By JOHN BINDER
Slidell news bureau
COVINGTON – For the remainder of the 2014-2015 academic school year, the controversial math curriculum aligned to the Common Core state standards will be phased out in the St. Tammany Parish School System after growing concern from parents who claim it is “deliberately confusing.”
The Common Core state standards were adopted by the state in 2010, encompassing English language arts (ELA) and math. Full implementation of the standards did not come until this past school year, bypassing a transitional year that was originally planned.
Since the beginning of the school year in August, the school system has sought a solution to deal with the numerous complaints about the Common Core aligned math, known as “Eureka Math,” within the district’s “Guaranteed Curriculum.”
The school board voted unanimously, though Peggy Seeley of District 8 and Mary K. Bellisario of District 15 abstained, to continuously “phase out” Eureka Math during the current school year.
Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Arabie, who is in charge of overseeing the school system’s curriculum, said the worksheets which contain Eureka Math will be withdrawn from the Guaranteed Curriculum immediately.
However, the controversial math will still be integrated into lessons during the school year, though it will be phased out entirely by the beginning of the next academic year.
During a meeting weeks ago, mostly parents and anti-Common Core activists stormed the St. Tammany Parish School Board with concerns over the Eureka Math curriculum.
Parents claimed the Eureka Math was an exact replica of math curriculum from the state of New York, known as “Engage New York,” that the school system had essentially copied in the form of worksheets.
However, the sentiment completely changed at the school board’s most recent committee meeting. The room was no longer packed with parents, rather school principals and teachers from around the parish.
A total of 42 members of the public spoke to the school board about the Eureka Math, with 22 of those speakers being principals and teachers. The meeting lasted nearly four hours.
The vast majority of those teachers and principals claimed the exact opposite of parents in regards to the Eureka Math and the Guaranteed Curriculum.
Sue Ellen Powell, a 3rd grade teacher at 6th Ward Elementary, said she was skeptical of Eureka Math in the beginning, but said her students are now making progress.
Previously, parents complained the Eureka Math taught students unnecessary, existential reasons as to why math is math. Powell, however, said she understands the necessity for students to understand the process behind simple math equations.
Windy Varnado, a teacher with three students in the school system, said parents who are against Common Core and Eureka Math “do not speak for everyone.” Varnado said students and children are doing fine with Eureka Math and said she has received no complaints from parents thus far.
Bellisario, a staunch critic of Eureka Math, said the numerous pro-Eureka Math teachers who spoke also did not represent all teachers in the school district. Bellisario said she has been contacted by many teachers who are uneasy about speaking out about their concerns with Eureka Math and the Guaranteed Curriculum.
Likewise, Jade Miller, said the school board was not getting an “honest critique” of Eureka Math from teachers because many do not want to “rock the boat.”
“Administrators have been hard on teachers who go rogue,” said Miller. “We are only hearing from the teachers who are positive.”
While some parents still asked the school board to throw out the Guaranteed Curriculum altogether, in favor of teachers getting full autonomy over their classrooms, others asked that nothing be changed.
Kristen Timmons, a math teacher, said she wished the school system would stay the course with the current curriculum, saying the transition into Common Core aligned curriculum has been hard, but said it should be given a chance.
Not all teachers were supportive of the Guaranteed Curriculum.
Candyce Watsey, an 8th grade teacher at Mandeville Jr. High, said when she first began teaching, there was no curriculum guide and she had no problem.
“As a professional teacher, I would not be intimidated by just being given the standards,” said Watsey. “The Common Core standards have been jammed down our throats.”
The other two options given by Arabie, both of which were turned down by the school board, were to throw out the Guaranteed Curriculum entirely or leave the use of Eureka Math up to teachers.
The school board will also study the Guaranteed Curriculum and how it is aligning to the Common Core State Standards in small groups thanks to a proposal by Roanne Tipton of District 6.
Tipton suggested that board members meet at district schools and observe classes in small groups in order to grasp and address further concerns.