Judge Rejects Seattle School District’s Math Curriculum

A King County Superior Court judge rejected the Seattle School District’s math curriculum involving the “Discovering Math” series.

The Seattle School Board implemented the district-wide math curriculum last May. The following June, two parents and University of Washington professor Cliff Mass filed a lawsuit against the school district saying it should consider other textbook options.

The group said the series does a poor job, especially with minority students who are seeing an achievement gap widen.

The judge said the school board had insufficient evidence to make its decision to adopt the math curriculum and said it should reconsider the matter.

A statement released by the school district said, “Seattle Public Schools followed an extensive process in adopting these materials, which were thoroughly vetted by a diverse group including mathematicians and teaching professionals.”

The district expects to appeal the ruling.

Previous Stories: January 26, 2010: Lawsuit Against Seattle Schools Over Math Instruction