Redmond Middle School parents work toward improving math for the future

Published 4:30 pm Thursday, April 16, 2015

A group of parents at Redmond Middle School (RMS) are sharing some concerns they have about the school’s algebra one program and are hoping to improve things for future generations.

KNOWLEDGE GAPS

Maria Razumova, whose seventh-grade son is enrolled in one of the classes, said one concern she and other parents have is that sometimes, there are questions on homework assignments, quizzes and tests that were not covered in class. She said the questions do not coincide with what is in the class’ textbook or corresponding online resources. Razumova added that in some cases, teachers would skip chapters in the textbook but still include that material and those concepts on tests.

“Kids just plain don’t understand what’s going on,” she said.

One parent said once, when they were helping their child with logarithms homework, they couldn’t find an explanation on how to solve a problem other than being told to use reverse calculations. The parent, who works at Microsoft Corp., said they had to do their own online search to figure out how to solve it.

Kathryn Reith, communications director for Lake Washington School District (LWSD), said there is an educational reason for giving students these “stretch questions.” She said while the concepts in such problems may not have been explicitly covered in class, students should be able to piece together what they have learned to find the solution.

In addition to not always covering material found on assignments and tests, some parents say topics are being rushed and not giving students enough time to become familiar with concepts before either piling on homework or a quiz or test.

One father, whose daughter is in the program, said he would like to see teachers spend more time on the basics so the students have a better foundation to build upon as they move on to more complex concepts.

Razumova said it is not just a few students needing help and so she and one other RMS mother now offer weekly tutoring sessions for free for students needing help.

VOICE YOUR CONCERNS

Another concern the parents have is with how different the homework, quizzes and tests their children bring home are compared to students’ work from other middle schools in the district.

While the school district provides materials and curriculum for teachers to use in their classes, Reith said, “teachers are able to modify the assessments.” She said it is typical to see slightly different versions of the work when compared from teacher to teacher and school to school. Teachers can use their professional judgement to make adjustments in the class based on how their students are doing — spending more time on one concept if they need it.

Razumova said she understands this, but some of the material that was written for RMS has either been unclear and confusing or will have mathematical errors.

She said she has shown some of the errors she has found to the RMS principal Kelly Clapp and said the other woman has been responsive. The two have exchanged a number of emails and have met in person since January. But so far, nothing has changed.

Reith said Clapp has met with the school’s math teachers after the initial concerns were brought to her in January. She forwarded the assessment information to the district’s assessment team to review. Reith said a district curriculum and assessment specialist who specializes in mathematics is working with RMS and will review all assessments the school is using in algebra.

“It does take some time for the principal to work with the team,” Reith said about seeing changes.

Razumova said there is a growing group of parents — about 40 strong — who are concerned about the algebra class at RMS.

Only a few of these parents have contacted the school directly about their worries.

Reith said parents who have questions or concerns regarding their students’ work should contact Clapp and bring the specific assignment or test in question.

“That makes it a lot easier,” Reith said, adding that it is difficult for the school to respond to concerns if they don’t know about them.

Clapp agreed.

“I will be happy to meet with any parent to discuss their individual student’s learning experiences in any class at Redmond Middle School,” she said.

HOPING FOR THE FUTURE

While there may not be much change before the end of this school year, Razumova and other parents said they hope things will change for the future as a number of them have younger children who could be going through the program in coming years. They said they don’t want to see their other children — or anyone else’s children — struggling like this.

The parents are also worried as their current algebra students are beginning to dislike math because they are getting so frustrated with not understanding the work. Some of these students, they said, are Quest students (in LWSD’s program for highly capable students) and others were previously “A” students and had scored high on the standardized test and aptitude test required to get into the algebra class.

The parent who had turned to the Internet for help on their child’s logarithm homework said the student worked really hard to get good grades and do well on the tests they had to take to get into the program. The student was so excited when they got into the class, the parent said, but now the student is getting to the point where they pretty much dislike math.

Razumova said the goal is to get rid of those feelings and emotions and to have kids feel good about math again.