Advocates, district officials and teachers alike say they’re encouraged by results of last year’s pilot, but questions remain
San Francisco Unified School District elementary- and middle-school students began the school year with a new math curriculum, and officials touting the pilot program’s successes say the districtwide rollout marks “a major step” toward reaching the district’s ambitious math literacy goals.
In a press release, Superintendent Maria Su said the new materials will give students a more “well-rounded math education.” “ focuses on three key areas: being able to solve math problems accurately; helping students understand the why behind the math, not just the steps; and teaching students how to apply math to solve problems in everyday life,” she said. But while the move received praise from some parent-support groups, SFUSD still has an uphill battle to climb in improving students’ overall test scores and rebuilding trust with parents who criticized district leadership for holding on to a previous curriculum they said was inequitable and held their children back academically.“Families have long advocated for stronger, more equitable math instruction for our students, and this rollout is an important step forward,” San Francisco Parent Coalition Chair Jennie Herriot-Hatfield said. Advocacy groups, including the coalition, pointed to Black students’ low proficiency scores three years ago as indication that the previous curriculum and teaching practices — in place for a decade — were inequitable. In the 2021-2022 academic year, less than half of all students in the district met or exceeded state math standards. That was higher than the state average , but lower than historically high-achieving school districts elsewhere in the Bay Area such as Piedmont City Unified in Alameda County and Palo Alto Unified . That same year, just 9% of Black SFUSD students met or exceeded state math standards. In response, SFUSD set a goal of increasing the percentage of all eighth-grade students meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations from about 43% in 2022 to 65% by 2027. The new curriculum has shown promising results, according to a district-commissioned study: On average, middle-school students in the 84 classrooms participating in the pilot program last year scored 15 scaled-score points higher on the state’s standard aptitude test than students whose classrooms didn’t take part. Black students scored 30 points higher on average, while Hispanic and Latino students scored 22 points higher. The report did not delve into the percentages of students meeting or surpassing grade-level proficiency in participating classrooms and those outside of it. Ex // Top Stories Free exhibit spotlights Recology’s resident artists Waste-management company’s trash-into-treasure program marks 35th anniversary with show at Minnesota Street Project Duboce ParkJam fosters 'magical connection' between performers, residents Handful of musical acts set to perform in third free, neighborhood concert Postponed auction of broke mall delays reimagining A sale of San Francisco Centre’s half-billion-dollar debt was put off, delaying the day a new owner might remake the retail and office complex A school-district spokesperson did not respond to questions from The Examiner about how SFUSD will measure student outcomes in math moving forward. SFUSD Director of STEM Renée Marcy said the curriculum uses the same standards as the previous one, but now “allows kids to act in a digital platform” by using interactive games and modules. “It’s very student-centered,” she said. “It has games and activities for kids, but it’s also rigorous, and it gets students collaborating in a math community.”SFUSD math teacher Karina Chiu was one of 84 middle school teachers who participated in the pilot study, and she said the curriculum “comes fully equipped with student-facing materials, clear guidance, and support for complex instruction.” That wasn’t the case with previous materials, she added. “I appreciate how the new curriculum is thoughtfully designed with usability in mind, especially for new educators,” she said. “I’m excited to create more groupworthy lessons that foster collaboration, which research shows is especially effective for middle-school students.” James Denman Middle School math teacher Rori Abernethy, whose class was also involved in the pilot last academic year, said “the packaging is amazing, with so many fun, interactive things for the kids to learn, and they’re getting it so much faster.” SFUSD leadership is pegging the new curriculum as a stepping stone for dramatically improving test scores, but some groups are skeptical. GrowSF, a moderate lobbying group that previously petitioned to reintroduce algebra in middle school, said in a blog post earlier this month that SFUSD could do more in demonstrating the pilot’s success to families. Its director, Steven Buss Bacio, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “The current state of math proficiency in the district is unacceptable, and we hope this new curriculum will lead to better outcomes for all students,” the group wrote in the blog post. “But we wish this announcement had come with more details about the trial results and how the district plans to measure success moving forward.” SFUSD must decide in the spring how it will offer eighth-grade algebra across the district. It implemented pilot courses in multiple schools last academic year, with officials announcing the district would do so last February amid ongoing parent pressure. The following month, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly approved a nonbinding resolution encouraging the district to offer introductory algebra to eighth graders.
Sfusd Math San Francisco Unified School District Math Curriculum Middle School Math Curriculum Elementary School Maria Su Growsf San Francisco Parents Coalition
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