Maryland District's Decision To Focus More On Math Basics Sparks Controversy

The Washington Post (12/23, Birnbaum) reported that in November, the Montgomery County, MD district "announced that it would significantly curtail its practice of pushing large numbers of elementary and middle school students to skip grade levels in math. Parents had questioned the payoff of acceleration; teachers had said students in even the most advanced classes were missing some basics." According to the Post, "Math education experts say schools too often zoom through as many topics as possible, instead of lingering in depth on the basics. Advocates of the new standards adopted by the District and by Maryland and most other states - but not Virginia - say they will streamline math topics and make education more consistent."