Online Math Textbooks Rankle Teachers, Parents Critics say program rolled out without sufficient preparation

Shortly after the start of the school year in September, Kirsten Rucker had scheduled an X-ray appointment for one of her twin sons — both juniors at Oakton High School — after class.

But when she asked him to bring his homework while they waited for the doctor he said he couldn't. It was all online.  She thought they would find a way to bring it with them. She found quickly she was wrong. 

They could access the material, but couldn't print pages. They tried to copy and paste from a PDF file, but were blocked by the software. They pulled up a print screen, but the words ran together, jumbled across the page. It wouldn't load on a reader, or an iPhone.

The system already has in place online programs for foreign language and social studies, but the switch to online math textbooks was different: Unlike its predecessors, the online math initiative had no pilot program — the success of the online social studies pilot left FCPS feeling like "it was ready to move forward," school officials said.