Math texts get tryout in Bellevue, but victor unclear

A panel of more than a dozen Bellevue teachers, parents and administrators wrestled with the results of a trial of two math texts, but came to no conclusions Thursday about which series of books would do the best job helping teach students algebra and geometry.

Parents, students and teachers surveyed about the use of the books slightly favored the Discovering series of math textbooks over the more traditional Holt math series; one member described it as if Discovering had gotten a B- from users, and Holt a C.

But the math adoption committee did not get a chance to look over student test results after the books were used in class. Another meeting is scheduled for March 11.

Picking a math textbook has become a closely scrutinized decision for districts after the Seattle Public Schools lost a lawsuit over its choice of the Discovering series this month. The Bellevue committee asked the district's legal counsel and assistant superintendent, Ricardo Cruz, whether Bellevue also could face a lawsuit over its textbook choice. Cruz said it was a possibility.

He said the judge's decision in the Seattle case was "curious," and that he thought "the court just basically disagreed with the decision of the School Board."

David Orbits, a member of a group opposing the Discovering textbooks, gave a presentation to the board that highlighted Bellevue's significant achievement gap between white and minority students.

Parents who are critical of the "inquiry-based" method of teaching math, which is used in Bellevue schools now and is the type of instruction used in the Discovering books, say inquiry-based math fails minority students. They want the district to return to a more traditional way of teaching math.

But in an exchange that sometimes grew testy, the committee questioned Orbits' data.

Sharon Kautz, the Bellevue district's executive director for curriculum, said the choice of a textbook won't dictate the quality of the district's math offerings. "The textbook is just a small part of what makes a quality math program," Kautz said, emphasizing the importance of the teacher's skills.

Regardless of which textbook series the district chooses, teachers will have to supplement the materials with extra worksheets, drills and exercises, Kautz said.

The adoption committee plans to study the data before making a decision. Its recommendation will go to another committee that reviews instructional materials, and the School Board will then consider the recommendations and make a choice.

Katherine Long: 206-464-2219 or klong@seattletimes.com