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News Coverage October 2009

October 26, 2009— Tampa Tribune —“Singapore Math Passes Global Test”
With U.S. students lagging behind their counterparts in some countries, local educators are turning to Singapore to shake up math curriculums. Several private schools have adopted the Singapore math curriculum - based on principles used in the Asian nation - and the Hillsborough County school district is thinking about adding it, too. The math program puts a greater emphasis on problem-solving skills, visual techniques and hands-on learning. Many educators say the model in the United States is outdated because it relies too heavily on memorization. Test scores show Singapore's approach seems to be working.

October 19, 2009— The Washington Post —“Tests Don't Always Offer Right Answers”
Loveless, an expert on international testing, agrees that the problem was ill-chosen. "I think it would throw kids off," he said. "The math is rather trivial." There are other problems with PISA, such as an ideological bias and a tendency to assume cause-and-effect relationships. But the U.S. results on those exams -- below average in both math and science literacy -- are often cited as a national disgrace. Loveless prefers the other major international test, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which aligns more closely with the way U.S. students are taught. He is the U.S. representative to the General Assembly of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Assessment, a 60-nation body that oversees TIMSS.

October 15, 2009— Minneapolis Star-Tribune —“Math Test Scores; Good But Not Best”
Minnesota's students are near the best in the country at math, according to test results released Wednesday. But a closer look reveals several areas of concern, raising the question: Is being among the best in the United States good enough? The good news is that the state's fourth-graders are statistically tied for first place with those in four other states, and the state's eighth-graders are second only to counterparts in Massachusetts, according to the 2009 "Nation's Report Card," also called the National Assessment of Education Progress.

October 15, 2009— The Wall Street Journal —“U.S. Math Scores Hit a Wall - National Test Shows No Gains for Fourth-Graders, Slight Raise for Eighth-Graders”
U.S. Math Fewer than four of 10 fourth- and eighth-graders are proficient in mathematics, according to a highly regarded federal test given in early 2009, adding to recent evidence that the U.S. drive to become more economically competitive by overhauling public education may be falling short. The National Assessment of Educational Progress -- often called the "nation's report card" -- found fourth-graders had made no learning gains since the last time the NAEP math test was given, in 2007. Previously, fourth-graders had made scoring gains on every NAEP math test given since 1990. Significant scoring gaps between white students and their Hispanic and African-American peers also haven't changed much in recent years, the test results showed.

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