Donegal Approves New Math Program

Nov 06, 04:30 PM

Current Headlines: By Dean Lee Evans

Correspondent

Donegal school board approved an elementary math curriculum Oct. 18 despite a board candidate's opposition based on conflicting reports of success.

The board unanimously approved the curriculum Everyday Math following a presentation by Susan Ursprung, superintendent of curriculum and instruction. She said the program balances an appropriate curriculum with the district's need to improve test scores.

The board heard a detailed presentation on the program Oct. 9 meeting.

The publisher, Wright Group/McGraw-Hill, promotes the program as a rigorous kindergarten-through-sixth-grade curriculum used across the country. The publisher claims the curriculum is "scientifically research-based and proven to build a students' mathematical knowledge from the basics to higher-order thinking and critical problem solving."

The curriculum was created in 1987 and is currently in its third edition.

Claims made on the firm's Web site and comments by Donegal administrators were checked by Jim Morrissey, a candidate for school board. Morrissey said, "I wanted to know we were getting our money's worth."

He said the Wright Group Web site reported success stories regarding test scores, which were confirmed by similar statistics on the state Department of Education's Web site.

"It looked like an open-and-shut case in favor of Everyday Math," he said. "But I also found that schools who don't use Everyday Math were also experiencing substantial increases in standardized test scores."

He said test scores throughout Pennsylvania have increased since 2001 with the introduction of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation.

Morrissey said the What Works Clearinghouse, a research organization established in 2002 by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, conducted research on the Everyday Math curriculum and found the program only passed four of 61 evidentiary standards established by the organization.

He also said the Texas Public Policy Foundation conducted an independent study on the curriculum, that cast doubt on the effectiveness of the program.

"California was the first state to adopt this wholesale," he said. "They've already gotten a rid of it. Texas won't allow it. Pittsburgh adopted it wholesale. They got rid of it."

Morrissey said it was his understanding Donegal already had spent $65,000 on the Everyday Math curriculum.

"If this is true, such a purchase is inconsistent with the school code," he said.

Ursprung said, "No money has been spent at all on this program, so I'd like to be very up front and tell you that."

The board did not discuss a cost for the program or a time frame to implement the new curriculum.

(c) 2007 Intelligencer Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.