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I want to publicly thank members of the Frederick County Board of Education members for placing the elementary math update on the Nov. 11 agenda. I heartily applaud the board members who spoke out on some of the many important issues.

Unfortunately, the presentation to the board included misleading information and lacked important content and clear answers. This follows a pattern of communication that began in early 2008, when curriculum staff assured the board that Investigations would be used only as a supplemental resource.

A central theme in the presentation was the importance of conceptual knowledge, something not exclusive to the Investigations program.

What's more important is to understand that conceptual knowledge does not come at the expense of factual and procedural knowledge when balanced instructional materials are used.

In fact, one board member stated that students in the magnet program are not using Investigations and are certainly getting the benefits of this type of learning. However, FCPS continues to defend its use of Investigations (one of the most controversial reform-based math curricula) for more than 90 percent of scheduled instruction.

Parents, students and teachers are counting on the board to effect meaningful changes to improve the faltering elementary math program. I hope the board will demand accountability from the curriculum staff and refuse to accept anything other than direct answers, prompt action and concrete results.

Stacey McGiffin, Braddock Heights