Old School Thinking?

Every school I've worked at has embraced the thinking that ALL students should be exposed to grade level math concepts. The idea behind this is that if they aren't, there will always be a gap.

Here is some food for thought....

All of these same schools utilize guided reading and writing models. Let's just look at reading for a minute. If a 5th grader is reading at a level P, they are not asked to read and do work at a level T.

Expecting ALL students to do grade level math is comparable to using basal readers and doing whole class reading. I know some schools still do whole class reading, but there has been a huge shift away from that kind of teaching.

Why is teaching math lagging behind as far as addressing individual needs? I can tell you from my own personal work that exposing children to grade level math concepts without addressing deficiencies only makes the problem worse.

I believe that guided math groups are the way to go. I speak from doing my own research and having developed Individualized Math Plans for struggling students as well as research from others who are experts in the field.

It's time to let go of the old school thinking and start meeting kids where they're at in math.