Sue Flicop

In School Committee meetings, group meetings with parents, and individual conversations, I hear some parents express dissatisfaction with the math curriculum. At the same time others are quite impressed with the work their children are doing. I expect we can all agree that no single math curriculum is going to meet the needs of each and every child in NPS. As a parent of three children, I see for myself that each of my children has a different way of learning and understanding the theory and mechanics of math. So what do we do about the math curriculum, then?

NPS has invested quite a lot of resources into both Everyday Math (at the elementary schools) and Impact Math (at the middle schools)—both in terms of instructional material purchases and professional development and support. However, we can’t let this fact outweigh a real need for change—we need a thorough analysis that measures the effectiveness of the program and identifies specific curriculum problems or issues that could be solved with a different curriculum. In other words, we don’t want to trade in one set of problems for another without fully understanding what the implications are for our children.

We also need to determine whether issues with Everyday and Impact Math have to do with their implementation—a result of teacher training, professional development and support, or adequacy of instructional materials. For example, if a teacher does not feel fully comfortable with Everyday Math, it would be difficult for that person to adjust or tweak certain elements to help a child who is having difficulty with some concepts. A teacher who is fully conversant in the topic and the instructional materials would feel more able and confident to adjust the program to meet the needs of individual children. So here is a problem that could be solved with more professional development and/or support, and might be made worse by bringing in a new curriculum.

At the beginning of the strategic planning process, we asked the teachers to fill out a survey about the strengths and weaknesses of NPS. A frequent comment was that it is difficult for teachers when a new curriculum or initiative is started, requiring substantial investment in time and learning on the teacher’s part, and then dropped later or replaced with something different. This is another element in the equation for parents to understand.

School Committee members should be concerned when they hear consistent and persistent complaints about any part of the curriculum, and direct the Superintendent to conduct a thorough review.