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March 20, 2001
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Blue Earth, MN Keeps Traditional Math Track

Blue Earth picks dual math tracks
By CHRISTINE RUPP
Sentinel Staff Writer
Fairmont, MN Sentinel

FROST -- Beginning in fall of 2001, Blue Earth Area High School students will have two math curricula to choose from: integrated or traditional.

The Blue Earth Area school board made the decision Monday. It followed public input, during which several parents reminded the board of their concerns regarding the integrated math program that was adopted by the Blue Earth Area school district in 1998 and named as one of five exemplary math programs by the Department of Education in 1999.

Core-Plus, which was introduced in 1997, takes different kinds of math, such as algebra, geometry and trigonometry, and tries to incorporate them into real-life contexts.

Many parents said they had students go through a traditional program and do well in college but are concerned with their younger students who are in Core-Plus classes at Blue Earth Area High School and are having problems understanding the material.

One mother said her daughter, who struggles through math, can get help in class in a traditional program, and if she doesn't get help, the mother could help her with her homework. However, with Core-Plus, the mother cannot help her daughter understand the material.

Douglas Johanson, the husband of board member Elizabeth Wohlenhaus Johanson, said the choice between integrated and traditional math is a matter of economic development.

"Who would come here if we didn't teach traditional math?" he asked.

Johanson also commented on grant propaganda. He said grants are continued through production, and in this case, through getting schools to switch to a Core-Plus curriculum.

As long as the state researchers continue to get schools to implement Core-Plus, they continue to earn money from the grant, which is a conflict of interest, Johanson said.

"They're greening their own pocket ... and they don't give a darn about our kids," he said.

While Johanson said his opinions are not necessarily those of his wife, Wohlenhaus Johanson also expressed concerns about Core-Plus during the board meeting.

If a student graduates from a Core-Plus curriculum and goes to college for engineering with the knowledge of how to work word problems but not formulas, Wohlenhaus Johanson wanted to know where that left him in comparison to a traditional student who had drills and practice with formulas.

Board member JoAnne Hoffman, who is also on the curriculum committee, said she has heard both sides of the issue and doesn't believe traditional math is serving students, but admits there is no Minnesota data to support Core-Plus.

While Hoffman said she doesn't understand Core-Plus any better than most parents, she said she is not an expert on math curricula and would rather leave the curriculum decisions to the math teachers.

At this point, the math teachers have concerns about going back to a traditional curriculum, she said, and Hoffman doesn't believe Core-Plus students are automatically ill-prepared for engineering or other college courses.

However, Wohlenhaus Johanson thinks Core-Plus is not the best option for students, especially those who are going into fields where formula work is important.

"It's like you're handicapping all our students," she said.

While there is not yet Minnesota data to support Core-Plus, Hoffman said information from other states shows the merits of Core-Plus classes.

"I don't want anything from Michigan," board member Greg Jenkins said.

Wohlenhaus Johanson said she is not willing to wait for Minnesota data to make her decision regarding Core-Plus.

Another concern regarding the option to offer a dual-track math curriculum is the flexibility of student schedules and the cost of offering both traditional and integrated classes.

When the district decided to go with the Core-Plus curriculum, the traditional text books were discarded, said Superintendent Tim Collins. Buying new textbooks for traditional classes will be an extra cost the district had not anticipated.

Without knowing how many students will choose the traditional classes and how many will choose Core-Plus classes, it is also difficult to know if the school will need any additional math teachers, he said.

Board member Mary Eckhardt wanted to know who would decide what track a student should be on.

The parents, students and teachers should be able to make that decision, Wohlenhaus Johanson said.

Wohlenhaus Johanson made a motion to implement a dual-track math curriculum at Blue Earth Area High School beginning in the 2001-2002 school year.

Jenkins seconded her motion.

While Wohlenhaus Johanson said she would also like to see a dual-track curriculum in eighth grade, she thinks it is more important to have the option in high school.

The motion passed 6-1. Hoffman was the board member who voted against the motion.

After her first motion passed, Wohlenhaus Johanson made a second motion to establish an immediate survey to Core-Plus parents and students asking them if they have the time and desire to take a review algebra or review geometry class in the fourth quarter instead of a Core-Plus class.

Jenkins seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

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