Saying that lagging math scores have become almost as pressing a concern as reading, state schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick announced plans yesterday to boost math achievement.
"While we are very focused on reading, we can't let any slippage occur in mathematics," Grasmick told a gathering of Maryland business and political leaders yesterday. "We believe mathematics deserves attention, too."
Over the past three years, the math scores for fifth-graders on the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program's annual exams have remained virtually unchanged, and third- and eighth-graders have made only small gains.
FOR THE RECORD - A headline in yesterday's editions of The Sun incorrectly implied that the state school board is involved in an initiative to improve math scores. The initiative was proposed by schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick and has not yet been presented to the board. The Sun regrets the errors.
The new statewide math initiative -- dubbed "Keys to Math Success" -- would revamp and increase math instruction for children in kindergarten through third grade. It also aims to improve teacher training in math and encourage principals to develop new plans for teaching math in their schools.
Grasmick announced the initiative during the annual meeting of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education, a coalition of 105 companies committed to education reform and improved student achievement.
By fourth grade, many students already have decided whether they like math, Grasmick said, making it critical for elementary teachers to receive more preparation.
Much of the slip in math achievement occurs between the fourth and eighth grades. On the Third International Math and Science Study -- given to students in 41 countries in 1995 -- U.S. fourth-graders scored well above average in math, but eighth-grade U.S. math scores slipped below average. By 12th grade, U.S. students did better than only those from Cyprus and South Africa.
"We need our students to have the math skills to be able to compete," Grasmick said.
But only 40 percent of Maryland's math teachers have a college major or minor in the subject, she said. School districts have reported shortages of math teachers for years -- a worsening problem with growing student enrollment and a wave of baby- boomer-generation teacher retirements.
The problem is particularly severe in middle schools, where the majority of math teachers are certified in kindergarten through eighth grade general instruction with little preparation in math, according to state educators.
"We have got to have math teachers who are trained to teach math and comfortable teaching math," Grasmick said. "If teachers aren't comfortable teaching math, how do they inculcate a love [of] and excitement [about] math to their students?"
