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Some parents in the neighborhood were discussing our school's mathematics program. Admittedly, while there are some who like it, there are others who don't like a whole lot about our "Constructivist or New-New Math" program, so we were wondering what other states are now using. There are some concepts we like, but others not so much (for example, lack of fact mastery and not enough time to master concepts before jumping to another - particularly in the lower grades).
On the plus side, our testing scores have risen, but (so as not to appear "trollish") I'll come right out and say that I'm neither a fan of testing score data, nor constructivist math. I am however, trying to keep an open mind since that's what we've got to work with, but I'll admit to more than one occasional "rant" on the subject.
What does your school use, and how do you feel about it's worth? Do you like it?
We use Chicago Math - Everyday Math is the official name.
I am not a fan.
Personally, I prefer the drill and kill old school method. I have a high performer who does better and stays on task longer with straight out worksheets, and I also have a 1st grader who is struggling with reading an analog clock who would benefit from entire worksheets of pictures of clocks to interpret. So, I am enriching their math curriculum at home.
I don't know what it is doing for test scores.
A teacher told me not to think too far into the future, because our state/district changes math curriculum so often that in the time between now and when my 4th grader reaches high school, the HS math program will probably have changed at least once or twice.
My Younger sister does the (IDK the Name) where they learn the math with the calculator and not how to do it the paper way. I dont like that style at all it gives you no type of understanding as to how those numbers got there.
I was in ELementary and Middle in 2000 and we learned how to do it on paper first. ( Hated it but knew what I was doing) and then maybe at the end of the week we learned how to do it quickly on the calculator but we always had to show our work.
Math for my sister has gotten really lazy and fast over the past 9-10 years
Thanks for the input. We have Everyday Math as well. I find it interesting that it's been revised 3 times and with each revision, it becomes more similar to traditional math.
I do like that it introduces concepts with hands-on learning, I just wish they'd work a little more with facts, etc...I also wish they'd have less emphasis on finding more than one way to arrive at the correct answer (at least in the lower grades - I can see it once the kids are older).
We don't have one specific math program that we use. The county has its program of studies and pacing guides. We follow the pacing guides which cover the state standards, but there is no one "program".
I've been teaching with the EDM program for 8 years now. There are some good parts, but I tweak a lot and do some things my way.
I have gotten into some heated conversations with an EDM consultant over teaching multiplication. She insisted that kids must use the algorithm that the book says for certain problems. My feeling is, if you know how to multiply, it shouldn't matter if you use the traditional method, lattice or partial products as long as you get the correct answer.
I hate the way the EDM program teaches multiplication and division. I think it must be the lattice method you are talking about where they draw lines through the numbers.
I tried to show my son long division and he thought I was nuts to think it was easier.
The school my children attend uses Singapore math. The local school uses Everyday mathematics, connected math and integrated math, which is why my kids don't attend the local schools. Everyday mathematics convinced me to drive my kids 17 miles one way to school to avoid it.
I hate the way the EDM program teaches multiplication and division. I think it must be the lattice method you are talking about where they draw lines through the numbers.
I tried to show my son long division and he thought I was nuts to think it was easier.
My daughter simply could not do it. The multiple methods had her so mixed up I had to spend $4000 at Sylvan before transferring her to a school that uses Singapore math, which BTW, she has excelled under.
I have an engineering degree and I had to go on line and find the instructions for the lattice method of multiplication and even then it took me a while to figure it out. Who thinks up this stuff?
I homeschool my children, and we use Miquon. It's concept-based as opposed to memorization-based, which works great in a 1-to-1 or 1-to-2 ratio. I can definitely see how it might not work as well in a school setting with 25 different kids. I like that my son is in second grade and can mulitply fractions and add large numbers in his head. We will be working on a bit of drill over the summer, though, as I'm finding that he's still counting some addition problems on his fingers. The Miquon is made to transition well into Singapore Math at the 4th grade level, and that's what we're planning to do.
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I am however, trying to keep an open mind since that's what we've got to work with, but I'll admit to more than one occasional "rant" on the subject. 
