Controversial D-86 Math Changes Reversed

HINSDALE, IL — The Hinsdale High School District 86 board this week reversed last year's plan to do away with a traditional math curriculum for most students.

This is the first major consequence of April's election, when a new board majority critical of new math and science curriculums won.

Last October, the board enacted an "integrated" math curriculum, starting in fall 2022. It called for rearranging the math curriculum so that courses link to each other in terms of knowledge and skills. For instance, students would be able to take two periods of math in their sophomore year, which would allow them to take an advanced level math class their senior year.

The "integrated" curriculum was created after a long process involving math teachers.

Voting to reverse last year's board decision were the newly elected members, Terri Walker, Debbie Levinthal, Peggy James and Jeff Waters. On the other side were the board's holdovers, Kathleen Hirsman, Cynthia Hanson and Erik Held.

As a last-ditch effort, the district's administration presented a compromise plan on integrated math, reducing the number of changes. It failed.

Much of the opposition to last year's decision came from the Central High School zone. Of the seven board members, only Hanson comes from the South High School zone.

For the last two board meetings, the math curriculum was discussed for hours.

During Wednesday's debate, member Kathleen Hirsman repeatedly called for a vote. Hirsman and her allies said the teachers themselves wanted the changes.

"If there's a concern that our SAT scores are going to drop because of this, I have heard nothing to support that argument," Hirsman said. "I have not heard a good concrete argument for those who are still skeptical about this. I'm ready to call the question. We can talk about this until the cows come home, but I have yet to hear a good concrete reason."

Levinthal, however, said no consensus exists in the teaching profession for integrated math.

"Integrated math is not universally accepted amongst math teachers, amongst department chairs, amongst leaders in math education," said Levinthal, a former math teacher. "My concern is that where this has been most successful is in selective enrollment schools, which, in a lot of cases, only teach to an honors level student, which is not the student we are looking to target for integrated math."

The board's new members rejected the old guard's arguments they were micromanaging the curriculum. Levinthal pointed to the board's vote last October as an example of the board being involved in such issues.

In developing a motion to reverse the changes, the board majority sought the help of staff, which upset Hirsman.

"This is not your job. This is not your job," she said.

She sighed and put her hands on her head, noting the science curriculum was the next debate at Wednesday's meeting. A recess was called, and Hirsman got up to speak with her board allies.

"Why are we going to talk about the science program?" Hirsman told them. "I'm ready to adjourn the meeting. Nothing is going to be accomplished by talking about the science program."

The school board did not make a decision on the science curriculum.