Our Mission:
To create community awareness of math issues in the Clayton, Missouri School District, and to provide supporting evidence that Core Plus Integrated Math is not the proper solution to improving high school math education.
Why:
In the fall of 2000, a new math curriculum was implemented at CHS for middle track, non-honors students (approx. 70% of the student body), known as Core Plus Integrated Math. The math committee felt this was the final step in having consistent 'reform math' curricula across the district, as Everyday Math was in place at elementary schools, and Connected Math was in place at Wydown. When Core Plus was adopted, many parents protested, believing it was lacking in the development of basic high school math skills. Click here to read the Suburban Journals article on the adoption of Core Plus for CHS. Board members approved the adoption of Core Plus, with the understanding that the math department would thoroughly evaluate the new curriculum compared to the old curriculum, and solicit feedback from graduates of Core Plus to see how/if their attitudes about math had changed with the new curriculum. To date, Integrated Math graduates have not been formally surveyed by the school district, and 3 classes of Integrated Math students have now graduated from CHS. Many parents and students have voiced concerns about Integrated Math not preparing students adequately for college math and college entrance exams, about the extensive amount of group work in Integrated Math, and general frustration with the curriculum. This website offers a wealth of information on Core Plus Integrated Math, as well as background on "reform math" and the "math wars" that have been occurring in the US over the past several years.