For Immediate Release

June 28, 2022

SAN DIEGO, CA -- June 28, 2022- On June 23, 2022, Tony Thurmond, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, issued a memorandum to the State Board of Education (SBE) on a decision by the California Department of Education (CDE) to postpone the decision-making timeline concerning California's revised Mathematics Framework to winter 2022-23. As a watchdog group that has monitored the drafting and reviewing processes and raised public awareness accordingly, Californians for Equal Rights Foundation (CFER) welcomes CDE's latest move to postpone the timeframe of this controversial framework.

"Public participation works if we work it. I hope that this equity math framework would be postponed forever as it won't do any good for education excellence," commented Frank Xu, the president of CFER. "CDE's postponement of the 2022 Mathematics Framework, in spite of the political will for equity to be infused into K-12 teaching, is a victory for parents, citizens and groups that have advocated for merit and excellence in math education."

Superintendent Thurmond's letter to the SBE directly attributed this development to public and community input. He wrote: "In light of the significant amount of feedback received in the second round of public comment, the CDE will present an item to the SBE in July 2022 to revise the Schedule of Significant Events to move the current final action date from July 2022 to a future date, likely in the winter of 2022--23." Specifically, the State Government is responding positively to concerns regarding the new framework's ramifications on standards, accelerated learning and teaching pedagogy.

Since April 2021, CFER has worked diligently to inform the public on two field drafts of the math standards. In addition to grassroots organizing, CFER has also participated in alliance building to demonstrate bipartisan opposition to the new framework's focuses on social justice and equity. We have partnered up with the Congressional Office of U.S. Representative Young Kim who courageously led the California GOP congressional delegation in a letter rejecting the math equity framework's attacks on opportunities and merit. The State Board of Education promptly replied to the delegation, indicating that the state "will take the time needed to get this right." CFER has also written extensively about the fact that many who oppose the framework are Democrats and independents. 

We will continue to monitor future progress at the state level to introduce a new set of standards to teach math at the K-12 level and help amplify the public's demands for a scientifically rigorous and empirically sound framework for all California students.