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Judge delays 8th-grade algebra in California schools
AP via San Jose Mercury News ^ | 28 October 2008 | Juliet Williams

Posted on 10/28/2008 6:04:25 PM PDT by CounterCounterCulture

Judge delays 8th-grade algebra in California schools

SACRAMENTO — A Sacramento County judge has agreed to delay a requirement that all California eighth-graders be tested in algebra.

(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: algebra; boardofeducation; publiceducation; publikskoolz
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1 posted on 10/28/2008 6:04:26 PM PDT by CounterCounterCulture
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To: CounterCounterCulture

i can see that... not all 8th graders are at that level... they should test for basic math skills, however... everyone should enter high school with solid, basic math skills...


2 posted on 10/28/2008 6:07:25 PM PDT by latina4dubya ( self-proclaimed tequila snob)
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To: CounterCounterCulture

How long until students won’t be required to do anything to receive a public high school diploma? It’s not that far off, IMO.


3 posted on 10/28/2008 6:07:31 PM PDT by Harry Wurzbach (Joe The Plumber & Rep. Thaddeus McCotter are my heroes.)
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To: CounterCounterCulture

vouchers


4 posted on 10/28/2008 6:07:31 PM PDT by nufsed
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To: Harry Wurzbach

All they have to so is show-up (periodically) now. Twelve years of baby-sitting by the government and then … out on the streets. :-(


5 posted on 10/28/2008 6:13:45 PM PDT by doc1019 (Obama IS running against Palin)
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To: Harry Wurzbach
Oh, I don't know about that. They'll be required to learn about homosexuality and the "global warming crisis," don'tchaknow.
6 posted on 10/28/2008 6:13:57 PM PDT by CounterCounterCulture (Yes on California Proposition 8; thwart the radical homosexual movement)
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To: latina4dubya
....they should test for basic math skills....

By the 8th grade?? I had fractions in the 4th, Alg.1 in the 7th and Alg. 2 in the 8th.

We're screwing our kids and the future of this Country not demanding higher math skills.

7 posted on 10/28/2008 6:18:30 PM PDT by Las Vegas Ron (Election '08, the year McCain defined the word "dilemma")
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To: CounterCounterCulture
Just another ignorant hillbilly. The earlier you get kids working with the symbolic logic inherent in algabraic notation the sooner you're going to find those best able to become engineers, designers, lawyers, and so forth ~ and you can move them right out of the regular highschools into college.

That way you don't waste their time and they are not able to bother the others.

Our local system dwadled around and managed to delay algebra to 9th and 10th grade. That's a disaster because there's no time left for a reasonably competent, but not genius student to get calculus before graduation. 8th grade algebra allows good students to advance, and th grade algebra is even better.

8 posted on 10/28/2008 6:20:44 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: CounterCounterCulture

I’m so glad we have judges that involve themselves in every facet of our daily lives. I just don’t know how I’d function without them!


9 posted on 10/28/2008 6:20:46 PM PDT by VeniVidiVici (Barack Hussein Obama attended a muslim school, has a muslim name and a muslim father. Refute it.)
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To: latina4dubya
i can see that...

I do not think one judge should have the power to decide what is best in the entire state education system. He is by no means an expert (of course look how much the 'experts' have screwed up the school system).

10 posted on 10/28/2008 6:21:45 PM PDT by Michael.SF. ("They're not Americans. They're liberals! "-- Ann Coulter, May 15, 2008)
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To: VeniVidiVici
The Judge came, he saw, he conquered.
11 posted on 10/28/2008 6:22:54 PM PDT by Michael.SF. ("They're not Americans. They're liberals! "-- Ann Coulter, May 15, 2008)
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To: latina4dubya

My kids’ school starts algebra in 6th grade.


12 posted on 10/28/2008 6:28:47 PM PDT by Calpernia (Hunters Rangers - Raising the Bar of Integrity http://www.barofintegrity.us)
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To: Michael.SF.
I do not think one judge should have the power to decide what is best in the entire state education system.

Exactly. Do I think that making every 8th grader take algebra is a stupid idea? Absolutely. A large number of the kids simply can't hack it. HOWEVER, it isn't the proper role of the judiciary to nix every stupid idea. Judges need to stop playing philosopher-kings.
13 posted on 10/28/2008 6:31:16 PM PDT by irishjuggler
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To: Michael.SF.

Between the Judges and the Lawyers they really wrack chaos.,....


14 posted on 10/28/2008 6:35:42 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (No Burkas for my Grandaughters!)
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To: Harry Wurzbach
Problem is that is not enough space in McDonald's...:-)))
15 posted on 10/28/2008 6:37:53 PM PDT by QQQQ
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To: CounterCounterCulture

i canceled my subscription to “the economist” recently,

after i learned that obamao would improve skools more than mccain!

the democrats destroyed urban public skools and are continuing to destroy urban public skools.


16 posted on 10/28/2008 6:40:30 PM PDT by ken21 (people die and you never hear from them again.)
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To: CounterCounterCulture
My question would be... is it really "algebra"?

I learned this when one of mine entered middle school. Lasted for one month. Here's the deal: Something like 4/5 different K-5 were going into that one middle school. Each school had been using not only different types of math curriculum, using different methodologies, and LABELS. So, math class begins. 1/4 of the class has no comprehension of the terms the teacher was using. And they were the good math students from their school. Other 1/4 of the class were ESL, parts of which had been taught math in Espanol, the others in English immersion.

And I haven't even gotten to the fact that some of the schools had been using the newer math, which includes geometry and limited, but some, calculus in coursework entitled "Algebra". And that some had come from classes with maybe a grand total of one actual month of "pre-algebra" in Grade 5.

It was a mess.

The article give no indications of any of these facts, and is merely reporting the matter is a "political football".

Which, of itself is no surprise,... considering we are talking about California schools, math, and whether or not schools have been obeying laws and various regulations and benchmarks....

17 posted on 10/28/2008 6:53:05 PM PDT by Alia
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To: CounterCounterCulture

As a former math teacher, I can say that not all kids are ready for algebra in 8th grade.

I have a MA in math and I didn’t take Algebra I until 9th grade. I ended up taking calculus as a Sr. Plenty of time in high school to pick up the needed math classes, especially in system that use the semester block system.

I would love to see vouchers as well. It could help shape up the public system and give alternatives to all students.


18 posted on 10/28/2008 7:15:16 PM PDT by CriticalJ
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To: muawiyah

“The earlier you get kids working with the symbolic logic inherent in algabraic notation the sooner you’re going to find those best able to become engineers, designers, lawyers, and so forth ~ and you can move them right out of the regular highschools into college.”

One thing that drives me crazy about math in high schools now is geometry. They have all but done away with rigorous proofs because of standardized testing. You can still learn a lot in geometry, but the proofs really developed higher order thinking skills.


19 posted on 10/28/2008 7:18:54 PM PDT by CriticalJ
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To: Calpernia
My kids’ school starts algebra in 6th grade.

that's when i started taking algebra... however, not every student was at that level... i'm sure not every sixth, seventh and eighth grader at your kids' school is ready for algebra...

20 posted on 10/28/2008 9:10:37 PM PDT by latina4dubya ( self-proclaimed tequila snob)
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