Springboard, a reasonably sized paperback book that is usually seen in English and Math classes, is introduced to students as soon as 6th grade and continues into high school. This year, traditional math textbooks have been replaced with these workbooks that are made by Collegeboard, the writers of the SAT. Although it was a good idea to have students use these workbooks containing SAT style questions, many students aren’t liking the change.

“It sucks and it’s definitely not the best thing for students. I’ve been confused lately. I really need a book that’s helpful,” said, student Dylan Zuccarello.

Another issue surounding the Springboard workbooks is the absence of correct answers provided in the book due to cheating in the past. Students are also criticizing the workbook for it’s lack of demonstrations. The math Springboard workbook is not suited to take the place of a textbook because, unlike textbooks, Springboard does not teach students how to work through problems. Without the demonstration and explanation of math questions, students are left confused and in discontent.

When asked her opinion on the new addition to her Pre-calculus class, Elizabeth Cheung, 11, answered “They make me confused on subjects I already knew from last year. I wish we could just go back to textbooks because the subjects are explained a lot better. I hate Springboard so much.”

Many Freedom High School students described Springboard as a waste of time because they will do problems in the workbook without understanding the meanings behind them. Teachers are expecting students to seek for help from their books even though they are perplexing for many. This is the first year of the main use of Springboard books in math classes and students are already not in favor of the new change. Hopefully, all math teachers will allow students to use old textbooks in addition to the new Collegeboard made workbooks so that students can still do well in their math classes.

“Springboard is such a waste of paper. Almost every question on the book is confusing.  It doesn’t even teach us anything and I’m usually so lost. The physical qualities are also bad. The pages rip apart if I try to erase something. I want the old textbooks back,” said sophomore Terry Tan.

FSA Connection Questions

1. Summarize the article in one sentence.
2. Based on context clues, what is the connotation of the word “Plethora” in the story?
3. In the article, the author disagrees with…
4. The main idea of this article is…
5. Select the best two sentences form the article that support the author’s main idea.
6. Does the author seem one-sided or two-sided to the topic? Explain.
7. Do you agree with the author? Explain.