Posted on 05/13/2008 7:03:24 AM PDT by reaganaut1
Five years ago, California took a bold step and began requiring algebra of every graduating high school senior. The grumbling ran deep. The work was hard. The underlying equation came through loud and clear:
More math in high school would equal more students prepared for college.
For many, it hasn't added up.
In a pattern that has area math professors scratching their heads, some community colleges are seeing an increase in the numbers and proportions of entering students who can't do algebra, or even basic arithmetic.
At Sierra College in Rocklin, for example, of the 199 sections of math being taught this year, 68 of them – 34 percent – are arithmetic, pre-algebra or beginning algebra. Most students seeking a two-year or four-year degree must master those levels of math and in many cases go beyond.
Five years ago, the percentage of remedial math courses at Sierra was 28 percent.
Last year at Cosumnes River College in Elk Grove, 40.8 percent of incoming students who took a math placement exam tested into arithmetic or pre-algebra, up from 38.1 percent two years earlier. The proportion of courses in beginning algebra, pre-algebra and arithmetic at Cosumnes has marched steadily upward, from 43 percent in 2003 to almost 52 percent this year.
"It's the million-dollar question," said Mary Martin, math department chair at Cosumnes. "We are asking more of our high school students, so why isn't it transferring over to college?"
California high schools have responded to the monumental task of getting students through algebra, Martin and other math professors say, but the push is falling short.
It has educators concerned because algebra is considered a key subject for developing critical thinking skills. It provides the language and foundation for numerous fields, from nursing to the sciences to architecture.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
I agree with your proposal. A “life skills” course could also include - in addition to basic financial comprehension - skills like doing the laundry, shopping for nutritious food, changing a tire, changing a dirty diaper, learning the DUI laws.
Whether one wants to believe it or not, standards have been lowered in MOST public schools. Of course, each school will have documented paperwork to state otherwise but the truth is that very little LEARNING is required today...compared to public school education in the past. We have made it far too easy to get grades and most students who are bored are not being properly challenged. (YES, there are other factors...such as broken families, substance abuse, poor parenting, pathetic teaching [there ARE some good teachers] and insufficient motivation for education, since the students have lots of material goods (even the *poor* students). And most public school systems find ways to keep passing these students....which, in the long run, does them no favor.
i think for most people the concepts of algebra are not the problem, especially when you’re talking about one variable. The problem is the mathematical presentation. Mathematicians find algebraic notation intuitive and elegant, and people without that facility find it mind-boggling.
No one thought twice about it and the teachers could teach it - that is a huge difference. CA spent a decade of feel good teaching i.e., 2+2=5 if it made you happy. The Rev. Wright will tell you the "chickens have come home to roost" and the taxpayer is being fleeced again.............
It's called CPM
CPM has been forced into math curricula in place of traditional math by educational activists who (I suspect) actively seek to prevent kids from excelling in the subject.
They are succeeding.
This is what happens when Marxists and their union buddies control "public" education.
rather than half the crap they teach nowadays, how about a class consisting of basic skills that people need to survive? things like:
1) how to change the oil in your car
2) How to change a flat tire
3) How to change spark plugs
4) How to wire a light switch/outlet/light fixture, etc.
5) How to sweat copper pipes
6) Now to tie knots
7) How to swim
8) How to determine which way is North
etc.
If you are unwilling to work, you are not capable of anything. (many of today’s students refuse to DO anything)
In my city, Nashville, no one who can afford it goes to the public schools, with the exception of a few academic magnet schools. When you net out those magnet schools, over 75% of the public school population in Nashville is financially eligible for subsidized lunches.
Then: Reading, writing, arithmetic ===>You are so right.
Today: How to be Dhimmi for Islam, How to be a sex toy for your teacher, How to hate America
If we had justice in America, the leadership of the NEA (and many of their willing followers) would be serving jail sentences for child abuse and the destruction of American education.
But forget that, just give us VOUCHERS and I'll call the whole thing square.
In TX, starting with this years freshmen, they are required to take 4 years of math - starting with Alg 1. The problem will be with the kids who have not learned the basics (like the times table) and can't get an answer without using the calculator. I have been amazed over the last several years how much the emphasis on basic skills has gone down, and dependence on the calculator has grown.
mispost, should have been
1 yr of math w/ geometry or algebra, our choice.
I have never used algebra in all my years.. and as far figuring out the price per ounce of an item.. I just divided 16 into the price.. I can figure out my bank balance by adding or subtracting.. most of these kids dont know basic math to begin with..
I believe the root of the problem is that algebra has been watered down, in part by the introduction of graphing calculators, by a curriculum that deemphasizes being able to do the algebra and arithmetic by hand. Curricula spend too much time on motivation and not enough time on drill. The real reason math gets watered down is that students and parents are happy that way.
It's politically incorrect to say it, but the fraction of young Americans who are college material will probably decrease certainly plummet [& collapse to almost nil] as the proportion of Hispanics increases.
You are using algebra - looking for an unknown.
And many of those children have learned one lesson VERY well... that the government will take care of them....and that it OUGHT to take care of them (whether they perform...or not). I am generalizing, but the generalization is far too applicable.
I took Algebra in middle school.
Trig and Calculus were for high school.
jeeze, you’d think that a liberal paper would know that you don’t say “remedial” math or english....politically correct term is “developmental”...that way nobody’s self esteem gets lowered don’t cha know.
No, the problem is that students are no longer taught logical, rational thought and deductive reasoning. The over reliance on
objective testing which can be graded electronically.
The excuse is that subjective testing involves too much opinion and does not provide an accurate assessment. The truth is that the public schools don’t want the kids forming their own opinions, and (and this a big and) the scantron graded tests don’t take any time to mark or evaluate.
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