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CUNY's got math problem: Report shows many freshmen from city HS fail at basic algebra
DAILY NEWS ^ | November 12th 2009 | Joel Schectman and Rachel Monahan

Posted on 11/12/2009 10:45:24 AM PST by george76

More city kids are graduating from high school, but that doesn't mean they can do college math.

Basic algebra involving fractions and decimals stumped a group of City University of New York freshmen - suggesting city schools aren't preparing them...

"These results are shocking," ... "They show that a disturbing proportion of New York City high school graduates lack basic skills."

During their first math class at one of CUNY's four-year colleges, 90% of 200 students tested couldn't solve a simple algebra problem... Only a third could convert a fraction into a decimal.

The lack of math skills means the CUNY students - nearly 70% of which come from city schools - could struggle to keep up with peers, fail classes or even drop out...

John Jay College sophomore Ahmed Elshafaie, 19, who graduated from Long Island City High School, said he avoids math classes.

"I don't want to ruin my GPA," he said. "High school standards were really low."

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


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: academia; arth; bilingualeducation; charterschool; college; collegemath; cuny; federalmandates; highschool; math; rigorousstandards; schoolchoice; teachersunions; unions; vouchers
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To: george76
When I was a math major, I'd sometimes earn extra money either by prepping high school students for their entrance exams or coursework. Can't tell you how many times I was told that there were no right answers or wrong answers. It was all just my opinion and everybody's opinion was equally valid. Then they'd smugly fold their arms across their chest and refuse to learn anything I was trying to show them.

They're actually taught this crap in some public schools. At least in California, where I am.

It's pitiful.

21 posted on 11/12/2009 11:02:55 AM PST by LibWhacker (America awake!)
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To: george76

“Our Diversity Is Our Strength!”


22 posted on 11/12/2009 11:03:08 AM PST by AEMILIUS PAULUS (It is a shame that when these people give a riot)
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To: george76
There was a time in human history when stupid and/or incompetent people simply starved to death.

This kind of nonsense is what passes for "education" these days because stupidity and incompetence don't have any such consequences.

23 posted on 11/12/2009 11:03:19 AM PST by Alberta's Child (God is great, beer is good . . . and people are crazy.)
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To: george76

There was a time between the 1930’s and 1960’s when a CUNY degree was worth its weight in gold but in those days a large part of the students were Jewish along with many recent European immigrants-today having a degree from one of the CUNY colleges is a joke in this city.


24 posted on 11/12/2009 11:05:52 AM PST by Larry381 ("in the final instance civilization is always saved by a platoon of soldiers" Oswald Spengler)
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To: Nervous Tick

LOL!! So true.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_JopYUQgSw


25 posted on 11/12/2009 11:05:54 AM PST by GnuHere
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To: george76
If they can't solve: a2 + b2 = c2 , then I have a hunch, just a hunch mind you, that not ONE of these brainiacs knows what E=mc2means.

if they ever saw a Slide Rule, they'd prolly think it was a Back Scratcher.

26 posted on 11/12/2009 11:07:17 AM PST by Condor51 (The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits)
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To: george76
My homeschoolers started college at the ages of 13, 12, and 13. Since they needed to be driven to the school, I had a lot of time to hang out at the community college both in the library and in their math tutoring lab.

I personally knew students who graduated from high school who were unable to do even simple math such as long division. They had similar deficiencies in reading and writing. By taking the community college remedial courses, I was **amazed** that in two years the community college could teach them the skills they needed for success in college. The community college did this **routinely**! It was **not** an exceptional event!

So?...Why is it that the community college could teach these kids just 12 weeks after **graduating** from high school when just 12 weeks earlier their high school teachers couldn't??? Huh?

Nothing really changed in the lives of these kids. They were the same kids, with the same motivation and will to learn. Most had full and part-time jobs. They came from the same crappy dysfunctional families,.. but... 12 weeks after **graduating** from high school the community college is suddenly able to teach them.

Conclusion: Our government K-12 school suck big time. They use ineffectual teaching methods, and **refuse** to adopt methods that work ( such as the community college's approach)!

By the way, my homeschoolers finished all college general courses and Calculus III by the age of 15. The two younger earned B.S. degrees in math by age 18. The older of these two earned a masters in math by age 20.

27 posted on 11/12/2009 11:07:30 AM PST by wintertime
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To: george76
Only a third could convert a fraction into a decimal.

I can't believe that 40% of these people couldn't do this conversion. What morons.

28 posted on 11/12/2009 11:08:23 AM PST by thesharkboy (<-- Looking for the silver lining in every cloud, since 1998)
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To: GnuHere

That is funny! Thanks for the comedy break.


29 posted on 11/12/2009 11:09:03 AM PST by Nervous Tick (Stop dissing drunken sailors! At least they spend their OWN money.)
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To: NVDave

Yes, but then the textbook companies wouldn’t make money by making sure that all of the photos showed the appropriate fractions of skin color, and that the word problems were about Joe’s mom the lumberjack.......

Back in the day (when dinosaurs ruled the earth...) the really smart kids like me learned college algebra and trig in high school. And the less-than-brilliant took business and consumer math, so they COULD work with fractions and decimals and percentages.

Now, in Lake Wobegon, everyone is capable of higher level math, if we just let them “discover” it........ (my son, who did not inherit hs mom’s talent, was only interested in discovering lunch)


30 posted on 11/12/2009 11:09:08 AM PST by jaybee
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To: george76

I don’t think this is entirely the fault of poor teaching. In my experience there are a lot of people who just cannot seem to absorb elementary math concepts, especially anything to do with fractions. I doubt there was some magical time in the past when everyone managed to learn these things.


31 posted on 11/12/2009 11:12:25 AM PST by wideminded
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To: JenB
WHAT? Fractions and decimals? That's not college math, that's third grade math. Second grade for homeschoolers.

I can tell that it has been more than a few years since you were in school!

32 posted on 11/12/2009 11:12:27 AM PST by An Old Man (Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without.)
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To: NVDave
Please read post #27.

Also...Education majors have the lowest SAT and ACT scores on campus. It continues in graduate school with their GREs as well.

33 posted on 11/12/2009 11:12:37 AM PST by wintertime
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To: JenB

>>>
Huh, ok, well not everyone should go to college....
>>>
Absolutely. The problem is that most of these students a generation ago would have been in a vocational program, not taking academic courses and going to college.


34 posted on 11/12/2009 11:13:23 AM PST by nycteacher
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To: Nervous Tick

My endodondist was playing Pink Panther for me during a root canal, and when this scene came up, I honestly thought I was gonna have to make them stop so I could guffaw.


35 posted on 11/12/2009 11:13:29 AM PST by GnuHere
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To: USNBandit
Another winner aspiring to earn a degree in telemarketing.
Or possibly a career as a community organizer.

And if he talks well, sets forth promising promises, idealistic ideals, and expects the unexpected ...

...a future Nobel Peace Prize awardee. ;)

36 posted on 11/12/2009 11:14:50 AM PST by Stand Watch Listen ("All that's necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.")
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To: george76

And this is shocking why?


37 posted on 11/12/2009 11:15:09 AM PST by Robert DeLong (u)
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To: george76

But if they improve math skills, I’m going to lose the fun I have of giving a cashier $1.03 for a $0.78 purchase and watching said cashier’s little head explode.


38 posted on 11/12/2009 11:15:39 AM PST by IYAS9YAS (The townhalls were going great until the oPods showed up.)
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To: nycteacher

Yes, how did we get to the point where a college education is considered a “right” (like health care and Obama money)? I remember it starting with Clinton, but maybe it goes further back.

It is just not appropriate for all people by any stretch of the imagination.


39 posted on 11/12/2009 11:19:20 AM PST by GnuHere
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To: george76

I know from my subbing experience that schools really de-emphasize fractions. Everything is decimal. It’s mostly but not totally related to calculators.

Intelligent kids from decent schools are found to have no willingness to do any mental math at all. They reach for a calculator to calculate 10% discounts. They have never been trained in the art, and yet they find no shame in such lack of math skill.


40 posted on 11/12/2009 11:19:35 AM PST by bvw
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