This document has been produced to provide information to parents regarding the mathematics curriculum currently being taught, tested and reviewed in four of Plano ISD's middle schools. We have read with interest and concern the comments made by some parents and non-parents and hope to be able to answer their questions and concerns here and through other varied avenues of communication.

Q: What Is Connected Mathematics?
A: Connected Mathematics (CMP) is a middle school mathematics curriculum. Designed for grades 6, 7, and 8, it is a problem-based curriculum connecting different areas within mathematics, mathematics to other subject areas, and mathematics to applications in the world outside school.

Q: Why are we studying changes in the middle school curriculum?
A: The curriculum in CMP offers Plano a much more rigorous middle school curriculum than we have had in the past. Plano needed a more rigorous curriculum at the middle school in order for our students to be successful in Algebra I and other higher level mathematics courses. At this point, Plano has approximately one-third of its ninth grade students enrolled in two-year algebra (a course offered to those students who are below grade level and unable to perform in a regular one year Algebra I class). of the students enrolled in Algebra I in high school, only slightly above 60% can pass the state Algebra I end-of-course test. Our present middle school mathematics curriculum has not always provided good preparation for our students. The Third International Math and Science study shows that only the top 5% of American students can perform as well as the top 25% of students internationally.

Q: Does CMP emphasize the basic skills?
A: Basic skills are a vital part of CMP. In addition to the basic skills practice embedded in CMP, Plano teachers developed a set of worksheets to reinforce basic skills through drill and practice. These worksheets are assigned on a weekly basis. Calculators are used as a valuable teaching tool in CMP as well as in the mathematics programs at all Plano schools. However, there are times when students are not allowed to use calculators. Calculator use is left to the individual teacher's discretion as is the case in our traditional program.

Q: How has Connected Mathematics been implemented in Plano?
A: Plano is entering its third year of implementation of CMP at Armstrong, Bowman, Haggard and Wilson. Year one implemented 6th grade, year two added 7th grade, and year three will include 8th grade. Two of the sixth grade units are also being taught to the 5th grade higher level mathematics groups in the elementary schools that feed these middle schools. The schools involved volunteered to participate alter studying the curriculum.

Q: Is Connected Mathematics going to he Implemented districtwide?
A: New mathematics textbooks will be adopted statewide for grades K-8 during the 1998-99 school year and will be in classrooms for the 1999-2000 school year. A committee of teachers with equal representation from each of the middle schools in Plano will be recommending the new textbook for our middle schools. The CMP is one of the programs that has been submitted to the state for consideration, but the state will not give us a final list until September. If this committee decides that CMP is the textbook they would like to use and if it is approved by the Board of Trustees, then it will be implemented districtwide for middle school students only. Parents and other citizens will have an opportunity to review the recommended texts and comment in writing prior to school board presentation and to the school board when the texts are up for adoption.

Q: Is there any research about Connected Math?
A: Yes. The National Science Foundation funded several curriculum projects to design and implement curriculum that was outlined in the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in the late 1980's. The Connected Math Project was developed at Michigan State University with a National Science Foundation grant. Units were developed and extensively piloted in 19 states over several years with the final version published in 1996. CMP has more research behind it than the programs we currently use. It is the only program that has been developed from the ground up rather than taking an existing program and modifying it by adding suggestions for manipulatives, alternative assessment, group work, etc. Additional information is available on the Web at www.math.msu.edu/cmpl.

Q: What is the result on student achievement from Implementing Connected Mathematics?
A: The CMP units have been tested extensively. Results from the Plano project have been very positive. CMP students have shown more growth in mathematics than non CMP students on TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) the past two years. CMP and non CMP students have performed equally well on ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills). We have also checked with schools that have been using CMP for several years (Traverse City, Michigan, and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) to see how their students perform in high school. All of the schools we have contacted report that CMP students do very well in high school. Many of them have such strong mathematical backgrounds that they are able to skip Algebra I and move directly into geometry.

Q: How Is Connected Mathematics different from the math taught in the non CMP schools?
A: Content presented in the CMP is very similar to a traditional program. CMP students are required by state law to cover the same material as students in other programs. Therefore, CMP students will be well prepared to enter Algebra I. What is different is the way the content is delivered. WHAT students learn is shaped by HOW they learn. Students work individually, in pairs and in groups of four. This allows students to experience different points of view and offers opportunities for students to share their opinions and strategies about mathematical processes. Although the program provides materials for group assessment, most Plano teachers do not assign group grades other than for participation or an occasional project (both of which are minor grades). Students are assessed individually with homework grades, quizzes, tests, and projects.

Q: Where are the Connected Mathematics textbooks?
A: Class sets of textbooks were purchased for the Connected Mathematics schools. Therefore, every student does not have a book to take home. However, all homework assignments are duplicated in order for each student to have his/her own copy. Parent handbooks for each unit were developed and 25 copies of each handbook were placed in the school libraries for check-out during the 1997-98 school year to aid parents in helping their children at home. Some campuses also purchased extra copies of the textbooks and had them available in the library for checkout. The regular text book was also available for checkout if a parent wanted a resource book at home. If Connected Mathematics is adopted district wide, every child will have a textbook.

Q: Do teachers receive training in order to teach Connected Mathematics?
A: Teachers have received training in CMP. All teachers in the project attended a week-long training during the summer before they began implementation with an additional two-day training the following summer. These teachers have also had additional training one day a month throughout the school year. Fifth grade teachers teaching the units to accelerated students also received training in the units they teach. Since CMP is so heavily correlated to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and the basics of mathematics, our teachers were already very well prepared in terms of curriculum - the only difference is the methodology of delivery.

Q: Have parents been given information about Connected Math?
A: Teachers have worked hard to keep parents informed about the program. All pilot schools send letters to all parents of entering sixth grade students explaining the program and its goals. Parent nights have also been held at each of the pilot schools where the program has been explained and sample lessons taught since its inception. Additional informational sessions have been scheduled at all of the non CMP schools for the fall of 1998. Additionally, teachers are always available to discuss individual student achievement with parents.

Q: Is this anything like the old 'new math?"
No. The content of CMP is based on traditional mathematics concepts. The difference is that instead of working on computation skills alone, the students learn mathematics in the context of actual situations, such as those they will have to face in the work place.

Q: Where can I learn more about Connected Math?
Parent information meetings will be held as follows: Schimelpfenig Sept.10, 7:30pm; Bowman, Sept.15, 7:00 pm; Renner, Sept.17, 7:00 pm; Frankford, Sept.23, 7:00 pm; Robinson, Sept.28, 7:00pm; Hendrick, Oct.12, 7:00 pm. Please feel free to talk to your child's teacher or school principal about the mathematics program if you have any additional questions, or call Jim Wohlgehagen, coordinator of mathematics for PISD, at 519-8160.

Connected Math Index

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