here talking about math, but I would argue it's the same for literacy, science, and social studies. They really have to dig into understanding what the content is expecting of the students, and then match it to the best
pedagogical, best strategies to use for the students sitting in front of them. Without enough time. Each week to do that collectively as a team, and then be able to turn it around and get some feedback on how you're delivering it in the classroom," Sheila Berlinger, Co-Supervisor, Elementary Mathematics
Elementary educators are the only level where teachers are expected to teach BOTH ELA/math, and the truth is, many elementary teachers in MCPS simply don't know the math content well enough to teach it to kids.
This was said out loud in Sept. 26, 2024 BOE Business Meeting:
"The pre-K through 12 math plan is focused on the following theory of action. If teachers know the math, they and they know their students and use data to drive equitable instruction, that outcomes will improve," Superintendent Thomas Taylor.
"If I may, at the elementary level, you have one singular teacher in a classroom who now needs to be a content expert in multiple content areas. As someone who's been certified as an elementary teacher for 30 years, that wasn't how I was trained. So I think the competing priorities in an elementary school with a limited amount of time, that is the one commodity you never have enough of. And the dedicated study of the content that needs to happen. We're here talking about math, but I would argue it's the same for literacy, science, and social studies. They really have to dig into understanding what the content is expecting of the students, and then match it to the best
pedagogical, best strategies to use for the students sitting in front of them. Without enough time. Each week to do that collectively as a team, and then be able to turn it around and get some feedback on how you're delivering it in the classroom," Sheila Berlinger, Co-Supervisor, Elementary Mathematics
Anonymous
08/02/2025 14:49
Subject: Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
Eureka is a really language rich curriculum with high rigor as you go up in levels. Teaching the same curriculum to kids who can’t read or add two numbers and students who are advanced does not help either group. Scores would go up if we could focus on teaching the basics. Math classes need to be leveled to provide the correct support. Teaching a curriculum that is too advanced is not helping our students!
Anonymous
08/02/2025 14:16
Subject: Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
MCPS’s plan is to send parents MCAP results 8 months after the kids take them so there is no way to act on the results in a timely fashion.
Anonymous
08/02/2025 09:48
Subject: Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
What MAJOR changes are coming to the Literacy standards?
Anonymous
08/02/2025 09:41
Subject: Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
Is there a shortage of math teachers? There needs to be more hands assisting and giving one on one or very small group tutoring to get kids where they need to be.
Anonymous
08/02/2025 09:37
Subject: Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
The focus should be on:
Training teachers not to say in front of students: "I don't get math, I can not teach it." Set by example, students mimic teachers vibes and they start saying "I'm not good in math." Provide more training for teachers.
The above also applies to parents who are helping their kids with math outside of school instruction. If you say to your kid "I don't like math", they too are going to start feeling the same and then we have generations of kids after feeling the same. Keep it to yourself. If school districts can assist parents/guardians to refresh their math skills so they can also guide their kids, even better. That requires $.
The focus should be on standards up to whatever is taught in Algebra 2, or back in the day - Trigonometry. Precalculus and Calculus and other levels of Calculus can be upper level courses for those wanting to further their math skills & go into college majors and careers that require higher levels of math. Focus on K-10 math also aligns with what is presented on the college entrance (optional) tests such SAT and ACT.
Training teachers not to say in front of students: "I don't get math, I can not teach it." Set by example, students mimic teachers vibes and they start saying "I'm not good in math." Provide more training for teachers.
The above also applies to parents who are helping their kids with math outside of school instruction. If you say to your kid "I don't like math", they too are going to start feeling the same and then we have generations of kids after feeling the same. Keep it to yourself. If school districts can assist parents/guardians to refresh their math skills so they can also guide their kids, even better. That requires $.
The focus should be on standards up to whatever is taught in Algebra 2, or back in the day - Trigonometry. Precalculus and Calculus and other levels of Calculus can be upper level courses for those wanting to further their math skills & go into college majors and careers that require higher levels of math. Focus on K-10 math also aligns with what is presented on the college entrance (optional) tests such SAT and ACT.
Anonymous
08/02/2025 09:24
Subject: Math & Literacy standards in MD schools
https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Documents/2025/0729/Maryland-College-and-Career-Ready-Standards-for-Math-A.pdf
[Joseph Michael, the president of the Maryland State Board of Education and a former math teacher, explained that the change to the state standards — the first since 2013, put the focus on the need to improve student performance.
He told his colleagues on the board that in 2011, 26% of eighth graders’ math skills in Maryland were rated at below basic, “and today, that number is at 46%, well above the national average.”] -K Ryan wtop
The standards go into effect in the classroom in the 2026-27 school year, giving a chance for each school district to integrate the new approach in their curriculum.
What is MCPS' plan?
[Joseph Michael, the president of the Maryland State Board of Education and a former math teacher, explained that the change to the state standards — the first since 2013, put the focus on the need to improve student performance.
He told his colleagues on the board that in 2011, 26% of eighth graders’ math skills in Maryland were rated at below basic, “and today, that number is at 46%, well above the national average.”] -K Ryan wtop
The standards go into effect in the classroom in the 2026-27 school year, giving a chance for each school district to integrate the new approach in their curriculum.
What is MCPS' plan?