digits ©2012 vs.

Glencoe Math ©2013

Competitive UpdateMarta Miko, Marketing Manager

January 21-22, 2011

What is Glencoe Math?

• Marketed as a “robust toolkit” designed to “support both teachers and students according to their individual teaching/learning style”

• Print-based with digital components• McGraw’s attempt to catch up with digits:

– Common Core aligned– Write-in student component– Interactive whiteboard lessons

• More info at https://www.mheonline.com/glencoemath/

Pricing

digits Glencoe Math

1 year package - $39.97 3 year package - $39.99

3 year package - $49.97 5 year package - $57.99

6 year package - $69.97 7 year package - $74.97

Extension year - $7.97 No extension year option

Some interesting tidbits…

There are lessons which are word-for-word pickups of Math Connects• Old content

• Old design

• Recycling

• Learning platform misinformation

• Monstrous components

• Playing catch-up

• Faking about Flash

They took their Science workbook design and poured existing math content in

Their CCSS labeling is obviously an afterthought

Digital components live on ConnectED (not CINCH)

The student book is about 900 pages long

They are trying to follow the digits model – but really, they repurposed already existing program components and called it a day

They are showing Apple devices in connection with this product but components (animations, etc) are Flash-based and will not work on iPads

Glaring Glencoe Misses

1) Common Core2) Mathematical Practices3) Ease of Use4) Student edition5) Teacher edition6) Assessment story

1) Common Core

• digits is built from the ground up to the CCSS• Glencoe Math is actually Math Connects with

extraneous content removed• Glencoe Math is “built around” the CCSS but

digits is built “to and from the CCSS”

1) Common Core

• digits has solid CCSS author team- Skip Fennell - Eric Milou- Janie Schielack - Randy Charles

• More than half of Glencoe Math authors wrote for Math Connects – old school

• Only three of their authors (Carol Malloy, Gladis Kersaint, Robyn Silbey) have talked about CCSS, ever – but were not involved in writing them, unlike our authors

Sum Up!

Common Core:• digits is built to and from the Common Core

State Standards – Glencoe Math is merely correlated to them

• digits boasts solid Common Core authorship• digits is all new content – Glencoe Math is

built on existing content

2) Mathematical Practices

• digits incorporates the 8 Mathematical Practices into every single lesson

• The 8 Mathematical Practices are digits’ DNA• Glencoe Math is re-treading existing Math

Connects content with forced Mathematical Practices labeling

• More info at http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/mathematics/introduction/standards-for-mathematical-practice/

2) Mathematical Practices

• The 8 Mathematical Practices are “varieties of expertise that mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in their students”…

• …or are they simply labels in textbooks?

Lesson 7-1, Course 2, Math Connects

Lesson 2-1, Course 2, Glencoe Math

Lesson 7-1, Course 2, Math Connects

Lesson 2-1, Course 2, Glencoe Math

2) Mathematical Practices

Underrepresented Mathematical Practices in Glencoe Math:– Reason abstractly and quantitatively– Use appropriate tools strategically– Attend to precision– Look for and make use of structure– Look for and express regularity in repeated

reasoning (only 5 instances in the entire 2nd Course, for example)

Sum Up!

Mathematical Practices:• All digits lessons are built around the 8

Mathematical Practices – the Practices are digits’ DNA

• Glencoe Math is using labeling to repurpose or create links to the Practices

• Glencoe Math correlates to 2-3 Practices per lesson only

3) Ease of Use

• digits is a neatly packaged educational solution

• The interACTIVE Learning Cycle puts digits’ educational philosophy into practice with a focus on saving time/personalizing instruction

• Glencoe Math is a haphazard grab-bag of math resources with no coherent use case

3) Ease of Use - Components

• digits Student Package:– www.MyMathUniverse.com – Student Companion write-in worktext

• digits Teacher Package:– www.digitsDashboard.com– Resource Kit:

• Program Overview Guide teacher book• Resource DVD• HW CD (5 copies)

3) Ease of Use - Components

• Glencoe Math Teacher:– Teacher Edition– Online prepared lesson plans– Classroom manager– Editable worksheets (reteach and practice)– eSolutions to create more worksheets– Interactive whiteboard lessons– Pre-made classroom presentations– Online calendar– Leveled online activities with teaching suggestions– Leveled assessment masters– eAssessment to create more tests– Math Triumphs (intervention)– Impact Mathematics (alternate math activities)– Online messaging with students

• Glencoe Math Student:– Student Edition (includes homework and practice)– eHelp Solutions for selected exercies– Inquiry Labs– Foldables– “thousands of games, apps, and animations”– Online Personal Tutors– Self-assessments– “interactive resources for practice”– Unit Projects– Online messaging with teacher

3) Ease of Use – Use Case

3) Ease of Use – Use Case

• Students use Glencoe Math Student Edition in class supplemented with print resources (worksheets) and online resources (animations, personal tutor, self-assessment, e-help, etc.)

• Teachers use Teacher Edition in class, supplemented with print resources (assessment masters) and online resources (planning and management, whiteboard lessons?, editable worksheets, eAssessment)

• There is no coherent story on how these resources all work together – for example, Glencoe Math touts customizable assessment but assessment data is not used in leveling

Sum Up!

Ease of Use:• Simple yet all-encompassing product matrix

(digits) vs. long component list that doesn’t intuitively work together (Glencoe Math)

• User case: easy to manage (digits) vs. drowning in stuff (Glencoe Math)

• digits delivers resources in one simple digital package

• Technology allows us to put necessary resources at teachers’ fingertips – no need to find/organize – it’s all taken care of

4) Student edition

• VERY large Glencoe Math student work text for grades 6-8

• Divided into two volumes per grade• Each volume is over 400 pages• Essentially a textbook in workbook form• It has worked out examples and opportunities

for practice, but teachers say the book is way too large and “too guided” – especially for 7th and 8th grade students.

4) Student edition

Glencoe Math Lesson Structure:• Guided Notes• Worked-Out Examples – much like in a regular

“hardcover” text• Guided Practice and Independent Practice – which looks

just like in a regular text but with room to work• HOT problems, Extra Practice, Standardized Test

Practice, Common Core Review- all similar to regular textbook

• Pages appear back to back; some practice problems appear on the back of lesson pages – not clear how students are supposed to use this perforated book

Sum Up!

Student Edition:• A simple solution for digits: write-in worktext

that becomes a reference guide• A cumbersome solution for Glencoe Math: 900

pages of worksheets and homework• Lessons follow standard sequencing in Glencoe

Math; true problem-based interactive learning occurs in digits

5) Teacher edition

• No teaching support – essentially a reproduction of the student book with answers written in

• No information on mathematical background• No author intent• Explores questioning for understanding only in a surface

fashion• Aside from answers to problems, there are no solution

notes or in-depth explanations• No opportunity to stop and explore key concepts in

depth• No information on instructional design

5) Teacher edition

• No clearly stated focus question that’s revisited at lesson’s end to ensure conceptual understanding

• There is a “Launch” feature in the teacher edition but no matching student feature• Each example concludes with a “Got It?” (sound familiar?) that does not delve deeper into content

• No feature in place to shore up understanding at the end of the lessons other than Guided Practice (compare to our “Close and Check”)

Sum Up!

Glencoe Math Teacher Edition:• Very little teacher support• Does not drive teaching for understanding (for

example, lacking in identifying important concepts/focus questions)

• Key features, such as Lesson Launch or an informal assessment opportunity at the end of lessons, are not supported

6) Assessment story

• A set of print assessment masters for diagnostic, mid-chapter, end-of-chapter, and quarterly assessements

• Digital assessment masters (through ConnectED) – can not be edited

• eAssessment (through ConnectED) – online assessment tool; assessments can not be edited and looks like new tests have to be created from the ground up

• No coherent use of assessment data

6) Assessment story

• digits Readiness Assessment evaluates students’ understanding of the unit’s prerequisite content and data determines:– differentiated learner levels (G/K)– automatically generated personalized Study Plan for

each student with practice and online intervention– Need for whole class/small group

intervention/challenge (Readiness Lesson)• digits includes ongoing progress monitoring to meet

both curriculum assessment needs and Response to Intervention (RTI) requirements

• Due to its digital nature, digits test practice and content can be updated to reflect any changes to assessment standards that may develop

Sum Up!

Assessment:• Glencoe Math doesn’t use assessment data to

automatically inform instruction• Their online testing infrastructure is not nearly as

sophisticated as SNP. digits’ assessment is powered by MathXL which provides accurate and instant autoscoring and reporting

• digits’ Readiness Assessment drives RtI in a pre-emptive fashion, bringing kids up to speed in time for summative assessments (rather than relying on Unit and Chapter tests to pinpoint struggling learners)

Glencoe Math Marketing Story

• Plan Your Way• Teach Your Way• Assess Your Way• Students Learn Their Way

Refuting “Plan Your Way”

They say: “You are in control with Glencoe Math, and everything is customizable”

They mean: “You have a lot of work ahead of you”

Consider: digits uses pre-assessment results to customize individual study plans for each child. Teachers can adapt their lesson plans based on assessment results so they know how to teach most effectively.

Refuting “Teach Your Way”

They say: “Your imagination, creativity, and expertise fuel Glencoe Math”

They mean: “Good luck figuring out how to teach with this info dump”

Consider: digits presents lessons and relevant resources in a clean, streamlined fashion, at point of use.

Refuting “Assess Your Way”

They say: not much on the topic of assessment at all. Interestingly, their informal assessment feature is now called “Got It?”

They mean: “We have the standard menu of assessment and worksheet options. And we kinda liked what digits did so we stole some of their features”

Consider: digits uses assessment data to inform instruction and to personalize each child’s learning path… automatically

Refuting “Students Learn Their Way ”

They say: “From interactive textbooks to thousands of games, apps, and animations, students will be able to find activities that appeal to them…”

They mean: “In addition to Foldables, we’ll throw in some practice problems and online animations and hope that something will stick”

Consider: digits presents well-written, stepped-out, problem-based interactive learning with Common Core content. digits uses Understanding by Design and appealing technology to break the math down for kids to ensure understanding.

Summary

• Traditional print-based curriculum aligned to the Common Core with digital components, potentially including some interactive whiteboard resources

vs.• First-to-market innovative digital curriculum

specifically developed for interactive whiteboards, harnessing the power of technology to personalize learning and optimize time

Questions, comments:

Marta Mikomarta.miko@pearson.com