Starting this autumn in New York City, a project called “NYC Solves” will be fully launched in 420 high schools across the city, except for 6 high schools, implementing an illustrative math curriculum to address the issue of racial disparities in student state exam scores. Although the districts participating in the pilot program this year found a significant drop in student performance, sparking more controversies about the new curriculum, it is expected to have minimal impact on Asian students.
According to the New York Post, Josephine Van Ess, Director of Queens South High School District, recently revealed that after adopting the new illustrative math curriculum, the state exam scores for Algebra 1 dropped by 14 percentage points, with teachers criticizing the course as “a complete disaster.”
The Queens South High School District oversees middle and high schools in Districts 27, 28, and 29. Van Ess pointed out that all 29 high schools under her jurisdiction, except for one, implemented this curriculum, resulting in a sharp decline in the state exam average passing rate from 59% to 45%.
Illustrative Mathematics emphasizes conceptual understanding for students and was developed by a professor from the University of Arizona in 2011. The curriculum requires teachers to follow a strict schedule for teaching and expects students to “discover” solutions with minimal guidance, which can be frustrating for students lacking essential skills.
A high school student in District 26 of Queens, Yan, who is originally from mainland China, stated that his high school has already adopted this teaching method. He explained that in mainland China, if a student gives an incorrect answer to a 3-point math problem, even if the solution process is correct, the entire question receives no credit. However, under the illustrative math teaching method, if a student answers part or all of the problem correctly, even if the final answer is wrong, some points are still awarded in the state exam. If the student’s answer is close to the correct one, the grading teacher considers that the student has mastered the problem-solving method, thus likely receiving full credit. He believes this may be unfair for students who usually strive for accuracy in their learning.
Van Ess’s report highlighted that poor Algebra 1 performance in the district is also attributed to a 30% increase in English language learners (including immigrants) and a 5% increase in students with disabilities. Additionally, the Algebra 1 exam is more conceptual in design, reduces reliance on calculators, and the state government raised the “passing score.” Despite these challenges, she expressed reluctance to abandon the new curriculum because it is a key component of the city’s Department of Education’s “NYC Solves” initiative.
In June of this year, Mayor Adams stated that New York City middle and high schools are adopting standardized math curriculums to address racial disparities in state exam results. Last year, proficiency levels in math exams for Black and Hispanic students were significantly lower compared to White and Asian American students.
Only 34.3% of Black students and 35.7% of Hispanic students demonstrated proficiency in math exams, while the proportions for White students and Asian American students were 70.2% and 77.6%, respectively.
Asian students seem to be less affected by the new curriculum. Yan mentioned that he and many Asian students in his class not only focus on correct problem-solving processes and understanding the concepts thoroughly, but also strive to find the correct answers. Therefore, some of his Chinese classmates have consistently excelled in math within the class.
Furthermore, including Yan, Chinese families have traditionally placed a strong emphasis on their children’s education from a young age, dedicating their free time to enroll their children in various tutoring programs and choosing to study in higher quality school districts to enhance their competitive edge in exams.
According to the New York City Department of Education website, starting from the 2024-2025 school year, the city will initiate the “NYC Solves” project. That means this autumn, apart from the 6 schools, 420 New York high schools will implement the illustrative math curriculum in this subject.
The “NYC Solves” program will be phased in over the next few years, requiring high school math classes to adopt “illustrative math.” For middle schools, districts will choose from a pre-approved list of courses. New York City plans to invest $34 million in this new initiative over five years.