MoonBat Math

Reason #4556549887 to keep moonbat liberals OUT of the educational system. Read and see how they destroyed math scores for one small town with one itsy, bitsy little policy change. Where, you ask? Why Massachusetts of course.

The school department was recently forced to publicly admit that the sixth-grade MCAS math scores have steadily declined over the past three years to the point where 32 percent of sixth-graders are now in the "warning" or "needs improvement" category. This means that if we were to attach a letter grade to these sixth-grade MCAS math results it would be a D-plus, with only 68 percent of the students passing. Brown Middle School fared so poorly that it is now subject to be placed under the federal No Child Left Behind Act for failing to keep pace under the minimum "adequate yearly progress guidelines."

The school department offered no tangible explanation for these declining scores other than to admit that they have no explanation, as articulated by Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Carolyn Wyatt (salary $106,804), "[The results] have decreased, incrementally, each year and continue to puzzle us." She went on to admit that this downward trend is peculiar to Newton and "is not being seen statewide." Again, she offered no explanation, but she did assure the School Committee that her assistant, Math Coordinator Mary Eich (salary $101,399), is currently investigating the problem.

Unless the current decline in the sixth-grade math MCAS scores is reversed, within four years the rate of passing for sixth-graders will dip below 60 percent. Since the school department has neither an explanation nor a solution to the problem, and since it's likely that these same highly paid administrators will still be in their positions overseeing this problem for which they have neither an explanation nor a solution, there is every reason to assume that this downward trend will continue.

The School Committee, those elected overseers of the school department, offered no instructions, challenges, or demands to those administrators under whose watch this downward trend occurred. The committee members, who are on a first-name basis with these bureaucrats, apparently have an unspoken rule against demanding explanations from their school department friends. Besides, Superintendent Young would never permit his School Committee to publicly challenge his school administrators. So no one was subjected to scrutiny, no one was held accountable, no one was put on notice. The members sat passively and did nothing, just as these bureaucrats expected.(emphasis mine)

Ahhh yes... Liberals never, ever, never admit that their policies are wrong or devastating. And here, gentle reader, we have a situation where you could picture the three little monkeys: Hear no evil, See no evil and speak no evil. Because, as we all know, it's much more important to sacrifice the minds of children to ensure that the defunct liberal policy continues. Sound familiar? Can anyone say welfare state?

The only logical and remaining explanation is change that occurred in the Newton math curriculum itself - the subject matter of what is taught and how, what is emphasized and what is not, what has been omitted and what is new. In short, what has changed in the elementary and middle school math curriculum to have affected such a dramatic decline in the MCAS scores?

Answer: the new math curriculum, otherwise known as anti-racist multicultural math.(emphasis mine)

How can anyone,with two neurons to rub together, not see that this is the stupidest thing ever attempted in the name of education. Beware all parents: Libs love to use the word "multicultural" to hide their policies and intentions. Who can argue with "multicultural" right? Again, just read my post Charter School Perversion to see how liberals used that word to hide the fact they wanted to teach kindergarteners about homosexual lifestyles. I kid you not. Let's continue:

Between 1999 and 2001, under the direction of Superintendent Young and Assistant Superintendent Wyatt, the math curriculum was redesigned to emphasize "Newton's commitment to active anti-racist education" for the elementary and middle schools. This meant that no longer were division, multiplication, fractions and decimals the first priority for teaching math. For that matter, the teaching of math was no longer the first priority for math teachers, as indicated by the new curriculum guidelines, called benchmarks, which function as the primary instructional guide for teaching math in the Newton Public Schools.

In 2001 Mr. Young, Mrs. Wyatt and an assortment of other well-paid school administrators, defined the new number-one priority for teaching mathematics, as documented in the curriculum benchmarks, "Respect for Human Differences - students will live out the system wide core of 'Respect for Human Differences' by demonstrating anti-racist/anti-bias behaviors." It continues, "Students will: Consistently analyze their experiences and the curriculum for bias and discrimination; Take effective anti-bias action when bias or discrimination is identified; Work with people of different backgrounds and tell how the experience affected them; Demonstrate how their membership in different groups has advantages and disadvantages that affect how they see the world and the way they are perceived by others..." It goes on and on.(/snip)

Meanwhile, the sixth-grade MCAS math scores keep going down. Yet the architects of this PC lunacy will sit there with a collective straight face and whine to us that they have no idea why these scores have declined since 2001.(emphasis mine)

Again, the three monkeys in action. These educators shoud be taken out and flogged. This is one of the most egregious, ridiculous educational columns I've read in a long time.

And where were the parents? On the first day of school for my son I received detailed goals and performance expectations, all spelled out in detail. Did they look at one homework assignment? How could they not realize their kid was stupid in math? Wouldn't the lack of pluses and minuses and division symbols clue them in?

Get involved parents! No school is immune; and you have to be pushy and let them know that if they attempt any of this moonbat craziness with your child's mind, YOU will be in their office. We must all make it very uncomfortable for them. As you can see above, they will never scrutinize their own policies or failures, no matter how far down the tubes your kid is going. How bad do the test scores have to get for a change? Recognizing and pointing out this kind of BS is the part I like about No Child Left Behind.

UPDATE: Welcome PoliPundit readers! Click the home button and browse for awhile!

UPDATE II: Welcome Wizbang! and David Limbaugh readers, please have a look around.

UPDATE III: Everyone interested in this debate should go here and here to become very well read concerning the "math-is-racist" theory that is not just confined to Massachusettes.