“Expressions” vs “Investigations”

Readers of the summary of the Math Pilot report are likely to come to the conclusion that Math Expressions and the 2nd edition of TERC’s Investigations finished in a dead heat, with enVision bringing up the rear:

Overall, enVision was rated weakest in all areas and Math Expressions and Investigations II each demonstrated strengths and weaknesses in different aspects of the pilot.

One of the weaknesses of Investigations II, however, is that SCASD teachers found that Investigations II does not have “positive alignment to the Common Core and PA Standards.”  This is a major weakness – alignment with Common Core/PA standards has been a focus all along in this process and it is now clear that Investigations II will not meet those standards without extensive remediation.

The summary states that “Math Expressions and Investigations II were rated similarly by Pilot Teachers,” but the numbers in the reports appendices tell a different story, as the tables in Barb’s analysis show.

On the subject of teacher opinion: Readers of this blog will recall that last June, the District surveyed all of its teachers who use Investigations II in response to calls from some on the Math Review Committee who questioned whether the review process was even necessary – weren’t teachers generally satisfied with Investigations II?  The District conducted a non-anonymous survey in which teachers gave their answers to their principals in meetings.

The de-identified results of the survey were shared with the committee but never appeared in the CDT or on the SCASD website.  Here they are in PDF form, scanned from my paper original.  Readers can draw their own conclusions about the survey results, but in my view the results make it clear that SCASD teachers have serious concerns about this program.  After seeing the survey results, one elementary school principal told me that s/he didn’t see any way we would be using Investigations in 2011-2012.  From the recommendation in the math pilot report, it appears that this prediction will be proven accurate.