I can tell that it has been more than a few years since you were in school!
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 ...
They're actually taught this crap in some public schools. At least in California, where I am.
It's pitiful.
“Our Diversity Is Our Strength!”
This kind of nonsense is what passes for "education" these days because stupidity and incompetence don't have any such consequences.
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.
if they ever saw a Slide Rule, they'd prolly think it was a Back Scratcher.
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.
I can't believe that 40% of these people couldn't do this conversion. What morons.
That is funny! Thanks for the comedy break.
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)
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.
I can tell that it has been more than a few years since you were in school!
Also...Education majors have the lowest SAT and ACT scores on campus. It continues in graduate school with their GREs as well.
>>>
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.
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.
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. ;)
And this is shocking why?
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.
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.
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.
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