Eureka FAQ

Questions collected from Parent Info Night

What have been the top 3 struggles with this program?
Learning and teaching new routines and strategies, managing supplies and manipulatives, adjusting to new curriculum.  If we take the teachers’ struggles out, it seems like the top 3 challenges for students might be: learning new vocabulary (e.g., unbundling), learning how to use new strategies and representations (e.g., place value charts), and getting used to justifying/proving solutions.  I also think there’s an element of self-management and productivity that’s a hard adjustment for some students.  With time-based problem sets, for example, students really need to take responsibility for making good use of their time.

How does Eureka relate/transition to middle and high school?
The most recent middle and high school math adoptions have curriculum that aligns with our Common Core learning standards. So while some of the Eureka-specific vocabulary may not be needed, Eureka math will still transition well to middle school and beyond. 

Is the recommended website still IXL?
IXL is only being supported by ISD through the end of this school year. Personal accounts are available through IXL if you choose to continue after the end of the year. Many teachers are choosing to use Zearn.org, since it aligns with Eureka’s curriculum. It features videos for the lessons as well as skills practice.

Is the students’ learning pace causing them to learn more and do more?
Students at all grade levels are building a deeper conceptual understanding of the math, and a stronger number sense. These two in combination help students experience success and learn more. The goal is for students to have a set of tools that enable them to be successful in their current grades, and in the future as math gets more complex.

Is the program dependent a lot on color? How will this program impact color blind children?
The Eureka print materials are all in black and white.  Math manipulatives, in most cases, can be used effectively by any student able to distinguish light from dark, such as red beads from white beads.  If colors present a challenge for your student, please make sure the teacher is aware so he or she can make any necessary adjustments.

How does Eureka compare to programs in other countries like China, Japan and India?
For this curriculum adoption, we researched only programs whose content matches the U.S. math learning standards, rather than the standards of other countries.  However, the Eureka developers did study math programs from around the world and incorporated the most effective instructional strategies (including elements of Singapore math) that align to our standards. 

Are students graded on showing their work or the right answer?
A combination of the two. Teachers want to see students explaining their thinking and justifying it with work. Remember that on the report card, students receive one grade for getting right answers (meeting the math content standards), and another grade for showing their thinking (meeting the standards for mathematical practice).

How do students learn from others if others are taught the same way?
The strategies allow for different approaches, varied based on how students use the strategy. They also have much to gain hearing alternative strategies, as some may be more efficient or easier for the student to understand. It also provides opportunities for students to learn through teaching others.

Are our ways at home wrong? Do we have to use the strategies taught in class?
Not wrong at all. Ultimately, the “traditional algorithms” are the most efficient strategies. However, many of the approaches in Eureka are designed to give students multiple ways to solve problems, based on conceptual understanding and number sense. These also enable students to understand why the standard algorithms work. Your students are lucky to have great supports!