Singapore math bill moves forward

SB159 » A bill that would give schools money to teach math using the Singapore method cleared another hurdle on Tuesday.

The bill, SB159, passed its initial Senate floor vote 23-3 Tuesday. It now has to pass in the Senate one more time before moving to the House.

The bill, which was changed Tuesday, would offer competitive grants to districts that come up with plans for teaching Singapore math in kindergarten through eighth grades. Singapore is one of the highest scoring countries on international math tests. In Singapore, math students are encouraged to think visually and develop mental strategies to solve problems.

The bill was scaled back Monday from an original cost of $1.75 million to a new cost of $500,000 at the request of the state school board, meaning it could affect 5,000 students instead of 10,000. Another change would mean grants to colleges and other groups to train mathematicians to be teachers would be delayed until July 1, 2010.

-- Lisa Schencker