Algebra for All — Not
with Today's Textbooks, Says
AAAS
April 26, 2000
Washington, D.C.—The
majority of textbooks used
for algebra—considered
the gateway to higher mathematics—have
some potential to help students
learn, but they also have
serious weaknesses, according
to a rigorous academic analysis
by Project 2061, the long-term
mathematics and science education
reform initiative of the American
Association for the Advancement
of Science (AAAS).
Seven of the 12 textbooks evaluated
by Project 2061 were considered
adequate, however not one
was rated highly. Five textbooks,
including three that are widely
used in American classrooms,
were rated so inadequate that
they lack potential for student
learning.
"We need top-quality textbooks—not
books that are barely acceptable—if
we are to help every child
understand algebra and eventually
become competent in math and
science," stated George Nelson,
director of Project 2061.
Many school districts now
require algebra of all students.
"We do see solid improvement
in some of the newer materials,
but each book had major shortcomings,"
stated Nelson. "Unfortunately,
the areas where most books
are the weakest are those
that are most critical in
helping all students achieve,
such as building on the knowledge
that students may already
have and dealing with their
misconceptions."
Gerald Kulm, who directed the
Project 2061 evaluation, urged
school districts to identify
their textbook's specific
strengths and weaknesses and
provide a variety of resources
for teachers to compensate
where their textbook is lacking.
"Teachers also need high-quality
professional development that
is targeted specifically to
the classroom use of their
textbook," Kulm said.
State leaders applauded the
rigorous textbook evaluation.
Maine Governor Angus King
noted that, "The State
of Maine Learning Results,
Maine's standards, coupled
with an independent analysis
such as this, give our schools
the tools to develop educational
programs that empower our
students to compete in a global
economy."
The detailed evaluation will
be of great benefit to states
in reviewing their entire
algebra program, according
to Jacqueline Mitchell, president
of the Association of State
Supervisors of Mathematics.
Mitchell stated, "Millions
are spent each year on textbooks,
yet state officials and local
districts don't have the time
or resources to adequately
analyze their textbooks. This
academic evaluation by a well-respected
scientific organization is
of enormous value."
This evaluation is the first
to use Principles and
Standards for School Mathematics,
the recently-revised guidelines
for what students should learn
released earlier this month
by the National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
The standards, available to
the reviewers in draft form,
are closely aligned with the
learning goals of Project
2061's landmark Benchmarks
for Science Literacy.
Highlights of evaluation findings:
- All of the textbooks present
algebra using a variety
of contexts and give students
appropriate firsthand
experiences with the concepts
and skills.
- Most of the textbooks
do an acceptable job of
developing student ideas
about algebra through
representing ideas, demonstrating
content, and providing
appropriate practice.
- No textbook does a satisfactory
job of providing assessments
to help teachers make
instructional decisions
based specifically on
what their students have—or
have not—learned.
- No textbook does a satisfactory
job of building on students'
existing ideas about algebra
or helping them overcome
their misconceptions or
missing prerequisite knowledge.
The books were reviewed by
teams of professional educators,
including classroom teachers
and university researchers
with expertise in mathematics
content and effective teaching
and learning strategies. They
evaluated each book's potential
for teaching critical algebraic
concepts, such as representing
variable quantities and modeling
with functions, and analyzed
how well the content is developed
through teaching strategies
that are consistent with research
on how students learn. These
include strategies that engage
students, help students identify
a sense of purpose, build
on student ideas, develop
mathematical ideas, promote
student thinking, and assess
student progress.
Several of the books were chosen
for evaluation because they
are "best sellers" in today's
classrooms. Others were selected
because their development
was funded in part by the
National Science Foundation
or because they were unique
in their use of technology
and applications.
"Considering the growing need
to make algebra understandable
to all students, we hope that
everyone involved in developing
and using textbooks will find
this work helpful," said evaluation
director Gerald Kulm. For
school systems considering
algebra texts, Project 2061
made the following recommendations:
- Choose textbooks using
Project 2061's evaluation
criteria; consider those
that the Project has already
rated as having potential
to help all students learn
algebra.
- Use the Project 2061 evaluations
to identify your textbook's
strengths and weaknesses.
- Draw on a variety of resources
to compensate for your
textbook's weak areas.
- Provide your teachers
with high-quality professional
development that is targeted
to understanding the mathematics
content, the textbook
that is being used, and
the instruction that is
necessary to promote student
learning.
- Encourage your district
to adopt high-quality
middle grades programs
that build early algebra
understandings and prerequisites
(see Project 2061's middle
grades mathematics textbook
evaluation).
A summary of the algebra textbook
evaluations will be posted
on the Project 2061 web site
at www.project2061.org.
Previous evaluations, as well
as information for educators
and parents, are also available
on the web site.
Project 2061 provides professional
development for teachers,
designed to help them translate
national science and math
standards into classroom activities.
"Standards-based teacher training
would be particularly helpful
to algebra teachers seeking
to find and use activities
that supplement the texts'
weak spots," said Nelson.
Project 2061 began its series
of textbook evaluations with
an analysis of middle-grades
mathematics texts, released
in January 1999. Currently
used as a resource for textbook
adoption committees around
the country, that evaluation
rated several newer mathematics
textbooks as excellent teaching
tools, but a number of widely
used texts as unsatisfactory.
Details and supporting documentation
for that study are now available
in print and CD-ROM format.
Project 2061's September 1999
in-depth study of middle-grades
science books revealed shortcomings
in all popular textbooks and
has opened up new dialogues
with educators and textbook
publishers. A summary is available
at www.project2061.org. A
review of high school biology
texts will be released later
this year.
The evaluation procedure was
developed with funding from
the National Science Foundation.
The Carnegie Corporation of
New York provided funding
for the algebra textbook evaluation.
Since 1985, Project 2061 has
worked to reform science education
in grades K-12 so that all
high-school graduates are
science literate--that is,
prepared to live interesting,
responsible and productive
lives in a world increasingly
shaped by science and technology.
The initiative has developed
a coherent set of tools to
support efforts to translate
the established learning goals
into more effective curriculum
materials, instruction, and
assessment.
###
Algebra
Textbooks Evaluation
Contact
Information:
Mary
Koppal
(202) 326-6643
