Stamford and Westport Take a New Slower Approach to Teaching Algebra

Our neighboring towns, Stamford and Westport, are rethinking the way they teach algebra. In both cases they are slowing down the pace of instruction and making sure that students have a more in-depth understanding of core algebraic concepts.

The Stamford Advocate reported yesterday that Stamford schools are revamping their algebra classes for the Fall.

To address high failure rates in high school algebra courses, next year's classes will include new instructional strategies and more focus on the basics and areas where students have struggled, according to a report Superintendent Joshua Starr presented to the Board of Education.

The "basic" algebra class, which 72% of students failed, will be made into a two-period course. The first period is expected to focus on reinforcing pre-algebra concepts and the second period focuses on the applications of algebra.

This is the first year that the Stamford schools have implemented uniform standards, curriculum and assessments for all algebra classes.

According to the Advocate, school superintendent Joshua Starr said at a recent Stamford Board of Education meeting, "We now have a lot of good information to act on and we know through our item analysis what kinds of domains the kids are struggling with so we can map our curriculum and our interventions to that."

In June, The New York Times reported that beginning last year Westport schools abandoned textbooks and developed their own curriculum:

...the district’s frustrated math teachers decided to rewrite the algebra curriculum, limiting it to about half of the 90 concepts typically covered in a high school course in hopes of developing a deeper understanding of key topics. Last year, they began replacing 1,000-plus-page math textbooks with their own custom-designed online curriculum; the lessons are typically written in Westport and then sent to a program in India, called HeyMath!, to jazz up the algorithms and problem sets with animation and sounds.

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That means Westport students focus only on linear functions in Algebra I, taught in seventh, eighth or ninth grade depending on student ability, and leave quadratics and exponents to Algebra II, eliminating the overlap and repetition typical of most textbooks and curriculum guidelines. Westport has also scaled back exercises like long formal proofs in geometry, revising lessons and homework assignments to teach students to defend their answers to math problems as a matter of routine rather than repeatedly writing them out.

The less is more approach being adopted by Westport is garnering results according to the Times.

The percentage of the district’s 10th graders receiving top scores on state exams rose to 86 percent last year from 78 percent in 2006. Advanced Placement calculus and statistics classes enrolled 231 students this year, from 170 in 2006, and a record 44 students will be able to take multivariable calculus this fall, up from four in 2006.

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In interviews, several Westport teachers and parents said the slower pace has helped their children focus more deeply on difficult concepts, and students say the shift online has made math easier to understand with cool graphics, animation and real-world context like global warming.

The emphasis on algebra by these two school districts is in part due to a report issued in March 2008 by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. The report states that American students’ math achievement is “at a mediocre level” compared with that of their peers worldwide. The report recommended that schools focus on key skills that prepare students to learn algebra.

“The sharp falloff in mathematics achievement in the U.S. begins as students reach late middle school, where, for more and more students, algebra course work begins,” said the report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. “Students who complete Algebra II are more than twice as likely to graduate from college compared to students with less mathematical preparation.”

Over the next few months, NorwalkNet will be talking to educators in Norwalk to see what our school system is doing to address the challenges of teaching Algebra. I'd be interested in hearing your comments and experience with math education in Norwalk.