Florida's rejection of math textbooks "due" to CRT

[Wahoo Redux]

I think you have it right; it's not so much indoctrination as trivialization. Do we really want the rape of an 8 year old to be just the background text for one question on a math worksheet?

So now we are "trivializing" math, eh?  Suuuuuuuuure, that's the issue.  Makes perfect sense now.  We learn something that some find controversial on a math worksheet and we never take math seriously again.  It will be just too trivial in a world in which poets must survive racism and sexual abuse----who can think about math in a world like that? 

You should have been a lawyer, Marshy.  I don't think you would have been a good lawyer, but at least you could use your profession as an excuse for your contrarianism.

[marshwiggle]

I think you have it right; it's not so much indoctrination as trivialization. Do we really want the rape of an 8 year old to be just the background text for one question on a math worksheet?

So now we are "trivializing" math, eh? 

Uh. no. Trivializing rape of a child.

[ciao_yall]

Last post: here are some examples of why material was rejected. Two are from the same algebra homework in a text.

I hate them both. First, because I really dislike the Implicite Bias survey in the first place. Second, not because the results are displayed, but rather that it is a perfect example of misusing a bar graph by not starting at the minimum score on the axis.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/florida-dept-of-education-releases-4-examples-of-math-textbook-content-rejected-for-public-schools

But of course they did it that way! Otherwise it would be obvious how insignificant the differences are in absolute terms, which undermines the ideological narrative they want to provide. Math has nothing to do with it.

I'm going to respectfully disagree. You can find similar examples of poor use of graphs in all kinds of contexts. Authors don't pay any attention to the homework; that is farmed out as piecework to practically anyone who is breathing. It is all then put together by editorial assistants and others who know nothing about the math, and just want to get it done so it looks cool, without spelling and grammar mistakes.

What is interesting is that they took a topic that is in the news right now and framed it in such a way to make it a conversation about math.

So then, that becomes an interesting conversation about surveys and statistics. Who defined liberal, conservative, racist, not racist? Are these differences across groups meaningful? If they did the study again with a completely different group of people, would they get the same results?

Without getting into the nitty gritty about statistical significance and survey methodology, there are a lot of opportunities for critical thinking in that graphic and discussion.

Could we come up with a topic that was less controversial? Like preferred ice cream flavors across grades? Maybe.

But then that sort of trivializes the discussion. Instead of bringing in real world topics and finding ways to discuss them, we oversimplify.

I wonder what grade level that book was aimed at... and I'm too lazy to check. Kids after about 5th or 6th grade are aware enough to start having those conversations, paying attention to the news, and wondering about their world.

[dismalist]

Last post: here are some examples of why material was rejected. Two are from the same algebra homework in a text.

I hate them both. First, because I really dislike the Implicite Bias survey in the first place. Second, not because the results are displayed, but rather that it is a perfect example of misusing a bar graph by not starting at the minimum score on the axis.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/florida-dept-of-education-releases-4-examples-of-math-textbook-content-rejected-for-public-schools

But of course they did it that way! Otherwise it would be obvious how insignificant the differences are in absolute terms, which undermines the ideological narrative they want to provide. Math has nothing to do with it.

I'm going to respectfully disagree. You can find similar examples of poor use of graphs in all kinds of contexts. Authors don't pay any attention to the homework; that is farmed out as piecework to practically anyone who is breathing. It is all then put together by editorial assistants and others who know nothing about the math, and just want to get it done so it looks cool, without spelling and grammar mistakes.

Yup! We need better math education. :-)

Looks like we need better English education, too.

[jimbogumbo]

Last post: here are some examples of why material was rejected. Two are from the same algebra homework in a text.

I hate them both. First, because I really dislike the Implicite Bias survey in the first place. Second, not because the results are displayed, but rather that it is a perfect example of misusing a bar graph by not starting at the minimum score on the axis.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/florida-dept-of-education-releases-4-examples-of-math-textbook-content-rejected-for-public-schools

But of course they did it that way! Otherwise it would be obvious how insignificant the differences are in absolute terms, which undermines the ideological narrative they want to provide. Math has nothing to do with it.

I'm going to respectfully disagree. You can find similar examples of poor use of graphs in all kinds of contexts. Authors don't pay any attention to the homework; that is farmed out as piecework to practically anyone who is breathing. It is all then put together by editorial assistants and others who know nothing about the math, and just want to get it done so it looks cool, without spelling and grammar mistakes.

What is interesting is that they took a topic that is in the news right now and framed it in such a way to make it a conversation about math.

So then, that becomes an interesting conversation about surveys and statistics. Who defined liberal, conservative, racist, not racist? Are these differences across groups meaningful? If they did the study again with a completely different group of people, would they get the same results?

Without getting into the nitty gritty about statistical significance and survey methodology, there are a lot of opportunities for critical thinking in that graphic and discussion.

Could we come up with a topic that was less controversial? Like preferred ice cream flavors across grades? Maybe.

But then that sort of trivializes the discussion. Instead of bringing in real world topics and finding ways to discuss them, we oversimplify.

I wonder what grade level that book was aimed at... and I'm too lazy to check. Kids after about 5th or 6th grade are aware enough to start having those conversations, paying attention to the news, and wondering about their world.

Second year algebra.

[kiana]

I wonder what grade level that book was aimed at... and I'm too lazy to check. Kids after about 5th or 6th grade are aware enough to start having those conversations, paying attention to the news, and wondering about their world.

It is one of Blitzer's algebra books, I recognize that graphic. So it would definitely be for high school students. It's #103 in the chapter for the developmental math text and the introductory algebra text.

There is one paragraph at the introduction showing this as an application of polynomials and there are two questions in the chapter (the two in the screenshot). Everything else in the section is extremely standard polynomial work.

TBF, I don't like those problems (for other reasons) and didn't assign them when I taught out of the text. But it's beyond ridiculous to use it as a reason to reject the entire text.

[Wahoo Redux]

I think you have it right; it's not so much indoctrination as trivialization. Do we really want the rape of an 8 year old to be just the background text for one question on a math worksheet?

So now we are "trivializing" math, eh? 

Uh. no. Trivializing rape of a child.

Law school, Marshy.  Keep plugging!  I'm sure there are lots of ways to spin your objections.

[nebo113]

When I was in K12, back in the days of slates and chalk, our math problems involved one train leaving New York going west at 50 mph and another train leaving Chicago heading east going 30 mph.  When would they pass each other?  Transportation, geography, math all rolled into one unfathomable mess.  My trains always crashed.  I have spent my life in therapy over all those innocent dead people, killed because I was just a lil' suthern gurl and drifted off into never never land wondering about those magnificient cities.

[dismalist]

When I was in K12, back in the days of slates and chalk, our math problems involved one train leaving New York going west at 50 mph and another train leaving Chicago heading east going 30 mph.  When would they pass each other?  Transportation, geography, math all rolled into one unfathomable mess.  My trains always crashed.  I have spent my life in therapy over all those innocent dead people, killed because I was just a lil' suthern gurl and drifted off into never never land wondering about those magnificent cities.

Assuming a distance of 700 miles, the trains meet at 437.77 miles, which takes them 8hrs 45 min. [There's some rounding error in there.] That's approximately at Cleveland, Ohio. [Speaking with W.C. Fields, I'd rather die than be in Cleveland. No, I'd rather be in Cleveland.]

A challenge of this problem is keeping the units of measurement straight. I watched them hawk-like, but still screwed it up at first. :-)

How I spent my weekend ... .

[mahagonny]

Just wondering: how many who have their knickers in a twist over books being used and not used in Florida's public schools, libraries would ever live in Florida? And how many have ever paid any tax to Florida beyond a food and beverage or gasoline tax during a visit. And how many are having any difficulty getting their kids into a woke math class? And how many will have difficulty getting access to these controversial books if they want to? A handful of states appear to be following the lead from Florida, or likely to, and as we all know, many more never will.

[dismalist]

Just wondering: how many who have their knickers in a twist over books being used and not used in Florida's public schools, libraries would ever live in Florida? And how many have ever paid any tax to Florida beyond a food and beverage or gasoline tax during a visit. And how many are having any difficulty getting their kids into a woke math class? And how many will have difficulty getting access to these controversial books if they want to? A handful of states appear to be following the lead from Florida, or likely to, and as we all know, many more never will.

That's why federalism is the greatest!

[Wahoo Redux]

When I was in K12, back in the days of slates and chalk, our math problems involved one train leaving New York going west at 50 mph and another train leaving Chicago heading east going 30 mph.  When would they pass each other?  Transportation, geography, math all rolled into one unfathomable mess.  My trains always crashed.  I have spent my life in therapy over all those innocent dead people, killed because I was just a lil' suthern gurl and drifted off into never never land wondering about those magnificent cities.

Assuming a distance of 700 miles, the trains meet at 437.77 miles, which takes them 8hrs 45 min. [There's some rounding error in there.] That's approximately at Cleveland, Ohio. [Speaking with W.C. Fields, I'd rather die than be in Cleveland. No, I'd rather be in Cleveland.]

A challenge of this problem is keeping the units of measurement straight. I watched them hawk-like, but still screwed it up at first. :-)

How I spent my weekend ... .

If this is Amtrak you are going to need to factor in the random delays and miscommunications which can sometimes double the length of your trip.

[dismalist]

When I was in K12, back in the days of slates and chalk, our math problems involved one train leaving New York going west at 50 mph and another train leaving Chicago heading east going 30 mph.  When would they pass each other?  Transportation, geography, math all rolled into one unfathomable mess.  My trains always crashed.  I have spent my life in therapy over all those innocent dead people, killed because I was just a lil' suthern gurl and drifted off into never never land wondering about those magnificent cities.

Assuming a distance of 700 miles, the trains meet at 437.77 miles, which takes them 8hrs 45 min. [There's some rounding error in there.] That's approximately at Cleveland, Ohio. [Speaking with W.C. Fields, I'd rather die than be in Cleveland. No, I'd rather be in Cleveland.]

A challenge of this problem is keeping the units of measurement straight. I watched them hawk-like, but still screwed it up at first. :-)

How I spent my weekend ... .

If this is Amtrak you are going to need to factor in the random delays and miscommunications which can sometimes double the length of your trip.

Looks like you want to make this into a woke word problem! :-)

[Wahoo Redux]

When I was in K12, back in the days of slates and chalk, our math problems involved one train leaving New York going west at 50 mph and another train leaving Chicago heading east going 30 mph.  When would they pass each other?  Transportation, geography, math all rolled into one unfathomable mess.  My trains always crashed.  I have spent my life in therapy over all those innocent dead people, killed because I was just a lil' suthern gurl and drifted off into never never land wondering about those magnificent cities.

Assuming a distance of 700 miles, the trains meet at 437.77 miles, which takes them 8hrs 45 min. [There's some rounding error in there.] That's approximately at Cleveland, Ohio. [Speaking with W.C. Fields, I'd rather die than be in Cleveland. No, I'd rather be in Cleveland.]

A challenge of this problem is keeping the units of measurement straight. I watched them hawk-like, but still screwed it up at first. :-)

How I spent my weekend ... .

If this is Amtrak you are going to need to factor in the random delays and miscommunications which can sometimes double the length of your trip.

Looks like you want to make this into a woke word problem! :-)

Is Amtrak woke?  I thought it was just dirty and quasi-incompetent.

[jimbogumbo]

Just wondering: how many who have their knickers in a twist over books being used and not used in Florida's public schools, libraries would ever live in Florida? And how many have ever paid any tax to Florida beyond a food and beverage or gasoline tax during a visit. And how many are having any difficulty getting their kids into a woke math class? And how many will have difficulty getting access to these controversial books if they want to? A handful of states appear to be following the lead from Florida, or likely to, and as we all know, many more never will.

It really just depends on what Texas does. The reality of K-12 math is that (and DeSantis is correct about this) the publishers recycle in several ways. The Blitzer book kiana cited is ostensibly a College textbook, but the same hw problems and writing shows up in multiple versions of the Algebra I, Algebra II, Precalculus, Beginning Algebra, Intermediate Algebra and College Algebra versions by an author. The reason I mention Texas is that it is still a single textbook adoption state. To be competitive and have a chance the publisher MUST have something Texas will accept.