Text by ABE TOW, MYRA XU and ALEX FENG
Infographics by ZACH DONAKER
Math modifications MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH CHANGES SPARK DEBATE
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OR SUPERINTENDENT Don Austin, it was a call to arms. The most recent round of California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress results presented during the Oct. 15 Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education meeting highighted the age-old achievement gap widening alarmingly. “I want to lead with my observation after being here a year that our gap between advantaged and disadvantaged is the largest and most pronounced I’ve seen anywhere,” Austin said before disclosing the data at the meeting. According to Austin, all students are dissatisfied with the current math laning system. “I think we have very little to lose in looking deeply here,” he said. Austin imposed a two month deadline for educational leaders and administrators to come up with a brand new system. “You might say ‘Well, why December? How’s that going to give us time?’” he said. “Well, how many more years of data do we need to collect before we can come back and say that ‘Here are some things we should probably look at?’” Approximately two months later at a Dec. 10 board meeting, changes were proposed to make large-scale program reforms. “The course offerings, based upon the Common Core Standards and the Standards for Mathematical Practice, will focus on building conceptual understanding, problem solving skills, and procedural fluency,” Superintendent of Educational Services Sharon Ofek stated in the meeting documents. Although adjustments are still being made, the plan was praised by a number of board members, instructional leaders, parents and one student at the meeting. However, some PAUSD parents hold opposing views when it comes to strategies for dealing with such a contentious subject. The three most prominent changes to
16 FEBRUARY 2020
STRESSED SUPERINTENDENT Palo Alto Unified School District Superintendent Don Austin kicked off the initiative to make a change in middle school math in response to low testing scores. Photo by Sasha Poor
the math program include the plans to delane classes, revise the math placement process and update metrics to measure student improvement. Delaning Starting in the 2020-2021 school year, the district intends to merge all students into a single math lane in seventh- and eighth-grade math classes, creating heterogeneous classrooms that would ideally prepare all incoming high schoolers to take a Geometry course having confidently passed Algebra I. According to Jennifer DiBrienza, former math teacher and member of the
PAUSD Board of Education, kids are often portrayed as the problem, instead of the system itself, and this change serves to boost student self confidence. “Something that we as a district have missed is that if scores were low, we say ‘let’s get some extra help’” DiBrienza said. “Instead of acting like there’s something wrong with a kid, let’s change our system so that all kids feel a part of the system. I think that they are going to do better now, and the district is starting to take that approach and look at the systemic inequities that exist.” This idea faced pushback from many parents, with the most concerned individuals representing the PAUSD parents2par-
