Originally published October 13, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified October 13, 2007 at 2:03 AM
Math "course correction" coming
It's time to demystify math and help parents understand what their children are learning, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry...
Seattle Times Eastside bureau
It's time to demystify math and help parents understand what their children are learning, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson said Friday during the Northwest Math Conference.
Bergeson spoke to more than 300 teachers and educators at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue for the annual conference that rotates among Oregon, British Columbia and Washington.
The three-day event, which wraps up today, drew about 1,900 people, the most it has had in recent years, according to conference organizers. The event included more than 250 sessions and courses on math-related topics and lesson-plan ideas for math teachers, coaches and administrators.
On Thursday, panelists from local companies talked about what kind of math skills they were looking for in job candidates.
"This is the first time ever I've seen this much interest in math," said Joyce Frost, one of three copresidents who organized the event, and who has been a math teacher for 30 years. "There's a buzz about it."
That buzz comes, in part, on the heels of a review of Washington's standards for mathematics that found them sorely lacking, especially when it comes to the basics. The report echoed concerns expressed by parent groups such as "Where's the Math?" which have criticized math curricula taught in local school districts, including Bellevue and Lake Washington.
With the outside review as the basis, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is working on revisions to state math standards, which will be presented to the Legislature by the end of January.
"Math is the main thing on our radar screen," Bergeson said. "We have to make a course correction." And that means including more math basics, and making sure students know how to conceptualize math problems, as well as the basic algorithms and math facts to solve the equations.
The state and school districts also have to help parents understand what their children are learning in math, Bergeson said. Too often, children come home with math homework that parents don't recognize because it doesn't include standard algorithms for solving the problems.
"If parents can't help their kids with their homework, we're cooked," Bergeson said. "We have to build bridges to parents. We use all of our education babble, we use words that ... have deep meaning to us, but if a person doesn't understand the context, they won't have a clue what we are talking about."
On Thursday evening, the conference invited a panel of executives from Microsoft, Intel and Boeing to discuss what kind of math qualifications job candidates need to be competitive in the workplace.
The panelists talked about how few people are attaining degrees in math, science, technology and engineering to fill local jobs.
![]()
That's why big businesses are going outside the state, and the country, to hire employees, said Frost, a math coach in Lake Washington School District.
"They [the panelists] would like to encourage more people to go into those fields," she said. "There's an overall emphasis on the importance of math for everyone. It's gone from being math for the elite, to being math for all."
Rachel Tuinstra: 206-515-5637 or rtuinstra@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
UPDATE - 11:34 PM
Teen is beaten in bus tunnel; Metro to review policies
UPDATE - 12:15 AM
School levies passing in most area districts
NEW - 10:16 PM
Medical pot exceeds law, but no charges
Seattle physician Brian Krabak will do more than treat injuries at Winter Olympics
NEW - 10:39 PM
Two names dominate as Seattle begins police-chief search

shopping
events for Wednesday, Feb. 10
- Night of Wine Tasting and Film at Whole Foods
- February Specials at Mimisan
- Trunk Show and Benefit at Vian Hunter
- Share Beauty and Hope at Julep
editors' picks
- Vintage, consignment and used clothing
- Local jewelry designers
- Independent video stores
- Spas & beauty salons
- Alaska Air dropping Jones Soda beverages, going back to Coca-Cola
- Man found shot dead in pickup truck in Seattle
- Seattle is first U.S. stop for Picasso exhibit
- Husky Football Blog | Pac-10 expansion to get consideration over next year
- State Senate votes to clear way for tax increases
- Idol Confessions | "American Idol" hopeful from Seattle didn't make it to Hollywood afterall
- Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
- Nicole Brodeur | Chrisceda Clemmons' house wasn't the only casualty
- Brier Dudley's Blog | Google rolls its own Facebook & Twitter with Gmail "Buzz"
- Sex, drug rumors swirl about N.Y. Gov. Paterson
- Republicans may be no-shows at health-plan summit
278 - State Senate votes to clear way for tax increases
250 - Pac-10 expansion to get consideration over next year
249 - Lee undergoes foot surgery
231 - Obama: GOP and Dems together can spur job growth
210 - Fort Lewis soldier charged with abusing 4-year-old, holding her head in water
193 - Rivals names Martin one of Pac-10's best recruiters
143 - Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
128 - Bus-tunnel attack while guards watched prompts review of Metro security
122 - White House mocks Sarah Palin from podium
92
- Seattle is first U.S. stop for Picasso exhibit
- Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
- 747-8 soars smoothly on first outing
- Wine Adviser | Oregon's quality pinots join the bargain ranks
- Alaska Air dropping Jones Soda beverages, going back to Coca-Cola
- Snap out of your photo funk: How to make sense of all those piles of images
- How clean are those pre-washed salad greens?
- Answers to biggest Olympic TV questions
- Brier Dudley's Blog | Google rolls its own Facebook & Twitter with Gmail "Buzz"
- Jerry Brewer | Huskies softball pitcher Danielle Lawrie: A star on the field, not in her mind




