‘Complete disaster’: Teachers criticize new math curriculum ahead of citywide adoption

August 13, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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CITYWIDE — TEACHERS AT SCHOOLS that took part last year in a pilot of a new algebra curriculum picked as part of Mayor Adams’ $34 million “overhaul” of city schools are speaking out online against it, ahead of its adoption at nearly all public schools this upcoming year, reports the New York Post. Educators wrote that the Illustrative Math program’s strictly scripted lesson plans and emphasis on group learning left behind students who did not already have strong math skills, with little room for teachers to offer personalized help. Some teachers also wrote that the curriculum is not aligned with Regents exams and that vital topics are not covered. Although the DoE has not yet released last year’s Regents results, the Post reports that leaked data appears to show math scores dropping significantly at some schools in the pilot, while one teacher said that their students’ average scores dropped by 5 points — and their English language learners’ by 20%.

“It’s the worst. No one was happy with it. The kids didn’t know wtf was happening when we used the lessons,” one teacher wrote on Facebook, while others agreed, calling Illustrative Math “a complete disaster,” and “horrible.” Stuyvesant math teacher Gary Rubenstein called the curriculum “destined to flop” over its lack of support for struggling students.

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