Declines: Middle school math curriculum suspect

Declines: Middle

school math curriculum suspect

I was reviewing the results

from the Spring 2000 Competency Test scores in the Sept. 27 edition of

The Citizen. As the parent of a middle schooler who has transferred from

Rising Starr to Flat Rock, I was especially concerned with how the two

schools stacked up.

Although Rising Starr has,

arguably, the better reputation and, factually, better test scores (in

both math and English) at both the sixth and eighth grade levels, I made

an interesting observation.

In reading and English/language

arts performance, students fared poorly at Rising Starr. Those in the

bottom percentile increased in number during their three years at the

school (increasing from 6 to 12 percent and from 11 to 15 percent in the

two categories). Likewise, those in the top percentile decreased or stayed

the same during those same years (67 to 61 percent and 35 to 35 percent).

If Rising Starr was living up to its reputation, those trends would be

reversed.

Conversely, Flat Rock increased

the performance of their outgoing eighth graders. Again, in the areas

of reading performance and English/language arts, the bottom percentiles

decreased (20 to 14 percent and 28 to 18 percent). Across the board, those

in the top ranks increased (40 to 53 percent and 20 to 22 percent). Well

done, Flat Rock!

Finally, and without exception,

the middle schools are doing poor jobs in educating our students in math

(based on the test scores). Where the sixth graders are entering middle

schools with anywhere from 25 to 48 percent in the top ranks, they leave

the same schools ranked a disappointing 22 to 29 percent.

It's either a teacher problem

or a curriculum problem. However, based on the fact that, in the English

area, results generally improve (compared with the declining math scores),

I'm inclined to conclude that the math curriculum is the culprit. Clearly,

an alternative should be sought.

George Fox

[email protected]