Maryland Community Newspapers Online
Frederick County Public Schools recently sent home math brochures describing what students in each grade will learn this year.
Unfortunately, these documents give the inaccurate impression that FCPS is committed to teaching the standard algorithms for arithmetic.
In reality, there is insufficient class time allocated for students to learn and master the use of these algorithms. The Curriculum Unit Guides for elementary math (that outline what every teacher in the county is expected to teach each day of the school year) reference only a few lessons on algorithms:
Grade 2 – There are no lessons on or references to the standard algorithms.
Grade 3 –There is one lesson on May 10 on the algorithm for addition.
Grade 4 – There are just four lessons on algorithms: Jan. 4, addition; Jan. 22, subtraction; April 27 and 28, multiplication.
Grade 5 – There are just five lessons on algorithms: Sept. 16, multiplication; Sept. 18, division (discussed, but not taught); March 16, multiplication; March 23, division; and April 19, addition of fractions.
Parents have been expressing concerns about the new elementary math program for more than a year. Is FCPS going to start addressing these concerns or just continue to put out public relations documents designed to give the impression that it is doing so?
Stacey McGiffin, Braddock Heights