It’s been two weeks since Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that nearly half of the state’s new math textbooks aren’t suitable for classrooms in Florida. He offered a few details regarding his allegations of “indoctrination” at the time, the Ministry of Education has not provided details since, except for the publication of four passages without explanation.
This left school district staff to consider their next move. Few are willing to choose textbooks for next year without knowing why so many have been rejected – or why the state has turned and approved half a dozen books.
The Pasco County School Board must select some of its math textbooks for 2022-23 on Tuesday, with at least one on the list that is not recommended.
Publishers would also not offer any information, as they filed complaints and negotiated with the state to approve their textbooks.
“We are working actively with the Florida Department of Education to resolve any issues,” said Richard Weir, spokesman. for longtime Florida book supplier Savvas Learning Co., is said by email. He added that the company expects that its books “will eventually be accepted and delivered to our customers in Florida.”
In theory, this could happen to all rejected books, government officials said. Education spokesman Jared Oaks said most of the concerns could be easily remedied.
What was inside the books that may have offended the state reviewers?
IN Tampa Bay Times reviewed several titles from the original rejection list using copies which were provided to school districts during the adoption process. Here’s what we found:
Florida’s BEST 4 Grade Mathematics Standards
Sample question from the fourth grade math textbook Big ideas [ Big Ideas ]
Publisher: Big Ideas Learning, Erie, Pa.
pages: 716
Description: This book is one of six in the company’s K-5 math series that originally appeared on the state’s list of rejects. He received high marks for mathematical content in the country’s 5-point ranking system, but was marked for the inclusion of “special topics”. Company executives told school districts by email that they did not include references to Common Core, previous state standards or “critical race theory.” They said three small mentions of socio-emotional learning in the reference materials would be cut out. Within days, the state reversed the course and approved the entire series.
Observations: The review of this book established a close adherence to the prescribed mathematical standards for the class level, starting with numerical expressions and moving on to understanding and using data. Each chapter included lessons focused on different ways of approaching the material, including written words, numbers, and tasks. They also included challenges such as explaining the work of a partner, as well as mentioning the specific learning objectives and standards that are being covered.
To make the questions engaging, the book uses Florida-oriented examples, such as attending the Plant City Strawberry Festival. Examples of politically charged topics did not appear on the pages. It included an animated dog and cat, which occasionally offered math tips and encouragement such as “Stay Positive.” This is in line with the standards that require materials for students to stay engaged and persevere in their tasks.
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The book includes drawings of people of different races and ethnicities, in accordance with the state specification for providing multicultural representation.
EnVision Florida BEST MATHS 2nd grade
This page of a second-grade math textbook created for Florida by Savvas Learning Co. depicts a child who emphasizes the value of having a “growth mindset.” The concept of thinking about growth has been adopted by many schools for years, but is related to socio-emotional learning, which is not respected by Florida officials and has been cited as the reason many math textbooks have been rejected this year. [ Savvas Learning Co. ]
Publisher: Savvas Learning Co., Paramus, New Jersey
pages: 696
Description: For second graders, this textbook teaches addition and subtraction using explanations, games, and word problems. Early chapters focus on numbers below 20, gradually reaching hundreds as the school year progresses. Students are encouraged to count and draw numbers using ordinary objects and living things – household items, toys, food, pets, wildlife, buildings and more. Later chapters deal with more advanced concepts such as measuring length, studying shapes, and interpreting basic data.
Observations: A page-by-page review found no obvious references to critical racial theory or its main theme that racism is rooted in US institutions.
Similarly, there were no nominal references to socio-emotional learning, a widely used practice that aims to help students manage emotions, set goals, show empathy, build relationships, and make decisions. Proponents of the strategy say it is an integral part of education, while critics say it distracts from the content and has no place in the classroom.
However, the book includes 26 cases of students being encouraged to adopt a “growth attitude”, a popular concept in education adopted by many schools in Tampa Bay, which is related to socio-emotional learning. It is also encouraged in state mathematical standards. On these pages, animated figures of children at school appear with messages expressed in speech bubbles (shown above). They offer encouragement in a variety of ways, encouraging students to take on challenges, welcome feedback, and give themselves time to work on problems.
In this second-grade math book from Savvas Learning Company, students are asked to solve a basic math problem involving a West African tool called a sugarcane. The book contains several references to cultural objects outside the United States. Are these examples of “culturally responsive teaching,” a concept that the state believes should be kept out of math textbooks? Officials did not answer questions about what caused this and other books to be rejected. [ Savvas Learning Co. ]
The book also includes mentions of objects from different cultures – two pinatas from Mexico, such as drums and another musical instrument from West Africa (shown above), a patch of a Nigerian flag on a student’s jacket. While Florida encourages publishers to embrace “multicultural advocacy” in their books, it also warns in advance not to include “culturally appropriate teaching,” a strategy that encourages educators to make cultural references a routine part of their education.
EnVision Florida BEST Mathematics, Grade 7
Sample lesson found in seventh grade math textbook published by Savvas Learning Company for Florida schools. [ Savvas Learning Co. ]
Publisher: Savvas Learning Co., Paramus, New Jersey
pages: 469
Description: This book is part of the math series for middle classes at Savvas Learning. It focuses on five key areas: fractions, equivalent expressions, proportional relations, analysis of two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures, and probability. The Ministry of Education assessed this book as unacceptable because it does not meet the required academic standards. At the same time, the department approved all other Savvas middle school textbooks, including the accelerated version for seventh grade, which it said meets 100 percent of the standards. Disapproved topics are not mentioned in the title.
Observations: This book remains focused on meeting state expectations, often including the specific standard to which each lesson is intended. The problems are closely related to the type of problems that teenagers may face, such as cell phone use, weight of pet food, and the cost of event tickets. The chapters suggest projects, some of which may not seem related. In the section on understanding probability, for example, one idea is to invent and write an adventure character.
Like other Savvas titles, the seventh-grade edition includes several references to a “growth mindset” that some people associate with the concept of socio-emotional learning, which the department tells publishers not to include. There were also a few reminders to learn together, with tips like “respect and understand other points of view.” The book includes two pages with an overview of state standards of thinking and reasoning that encourage such an approach.
The seventh-grade math textbook Savvas Learning Company presented for admission to Florida emphasizes the importance of individual and group work. [ Savvas Learning Co. ]
Statistics in your world 3e
Math problem from the chapter on two-way tables in the textbook Statistics in your world. [ Pearson ]
Publisher: Pearson North America, New York
pages: 562
Description: This textbook is for the elective statistics class that teenagers in Florida can take if they are on their way to a business career. The publisher writes that this is a book about “how to think clearly with data”. The first few chapters focus on data analysis, and then the chapters turn to data collection concepts, probabilities, and inferences. The state praised the book for its mathematical content, but found that it included some of the “illegal” topics.
Observations: The book begins with the premise that statistics are both meaningful and accessible. To understand, he focuses on topics that teens can relate to, such as Facebook, using personal information to tailor ads to users and the reaction time of drivers who write against those who are drunk. The aim is to teach students how to create such experiments, collect and analyze data.
The 12-page index of topics covers a wide variety of materials, including the birth of twins and Skittles. Several of …
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