>1. One find day a Travell teacher attended a program or seminar or something headlined by an expert education entity;
2. The teacher is treated to a marketing campaign (masqueraded, of course, as unbiased, expert information) on the wonders of the new, new math a/k/a terc with all the buzz words thrown in for emphasis;
3. The teacher is completely sold and comes back to Travell extolling the wonders and virtues of reform math and, especially, terc;
4. The principal is eager show leadership skills by bringing an innovative program to his school–not unlike the way Orchard’s principal brought the teacher’s college reading/writing program to the district after first putting it in place at his school. Principals get lots of kudos for stuff like this;
5. At Travell, the principal gets other teachers on board and training begins. Soon, terc is implemented with little supplementation of real math because the “belief” quotient is still high;
6. Meanwhile, back at Cottage Place, Botsford is looking for a way to make math in the district less of a patchwork quilt and is a reform babe herself. She loves terc and looks for the next school that will take it on–given our penchant for school-based management, it’s one school at a time;
7. Orchard is the perfect fit because it has long been used as the experimentation school as a result of its small size and very compliant HSA;
8. Orchard’s principal is a mathematician and feels that he can handle any program, even one he must mitigate since he has the expertise to diminish the negative by product of terc. He signs on, gaining friends in high places. This is the second phase of a plan to next roll out terc to Somerville, then Ridge, Hawes and Willard. At the middle school level, BF gets a go and GW is soon to follow, before wrapping everything up implementing reform math at the high school. Hallelulia, Botsford sees the seeds of success in her main task just around the horizon;
9. Parents at Travell begin to see some of their once bright children, starting to struggle and complain about the stupid math that’s not like math at all. These parents begin to raise the issue within their school;
10. The principal, knowing that he is a key part of a far grander scheme, is not receptive to a “few” parents wanting to alter his exceptional math experiment. The teachers are still extolling the virtues of terc and the Cottage Place administrators–blinded because they are not on the front lines–have invested very high levels of “belief” in the program;
11. Travell’s scores are not improving. In fact, they are getting worse;
12. Administrators respond by stepping on the terc gas to increase the teacher training and bury the kids in reform math propaganda. “Belief” is winning out over common sense and the long range plan to have reform math as the district-wide curricula for math;
13. Parents, suffused with research, charts and expert opinion from high end mathematicians, bring their concerns out to the public-at-large and to the BOE.
14. The BOE turns to its administrators to explain its wonderful plan and “better communicate” the terc beliefs to parents, who obviously missed it. Parents, however, are not falling for platitudes, nor for the sales pitch on the package;
15. The BOE tries to appease parents by showing how well students are meeting the state standards–hoping to defend against parents claiming that a bad program has failed numerous grades of children–even their own child. The BOE has a plan to strengthen its forces with a superintendent steeped in reform math and, therefore, better able to protect board members from the growing wrath of parents, since Botsford is not adept at the task;
16. Made aware of the math fight, the superintendent gets cold feet and decides not to come. BOE members are shattered that they must now defend themselves without their incoming general. Unable to acknowledge that terc is bad (because it would be an admittance that kids who had it, paid the ultimate price for their bad judgment), they plan to fight on with their state standards strategy;
17. The strategy backfires as parents recognize and point out publicly that the state standards are abysmal in NJ. The BOE and its administrators have no other plan and the district-wide rollout of reform math stops dead in its tracks;
18. New interim principal is hired and he has to clean up the mess. He recognizes (and is able to admit) that reform math won’t serve ALL children in high school. This also undermines the claim of administrators that this math was for ALL children;
19. Since it’s not yet at the high school, reform math is dead on arrival there. That effectively eliminates the need to preach its virtues for the middle schools and, it will follow, at the elementary schools;
20. Look for reform math to slowly fade out of Travell and Orchard, where it never realy ruled the day. Look for CMP2 to slowly slide back to real math at the middle schools;
21. Don’t look for the BOE to ever admit that it made a mistake. The board could never begin to pay the price for those children it messed up with their well meaning but devastating terc experiment.
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>21. Botsford declares, “We’re rebalancing. We always intended to teach algorithms.”
Thanks, RB, for nothing. Kumon thanks you too.
>Here’s Everybody Waits and other interesting comments from the Board of Ed Meeting.
>PJ,
Before you print something you should have all the FACTS. This blog entry, unfortunately has may untrue statements. You are feeding people much more then the facts. I feel very badly for people who come to your blog because many of them believe you have done your homework before printing something. I and many others know that you don’t. PLease try to state only the facts. Many residents are depending on you to do so.
>Hey 8:17… can you please share with us what isn’t factual? That would be very helpful and if you can do this… thanks for pointing out untruths. If you can’t provide this info, then what was the purpose of your comment?
>8:17PM
If we only knew the facts and answers to these questions.
Why did the District buy this curriculum?
Was it an aggressive Pearson Rep?
Was it a case of Ms. Botsford(having a history of buying Everyday Math for her last district) and Ms. Ives(having a history of buying TERC for her last district) being “True Believers”?
Why Orchard and Travell?
Do they have the highest number of kids who might benefit from a remedial program? They both have IEP rates of 14%, which are the highest of all the elementary schools in the district(source school report cards.)
Did the Orchard Principal want to try something new to win favor with the Assistant Superintendent and the Interim, Mr. Arilotta?
I have no doubt that parts of this tale are fictional, but in a district where they won’t even tell you what they paid for it or why they bought it, people are apt to speculate…
>Brogan’s and Botsford’s comments are off base – again.
It’s not just the standard algorithm and math facts – although having math facts brought back into the classroom would be really nice.
It’s all the other things TERC omits…like fact families, which teaches the reverse relationship between addition and subtraction, how to kick butt with fractions(multiply, divide, add and subtract, convert to decimals), do they even cover the metric system?
If it’s not on the NJASK, your kid is probably not learning it and it effect them until they get to higher level math, chemistry or physics.
All that serious work with fractions really comes into play later when you work with complex equations. The fact families teach concepts that you use in algebra. There’s a reason these things are learned, it’s not just random.
The focus on estimates is over done or simply misunderstood by the teachers…you can get an estimate if you can figure the exact amount then round up or down. Does TERC teach the “round” concept? They’ll need to know about that even if they use Excel, the difference between “round” and “truncate.”
If you look at those ASKs you’ll see you want your kid to learn more than just the content that is tested.
Who cares about the pedogogy…
content
content
content
>Yes, 8:17, please do give us the true facts. We’re all waiting. Clearly you know what the errors are, or you wouldn’t have said what you said. So do straighten this out for us. Thanks!
>What will constitute victory for the Anti-TERC coalition members?
>6:39am
Traditional Math in all six schools would be a victory. The Addison Wesley used in Hawes and Willard would be fine for all the schools.
Then the removal of CMP2 or the use of CMP2 for lower track students only in the middle school.
Leave the High School alone, if it isnt’ broke, don’t fix it.
>Dear 8:17 PM — Posters who say you need all the facts and then don’t bother to list them are FAKES!
>Our school officials insult our intelligence and our children’s intelligence with TERC.
>Shouldn’t number 18 read interim superintendent not interim principal?
>TERC2 removed in total – it is not worth the paper it is printed on. A mainstream program installed. Content specified by grade level in our district curriculum – it should not read like an ode to the pedagogy gods of constructivism. A textbook and workbook or detailed weekly lesson plans on the content which is to be mastered. Consistency across ALL elementary schools as we ALL pay the same TAXES – such as Continental Math League for ALL the schools not just priviledge Somerville. A survey on just HOW much tutoring is done and why parents have resorted to this. A release of ALL the comments on the TERC Travell survey. A release of cost on TERC2 materials, CMP2 materials, and cost associated w ALL training and to whom it was paid. CMP removed from BF & GW – as nothing was broke there other than it was traditional math. And if reform math is to be brought in then CHOICE at each grade level MUST be offered so ALL the children have access to math.
>Dear 8:17 we’re waiting for all the facts to come out. Why are we “depending on PJ” to bring them out? PJ is not a boe member nor is he an administrator with the “facts.”
Shouldn’t these “facts” be brought out to the public from our very high priced administrators and our BOE?
You sound like you actually may have facts that elude the rest of us. Why not just bring them out here?
You can remain “anonymous,” too. No one will think you might be Jane.
>Funny tale. My guess–not too far from the truth.
>To TERC or not to TERC? That is the question. The answer: NOT TO TERC
>WOW PJ … 8:17 PM really slapped your wrist, hey?
And yet you posted 8:17 PM’s comments without facts to back up his/her statement.
Soooo, here is another slap on the wrist PJ. Next time I’m gonna have to spank you.
>I can’t believe that Sheila Brogan…she said she is hearing from her neighbors…not on a blog…that the math facts aren’t taught.
Wasn’t she listening to the parents who were coming to Board of Ed meetings in March, April, May and June?
Vote that woman out of the Board of Ed!!!
>Board members don’t like it when residents speak at the microphone — unless the residents are praising them. Hey, at least Brogan’s neighbors are speaking up about the math.
>I just hope that item#20 of “your tale” turns out to be a FACT
>If you go to the microphone, to the boe you have broken protocal. Imagine that, a microphone that they would prefere residents not use.
I can think of some other notorious governments that operate like that.
>Now that my kids are out of Travell (thankfully)
Let’s reflect.
At Travell
two first grade teachers used TERC while one bucked the trend with Saxon. I hope the rumor is true and her Saxon books are tossed.
In second grade, 1 teacher was a true believer. One shuts her door to the world and the third tries to ignore the TERC but can’t since she shares a room w another class at times.
In third grade it was 1 full believer and 2 partial believers.
In 4th grade the teachers are all mediocre. Although now one third grade teacher has moved up – and that teacher used an awful lot of Addison Wesley but now must also adhere to Botsfords plan of TERC2 with AW for supplementing.
and lastly we have 5th grade where the TERC annoited school spokesperson teaches.
Maybe, as Dr Brennan pointed out, since Travells language scores lag the rest of the district it is time to point the finger where it needs to be pointed – pick your choice.
(a) the teachers – which Brennan is alluding too and Botsford too by saying more training may be needed
(b) the materials – think of this analogy, if travelling would you want a good map or a half ass map? TERC is half assed while Houghton Mifflin (Saxon, etc…..) is not.
(c) its the children –
Travell is viewed by the likes of Brogan and Bombace and Botsford as the ‘lesser’ locale of the town
and they would choose choice C – wonder if they have convinced Brennan of this?
>Deborah Ives, the administrator hired to help implement our district’s fancy for reform math, is not nice to parents. If we succeed in dodging the reform math bullet, will that mean that Ridgewood no longer has use for her?
In my opinion, if you don’t respect parents here, you’ll never be productive and that is why we are paying you.
>Ever notice when speaking with Ms. Ives that she gets defensive and wont shut up. Blah, blah, blah.
That woman is mean spirited. I know this to be fact for she has treated my child so and been reprimanded for her behavior by administrators.
Trust me folks, she is no good for Ridgewood. She is unresponsive to parents. Ms. Ives days are numbered. She has made too many of us angry with her. Ask some RHS parents what they think of her.
>I, too, found Ives very defensive and extremely unpleasant. She doesn’t know how to deal with people so I’m surprised she is even in this line of work. She’s also not fair to all the children in her class. That is perhaps the most troubling. Rather that work to help them, she can’t wait to ship them out.
It is a very bad attitude for a teacher in this town. Can’t wait till she’s gone.
>who has the ability to FIRE our dynamic dumb dumb math duo of Botsford & Ives?
the Board? Shelia fawns over Regina’s every explanation of ‘math’
Brennan? he’s an Interim – cis he even allowed?
Wanted: Leadership for once proud district. candidates should value content and academic achievement and textbooks. Candidate should have no tolerance for educational fads. Reform math proponents need not apply.
>Oh wow, I had no idea. I thought it was just me. Yes Ms. Ives has been very defensive and even shrill when I’m just trying to get information. Not relational at all. Bad for Ridgewood.
On the other hand, she strikes me as smart, and I think capable of changing her colors. Deep down, I believe in her. I think she is capable of rising to the occasion, but of course if she does, she will do so for the sake of her job.
That’s okay with me, as long as she gets a little open-minded about education and drops the defensive bs
>Congratulations to Mrs Botsford, Dr. Ives, and Shelia Brogan for continuing to have TERC in Travell and Orchard.
Congratulations to Dr. Arilotta for leaving his legacy of reform math and constructivism thriving in the district.
>Dr. Ives is the absolute worst – doesn’t care about the students and is disrespectful to the parents. She does not follow through on basic things she is supposed to do with the students, and is completely inaccessible. How many more complaints will it take to have this woman replaced?
>The BOE will be loath to fire Ms. Ives or Ms. Botsworth. To remove these two ladies would be to surrender and admit defeat. Look at how they fight for TERC.
so, nothing is likely to happen unless Brogan and Bombace are defeated in April. And then, it may very well take a new super in place before any personnel changes occur.
But that does not mean that parents should stop voicing their concerns and complaints about Ms Ives’ behavior towards they and their children.
As for Ms. Botsford, keep the pressure on her regarding Ives and TERC. No wants to come to work and have that much opposition from the people one is hired to serve.
>I’m glad to see that Ives has come up on this blog and that other parents (thought it was only me) have had a difficult time with this woman. I went to see her for something so simple and she made it so fricking complicated, like she was offended that I was bringing it up. There’s no hope for her. She is what she is. Her personality has already formed and it won’t change. She is prickly and very, very defensive, like she is afraid she will be found out.
She should go. She is mean to certain children and is rude to parents. She is not fitting in here.
>”She is prickly and very, very defensive, like she is afraid she will be found out.”
LOL. Sounds just like P.A.
>Ives is an abomination – when she finally does return calls or emails she’s not nice to parents or their children. Clearly she’s on a power trip. It is my greatest hope that she is fired before the year is out – she’s awful, awful, awful.
>lets update the list now that school is in session…
18. New interim principal is hired and she has to clean up the mess. But instead decides a blind eye to the mess is the best approach – on ward TERC ho!
19. New Interim Superintendent realizes (KNOWS) TERC is a scam but is beholden to his board – and its defacto leader, as she leads him around espousing the tale that it is not the materials. Look at Orchard, they score so well.
20. Since it’s not yet at the high school, reform math is dead on arrival there but instead the school fancies itself with Authentic Assessment.
20. Look for reform math to slowly fade out of Travell and Orchard – not at all. Look for it to fade in your childs backpack so as to further obfuscate the issue while in her ivory tower, Botsford can search for glory on the reform math trail – citing Ridgewood NJ as proof in the pudding – reform math works. And if thats not the case, it will be more of it across the board – further damaging kids. Only when the scores TANK will the school ever acknowledge it. Ridgewood has an inner city adminstrative mentality to public education but the affluent budget – a sham on all levels.
21. Don’t look for the BOE to ever admit that it made a mistake. The board could never begin to pay the price for those children it messed up with their ignorance. Watch the political two step come election time.
22. Look for parents to watch as bright kids do not compete with their peers. But forever marked on the internet let it be known – it wasnt the kids – it was the teaching and the materials and the superintendents and principals were to blame – not the children and not the teachers (serfs in this medevial system of public education)