Many districts in New Hampshire have not elevated math education in our public schools. They continue down the failed path of Common Core math instead of elevating math education for their students. Even those with higher proficiency scores in math, New Hampshire Students should be able to compete with children in top-performing countries. Every school should be administering the TIMSS international test in math and science. Ask yourself, why don’t they want anyone to know how our students compare to those in Singapore?
Subject: Concerns About Math Curriculum and Instruction in Pelham Schools
Dear Pelham School Board Members,
My name is Ann Marie Banfield, and I am a parental rights advocate in New Hampshire focused on academic excellence. I have been researching the subject of education for over 20 years. Over the past several months, parents and former teachers in Pelham have shared concerns with me about both the school culture and declining performance in core subjects.
I was encouraged to see one board member propose forming a subcommittee to examine these issues. While the task may be large, even incremental steps can help improve outcomes for both students and teachers.
One area that deserves urgent review is the math program, Reveal Math. Having tutored children in math for years and worked with nationally recognized mathematicians during the “fuzzy math” debates of the 1990s, I see several red flags with this program.
- Common Core Omissions
Programs aligned with Common Core—such as Reveal Math—must be carefully vetted. Key standards are missing, delayed, or muddled. If adopted, those gaps should be identified and supplemented. Professors James Milgram (a Common Core Validation Committee member who refused to endorse the standards) and Ze’ev Wurman documented these flaws here: Errors and Omissions in Common Core Math Standards
.
- Evidence from High-Performing States
States like California and Massachusetts once had rigorous math standards that put students on a path to Algebra I in 8th grade. These high standards helped Massachusetts students compete internationally on the gold-standard TIMSS exam. What worked? High-quality curriculum taught with explicit instruction. (See graph below) Students taking Algebra I by 9th grade puts Pelham students about 2 to 3 years behind students in Singapore.
- Flawed Pedagogy: Constructivism
Reveal Math leans heavily on Constructivism or “discovery learning,” which shifts responsibility from teacher to student. This approach de-professionalizes teachers, frustrates students, and often forces families to seek outside tutoring. Children should not be expected to “discover” math—they must be taught systematically.
Resources such as A Case for Fully Guided Instruction accessible through the American Federation of Teachers website.
- Impact on Students
I have seen firsthand how these methods leave children confused and discouraged, with many labeling themselves “bad at math.” The multiple alternative algorithms, originally intended only for gifted enrichment, often overwhelm average learners and prevent mastery of the standard algorithm.
- Curriculum Industry Incentives
Reveal Math has close ties to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), which has a long track record of promoting failed instructional fads. Its design encourages reliance on additional materials rather than empowering teachers to directly teach the fundamentals.
The NCTM is cited in this position statement for propagating flawed pedagogy among students with disabilities:
The NCTM/CEC position statement provided a list of “actionable recommendations” for the
mathematics support of students with disabilities. However, many of these recommendations
are merely beliefs and philosophies without significant and rigorous research to support them.
We expected better from a position statement meant to inform the crucial and complex practice
of providing mathematics education for all students with disabilities and thus call for a position
statement that is grounded in the now considerable knowledge base of effective mathematics
instruction for students with disabilities.
Recommendation
The board should review Reveal Math alongside other core curricula and seriously consider a return to teacher-led, explicit instruction. Strengthening the curriculum and restoring proven methods will directly address the low proficiency scores.
Teachers across the country are supplementing flawed programs on their own because they know their students aren’t mastering the basics. (See examples below) Pelham students deserve better than a curriculum that marginalizes good teachers and confuses children.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I am happy to provide additional research or connect you with math experts who can advise on effective standards and instructional practices.
Sincerely,
Ann Marie Banfield
Additional Resources:
1) Lead author of the Common Core Math Standards, Jason Zimba : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx9mdL59QQM
Common Core is not for STEM
2) Jason Zimba lead math writer has to tutor his own kids
/NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/12/29/371918272/the-man-behind-common-core-math
3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tSQlJE6VuA
Child Psychologist: Common Core not developmentally appropriate for young children
4) MATHEMATICS “COUNCIL” LOSES HARD-EARNED CREDIBILITY
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, now led by theoreticians from our Schools of Education,
imposes policies that distort the teaching process and heavily impair the learning of school mathematics.
By Frank B. Allen
Professor of Mathematics Emeritus, Elmhurst College,
National Advisor for Mathematically Correct,
and former President of NCTM
http://www.mathematicallycorrect.com/frankallen.htm
5) Parents Express Frustration with Reveal Math Curriculum
Scarsdale adopts Reveal: https://scarsdale10583.com/section-table/100-parenting/11435-parents-express-frustration-with-reveal-math-curriculum?fbclid=IwY2xjawMnJP9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFTdE5xZzhONlA5cUh5UGRNAR5ijAI-vl7npx7xyFvZFAvboIoK7zw4-eXGwz_Vfilp7GDZ4VXZhK9KwvcxDQ_aem_bzG1vpe7GUFqQGgBSYlrmg
EXCERPT:
**Dr. McIntosh responded with recognition that some parts of the curriculum can be language heavy and shared that they have been making some adaptations such as formatting pages to have fewer words.
** “There should be some additional fact, fluency component. While Reveal is really strong with conceptual understandings, there’s not an emphasis on Fact Fluency. Scarsdale used to use Reflex. That’s a nice add on Fact Fluency component…As a middle school math teacher, I see firsthand how students who lack Fact Fluency can struggle even if they currently understand the sixth grade concepts.
**She ended her comment by sharing, “Furthermore, I recommend conducting a parent survey to understand how many students are receiving supplemental math support outside of school. The prevalence of additional tutoring or extracurricular math programs should be considered when we’re comparing performance during the period Singapore Math was in place and the periods where we switched to Reveal Math.”
**A concerned father said, “My fourth grade son is a bright student. Reveal Math doesn’t work for him. He finishes his homework in no time and is extremely bored and unchallenged in the classroom. But this curriculum doesn’t seek to differentiate. Last year, when finishing work early, my son was asked to answer questions in his Reveal Math notebook such as: What helps you feel relaxed when you’re frustrated? How do deep breaths help you feel relaxed? What are some ways to connect with your classmates?” After going on to describe how his eldest child, who was taught Singapore Math, is now a thriving math student at SHS, the father questioned, “Why did you change something that was working for Scarsdale, and it’s still working for other performing districts in this area?”
** One of the last people to comment in person, shared that she too is an experienced educator and expressed her appreciation for the presentation and for the amount of work given to selecting Reveal Math for the District. However, she went on to say, “I’m having a great deal of difficulty understanding how the District believed that Reveal Math was really the best and most appropriate curriculum for early learners. Do understand, I think your presentation was wonderful, but I have not personally experienced anything of what was shown in that presentation. While the Reveal Program seems to attempt to teach essential mathematical concepts in keeping with Common Core, its implementation and the way it’s written is far from what I feel is developmentally appropriate for most early learners. One of the most glaring issues is that Reveal Math is language heavy and it relies on lengthy word problems, which are introduced to students far too early (at a time when they are still learning to read and master really basic literacy skills).”
6) Dr. Milgram on American Math vs High Quality Math in top performing countries:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmQZJVX9mdQ
TIMSS RELATED DATA: (All schools should be administering the TIMSS every four years)
TIMSS RELATED DATA Massachusetts (PRE-Common Core)
WHAT do the TEACHERS say about REVEAL MATH?
