HONOLULU, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- A foundation says Hawaii is dead last when it comes to math standards but the state's Department of Education says the foundation is an island of criticism.
The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation raised Hawaii's language arts score to a C but gave the state's math standards a failing grade, saying there's "little to be salvaged," the Honolulu Advertiser reported.
The Washington-based foundation said Hawaii minimizes the importance of prerequisites, introduces calculators too early and recommends texts and programs that have been criticized by professional mathematicians.
A education spokesman said the foundation criticizes every state that uses recommendations from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the foundation's philosophy is directly opposite of the U.S. Department of Education.
The Fordham Foundation review, the first since the federal No Child Left Behind law was passed, gave A's for math standards to just three states -- California, Indiana and Massachusetts.
A state education spokesman said Hawaii performs on par with California in the National Assessment of Educational Progress test, which is known as the nation's report card.
