Tavares, FL FEb. 5, 2015
A well known K-12 math education standards designer, Dr. James Milgrim, provided clear background on why Common Core math standards will result in students never being able to recover vs non Common Core students after four years under Common Core.
Milgrim was the ONLY math curriculum designer on the official Common Core validation committee, and he refused to sign off, so his name was removed from the list of participants.
In this audio interview from Jan. 4, 2015, Milgrim explains a clear overview of how Common Core math standards were developed. The interview focuses on new Texas TEKS math standards, but they are very close to Common Core standards and apparently from the same development source, the Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin. (The audio was on the Alice Linahan Soundcloud.com channel HERE).
You can listen to the 25 minute audio recording, or read our overview below.
- Milgrim was the only math expert on the validation committee for Common Core. After seeing the final standards, he refused to sign off on them, and was removed from the Committee member list.
- He helped design California math standards implemented in 1997 that were used until 2012.
- His math standards design followed the disastrous California 1992 math standards that were dumped after just four years.
- Those 1992 math standards were based on an education method pushed by the "Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin". Even though their math standards failed in California in 1992-1997, they apparently are the basis for Common Core math standards.
- He says that a student taking the Dana/Common Core math standards can "recover" if only in the program for 2-3 years. But after 4 years of the CC math standards, they will never recover to match skills of non-Common Core math students. (So the statement that CC standards are "dumbing down" students appears to be justified.)
- As a consequence, Milgrim says Common Core math standards will "be an unmitigated disaster after 3-4 years".
- Milgrim says only three states are large enough to develop completely separate math standards with nationally normed tests, and they are California, Texas and New York. (Possibly one reason is they all have income tax and can afford the added costs).
- Milgrim says any new standards need to completely separate the Dana Center from the design process since their system is a failure. "There are certain groups that refuse to respect the data" regarding results of that system.
So, now you know how bad the new K-12 Common Core math standards are, why, and what will happen if your kids take classes based upon them for 2-4 years.
Conclusion:
This scary overview clearly justifies pulling kids out of Common Core based math standards classes - or just accept they will be math dunces. I lived in California when they had the Dana standards, and remember them being a disaster.
vj
PS: These are the Soundcloud audio recording notes:
1.4.2015
Dr. Jim Milgram exposes the truth about the Texas Math TEKS on the Women On The Wall Communication Team Conference Call.
Are they Common Core?
Dr. Jim Milgram explains why the Dana Center is dangerous for Texas Children when it comes to learning Math.
Texas Legislators not to allow yourselves to be duped. You must understand what has happened in Texas regarding the Math TEKS (Texas’ curriculum standards) so that you do not make an unwise decision.
As stated in the Dallas Morning News on 1.1. 2015, “The most ambitious and probably the most expensive suggestion was to resurrect a widely respected 1990s statewide teacher training program called TEKS Teams that was coordinated by the Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin. That would cost tens of millions of dollars and probably require funding from this year’s legislative session.”
(2.1.15 – “Texas May Help School Districts Deal with Tough New Math Standards” – by Jeffrey Weiss -- Dallas Morning News -- www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news…h-standards.ece )
Legislators, it was the Dana Center and Cathy Seeley that led Texas students astray in their math skills. The Dana Center and Cathy Seeley started pushing its “fuzzy math,” “Rain Forest Algebra,” “new math,” “reform math,” “Type #2 Math,” way back in the early 90’s when they were unfortunately able to co-opt the Math TEKS that were adopted in 1997.
These 1997 – 2012 Math TEKS standards led to the destruction of Texas students’ traditional math skills and are responsible now for much of the misdirected math instruction from Texas-educated teachers who were students in the Texas public schools during this period of time.
