Save Math

These experts say memorizing your times tables is important (Matthew Burns, federal Institute of Education Studies, National Mathematics Advisory Panel).   But the 2023 California Math Curriculum Framework (CMF) says never mind! The CMF - how to make poor math proficiency even worse! thewellnews.com/opinions/calif…

AB 1217 would have forced UC and CSU to take orders from K-12 bureaucrats on admissions. UC Berkeley EECS professor Jelani Nelson helped to kill it through sustained, coordinated pressure. Now legislators know organized opposition is watching every vote. garryslist.org/posts/how-one-…

@NYSEDNews Commissioner @nypost @rastokke @JoanneLeeJacobs @ToddTruitt76508 @minilek @MrDanielBuck @pondiscio @SBECalifornia

Your recommendations won’t improve NY students’ math proficiency, but will instead make it worse.

Tell us how NY students, without memorizing their times tables, will do multiples, prime factorization, calculate least common multiples, greatest common divisors, least common denominators, and find the simplest form of fractions? trib.al/yqUMSVM

Link to NCTM annual conference and sessions: nctm.org/atlanta2025/. .

Dr. Boaler’s ‘Railside’ study is not evidence for detracking or for a reform oriented teaching approach. See: x.com/savemathnow/st…

From (A Close Examination of Jo Boaler’s Railside Report pg. 5)

27/n

Continued: 25/n Critique authors also noted that a not significant percentage of students at both Greendale and Hilltop were taking higher level courses than Algebra in 9th grade (Year 1 of the ‘Railside’ study - 2000-2001 school year), and were not part of the student cohort compared across high schools (A Close Examination of Jo Boaler’s Railside Report pg. 5-6).

*not insignificant

36/n Cabana, Shreve, and Woodbury co-authored the book “Mathematics for Equity,” edited by Na’ilah Suad Nasir, in which they self-identified as ‘Railside’ HS teachers, though without naming the school.  From the “Mathematics for Equity” back cover:

35/n From Estelle Woodbury’s Linked In:

24/n From a follow up paper by ‘Railside’ critique authors, ‘Private Data…’: “We show that there is no external evidence for improved student outcomes at Railside after the Boaler/Staples treatment.”  (Private Data - The Real Story: A Huge Problem with Education Research pg. 4)

Dr. Jo Boaler helps to confirm the accuracy of the critique of her ‘Railside’ study in her book 1/n

*not insignificant

n/n @ToddTruitt76508 @rastokke @mikeandallie @stephaniemlee @SusannahLuthi @stanford @StanfordReview @StanfordDaily @MrDanielBuck @PirateWires @garrytan @SBECalifornia

47/n ‘Railside’ remains in the Oct. ‘23 CMF though, even though it was debunked years ago.  And while the CMF is intended to be guidance, it may still influence millions of CA school children through pushing its reform-oriented math education approach —  and it serves as the basis for textbook publishers.  Should school districts and others take its advice when the CMF is based on supposed “evidence” like ‘Railside?’

46/n Yet much of Dr. Boaler’s work that was included and referenced in prior versions of the Oct. ‘23 CMF (“Limitless Mind,” ‘How one city got math right,’ ‘Everyone Can Learn Mathematics to High Levels,’ ‘Solving the Math Problem,’ ‘The Transformative Impact..,’ ‘Research suggests that timed tests cause math anxiety,’ and so on)  is now absent (savemath.net/s/cmf-2023-cit…) in the Oct. ‘23 CMF.  Why?  Not evidence based?

45/n Further, Dr. Boaler was one of the CMF’s five authors, and is considered the most frequently cited research author in the CMF (savemath.net/s/cmf-2023-cit…).

44/n Evidence should mean verifiable evidence based upon standardized assessments or at least assessments with proven reliability and validity, not research-team created custom assessments.

43/n Yet now Dr. Boaler has helped confirm the accuracy of at least a part of the critique of her ‘Railside’ study, which concluded her ‘Railside’ claims of math achievement for ‘Railside’ HS students were unsupported.  Meanwhile the CMF claims that it, which references the ‘Railside study,’ is evidence based - 🤡.