The most recent round of textbook reviews from EdReports.org show that Everyday Math, which is used in about 200,000 classrooms around the country, does not meet the expectations of the Common Core State Standards.
The nonprofit EdReports.org posts free online reviews of major textbooks and curricula that purport to be aligned to the common core. The first round of reviews, conducted mainly by teachers, were published last March and showed that nearly all instructional materials analyzed failed to live up to claims of alignment. Soon after, the group, which is funded by organizations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, came under fire for its methodology. EdReports.org consequently altered its review process and upped some of the initial scores.
The newest reviews, released today, looked at four instructional series: Everyday Math, published by McGraw-Hill Education; Stepping Stones by Origo Education; Math Innovations by Kendall Hunt; and Bridges in Mathematics by The Math Learning Center.
Everyday Math, a particularly popular K-6 math program that was developed by the University of Chicago, did not meet the expectations for alignment at any grade level.
In a written response, the publisher McGraw-Hill called the review “incomplete, inaccurate, and misleading.”
“While extensive and undeniable evidence of the strengths and successes of Everyday Mathematics exists—other independent review panels, efficacy research, success stories, decades-long iterative development, field testing, academic research—the EdReports review takes a shallow and incomplete look at the curriculum.”
The Everyday Math curriculum was first published in 1989, and has proved controversial in recent years. A Facebook group called “Parents Against Everyday Math” claims it spirals through concepts too quickly and does not allow for mastery.
(Click on image for larger version. See it, with working links, on EdReports.org.)
EdReports.org also found that Math Innovations, a middle school curriculum, did not meet expectations. Stepping Stones partially met expectations at some grade levels.
Bridges in Mathematics, on the other hand, performed quite well—the K-5 materials were found to be both aligned to the common core and easy to use at all grade levels. Only one other program—Eureka Math—has been found to meet expectations for all of the major criteria and at all grade levels on EdReports.org.
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