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Letter to the editor
Teach math, not math tests
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Forsyth County News
I think Friday’s “Worries add up” article is just starting to open the door to what is wrong with public education in Georgia.  

At a meeting Tuesday night, held by the Board of Education, parents expressed their concerns and frustration over what is being called ‘new math.’ 

After hearing the stories of children who once excelled and now doubt their abilities in math, the best answer that those from the state could provide was that the “use of this Georgia curriculum is not an option if we want our students to be successful on state assessments,” and “there’s little wiggle room while still being able to perform well on tests.”.

Assessments?  Tests?  When did the priority of teachers become teaching our kids how to perform well on standardized tests instead of actually teaching the curriculum? 

Being taught math and how to apply it, and being taught to ‘perform’ well on a test, are two very different things. 
Unfortunately it seems that our state leaders are more interested in trying to look good by higher standardized test scores than the overall education of our kids.

Matt Phillips

Cumming