Mathematics is an area of weakness in American education. There is no beating around the bush there. America’s international ranking has dipped significantly in many areas of education, but especially in math. More and more American jobs in the STEM fields are being outsourced to non-Americans. Our school system is not properly preparing our students on a big picture scale. A focus on standardized test performance has not changed this trend. A focus creating formulaic students has not changed this trend. However, some countries, such as Hong Kong, have found success in this approach and consistently outscore American students on international measures. So, it is worth considering that perhaps the mode of instruction alone is not the solution. Perhaps culture and attitudes towards math are worth exploring.
According to NAEP, in 2015, the national average for mathematics scores went down. Concerningly, female students had an overall drop in both 4th and 8th grade. A handful of demographics remained unchanged compared to 2013. Most significant in my eyes, English Language Learners remained unchanged as a group, when both genders experienced an overall drop. Obviously, this data is far to scarce to draw any significant conclusions, but it is certainly interesting to think about. ELL’s did not exactly boast strong scores before the Common Core changes. Are other demographics sinking down to where their scores were? Or is there something in Common Core that is providing a bit of extra support to ELL’s to keep them from sliding? Only time can answer these questions. The only real bright side is that scores are higher than they were in the early 90s. So, we have not backslid several decades worth of progress. However, whether this is a ghostly artifact of NCLB’s obsessive focus on testing or a sign that Common Core is a move in the right direction is unsure. In a few years, when the dust has settled more, we may be able to see some significant data. An examination of the CAASPP results report shows a mild increase from previous years’ results. However, none of them are significant and when you drill down into a deeper demographic breakdown, the meager growth vanishes into a widely varying set of performance levels from different groups. The short of it is, Common Core was not miracle fix people were hoping for. It still holds a lot of potential as a system, but needs time to take root in the minds of students. Common Core is a K-12 system, so it should not be surprise that it is not exploding after only a few years. On an international level, according to TIMSS, 65% of testing is comprised of higher order thinking skills. A student taught to simply follow formulas steps will struggle obtain higher than a 50% a test written that way. Students need problem solving skills and the self-efficacy to engage in them. Students need perseverance to hang onto tough problems. Looking to Singapore, it is instilled in students that they are their nation’s greatest resource. That is a culture that leads to self-improvement, efficacy, and growth. Looking to South Korea, educators are held in high regard. It is difficult to have a high regard for a professional and not also hold their craft in high regard. When education is highly respected, students can find value in pursuing it. It is clear that on an international level, developing positive dispositions towards education in general (and towards math) are prevalent in countries that have high functioning education systems In America, we champion our tech billionaires who never finished college. We idolize celebrities and musicians, in general, who would not be caught dead in a university course. I am may be getting off on a tangent and away from cold, hard data, but it is easy to notice cultural differences between America and the top performing countries in education. Back to topic, California has responded to the need for improvement in education by implementing the Common Core and creating the CAASPP tests in an attempt to steer instruction towards 21st Century Skills. My district has adopted a heavy focus on the 6 C’s via their partnership with the New Tech Network and my specific site has embraced PBL via the Buck Institute and the NTN. Math has certainly lagged behind the curve, but we are now approaching Inquiry Based Learning. As we step up the level of thinking we ask of our students and rise to the rigor and deep, conceptual learning of Common Core and the Mathematical Practices, students will need to develop more grit to be successful. Carol Dweck, and a swarm of researchers following her, have extensively explored the positive benefits of growth mindsets on students. What remains to be seen is how that interacts with Common Core and how it can benefit students on higher order thinking problems such as performance tasks.
1 Comment
Dan Parker
4/2/2017 10:22:39 am
So crazy that we are not able to prepare students in mathematics in the US and have to outsource. Thanks for sharing your blog.
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