Much Ado About Math
- Neelum Arya | Zuni Drive
A Sept. 7th story in the San Diego Union Tribune lauding the Del Mar Union School District (DMUSD) for outperforming other districts in math deserves more scrutiny. The piece quoted DMUSD officials who attribute the high scores in math (as measured by the California Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments) to the hands-on and exploratory learning opportunities available in the district, particularly the arts, science, physical education and interdisciplinary learning classes which are known as STEAM+. However, some parents believe outside factors have boosted scores.
Looking at performance on a school-by-school basis demonstrates how scores vary dramatically across the district. In three schools – Ocean Air, Carmel Del Mar, and Sage Canyon – the average student is performing 30 points ahead of the average student at Del Mar Heights or Hills. If test scores are predominantly due to classroom instruction, then DMUSD needs to explain why students in these three schools are so far ahead of the rest.
Another plausible explanation is that parents are enrolling their children in supplemental math programs to ensure their children will be competitive in a global economy. The widespread availability and variety of such programs in our community such as the Art of Problem Solving, Singapore Math, Kumon, Mathnasium, Russian Math, Octoclub, in addition to private tutoring, suggest supplemental programs are contributing to the high test scores of some students. The differences between schools’ average test scores could reflect differences in how many children are enrolled in these supplemental programs.
Neelum Arya is an expert in children’s law and policy and parent of a second grader attending Del Mar Hills Academy.