How to score better on math

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By The Associated Press
Published: March 14, 2008

WASHINGTON — Schools could improve students' sluggish math scores by hammering home the basics, such as addition and multiplication, and increasing the focus on fractions and some geometry, a presidential panel recommended Thursday.

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"Difficulty with fractions (including decimals and percents) is pervasive and is a major obstacle to further progress in mathematics, including algebra,” the panel said in a report.

Because success in algebra has been linked to higher graduation rates and college enrollment, the panel focused on improving areas that are the foundations of algebra. Average U.S. math scores on a variety of tests drop around middle school, when algebra coursework typically begins.

A major goal for students should be mastery of fractions, since that is a "severely underdeveloped” area and one that's important to later algebra success, the report states. The report also says other critical topics — such as whole numbers and aspects of geometry and measurement — should be studied in a more in-depth way.

"By building on a strong foundation of skills, students will be ready for rigorous courses in high school or earlier,” said Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

Prepared for competition
Spellings and the panelists emphasized the need to boost U.S. students' math performance because of the increasing need for high-level math skills in today's workplace and because of the need to compete with workers from other countries for global jobs.

U.S. students do particularly poorly on international tests. On one recent exam given to 15-year-olds in 30 industrialized countries, U.S. students posted an average score that was lower than the average in 23 of the other countries.

In general, U.S. math curricula ought to be streamlined, according to the report.

The report also noted that elementary- and middle-school teachers need more math preparation.

It took aim at math textbooks, saying they are too long and lack coherence.

Textbook publishers say they are trying to cover all the things in various state standards. Like for other subjects, each state sets its own math standards dictating what students should learn and when. Many critics say students would be better off with a single national standard, but the panel didn't weigh in on that.

Spelling said she hoped Thursday's report would lead to the creation of a similar math program.


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Related Topics: Science and Technology, Sciences, Mathematics


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I'm a former secondary math/science teacher and I have been preaching this very idea for over 20 years, but while I was teaching my words fell on deaf ears. None of the other math teachers or the administration was willing to look at the test results to see that what I was saying was correct nor were they willing to change the way they taught.
As an Algebra I teacher I routinely spent the first nine-weeks of the year building up my students' arithmetic skills. You cannot expect a student to grasp the concept of 2x + 5x if he doesn't know how to add 2 + 5!
Finally someone is paying attention!!
Brenda, Oklahoma City - Mar 14, 2008 9:26 AM
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