Posted on 01/25/2014 6:32:57 PM PST by gooblah
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Policy pop quiz: Does Texas - algebra II = success?
The state that started a trend by making high school students tackle algebra II is now abandoning the policy in a move praise by school districts for affording more flexibility. But some policy experts are nervous because nearly 20 states have followed Texas' lead in requiring the vigorous course.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
I liked practical math very much in elementary school and absolutely resented havng to take Algebra and Geometry.
Be careful in X-Ray Diffraction Labs.
EBT, 0bama phone and ‘rat voting Classes.
So does a person need algebra to work in advanced vocational fields? No. It might help but it is not by any stretch a must have. After high school I went in the Navy and worked on the HVAC and refrigeration system for the ship. We had ten centrifugal chill water A/C units combined total of 2000 tons capacity. My job was maintenance and repair of those units and our refrigeration gear. While I did have to know some basic formulas it was not complex. I also had to maintain a balanced heat load throughout the ship making sure all areas got cooled dowm and how to reconfigure if they weren't. Therometers told me what I needed to know. Experience taught me what to do.
After I got out I took the two courses I mentioned. Somewhere along the way the state decided to add or supliment Math class into the courses separate from the vocational class. I already knew the needed math to do my job.
A Math instructor swore to me I could not go on a job and place a ladder against a building safely without using either pencil and paper and a measuring tape or a calculator to figure the proper angles. I asked him if he'd ever seen an extension ladder before? I told him place your feet with your toes at the base of the ladder with your feet at each side of it. Then you extend your arms straight out and grasp ladder. If you can do that and the ground is safe then the ladder is safe to climb. He being a Math teacher could not grasp that time and trades honored concept. I could not grasp his advanced math he was insisting on above and beyond what I needed. Not all Math teachers are cut out to climb ladders and not all students are cut out for advanced math courses.
Ironically during that time I enlisted for an Army NG stint as a 13-B. I hauled ammo but we had courses on reading grid maps and getting grid coordinates, azimuth, and back azimuth etc. I had that figured in a few minutes enough to where I was asked if I wanted to be a forward observer instead. I said no thanks LOL.
Some people have the gift of being able to do complex math. I am not one of those gifted. I can do functional math in my head. Grocery shopping? I don't need the calculator. I have a short cut that puts me within about 5% of my grocery budget. I've worked as a clerk before in a store that did not allow use of the cash register total keying in amount paid to give back change. We laid the amount the customer gave on top of the till drawer, counted back to customer the change from amount due to amount given. We didn't come up short and that protected both us and customer from mistakes. Many kids today pass Algebra but can't do basic math in their heads that they actually need. That should be the schools primary focus.
I'm not against advanced Math courses especially for those with the gift for it. I am against making it mandatory at a high school level for students who would be served far better in basic fundamental Math courses. For Voc/Tech students half their sophmore and all their junior and senior year should be strictly vocational courses {I recommend taking two} focused with a goal of Co-op program the senior year. My senior year of high school I was working an 8-5 full time job. Being versitle and adaptable to both your employers needs and the job market will go a long ways. I've done several skilled professions including OTR truck driving at one point.
Teaching Math In 1950
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of
production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?
Teaching Math In 1960
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of
production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
Teaching Math In 1970
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of
production is $80. Did he make a profit?
Teaching Math In 1980
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of
production is $80 and his profit is $20 Your assignment: Underline the
number 20.
Teaching Math In 1990
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and
inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the
preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of
$20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class
participation after answering the question: How did the birds and
squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong
answers.)
Teaching Math In 2006
Un ranchero vende una carretera de maderapara $100. El cuesto de la
produccion era $80. Cuantos tortillas se puede comprar?
I teach high school science, and I agree with you. My third track chemistry students are required to pass chem to graduate, but most of them are not really capable of making the connections or doing the math. It's very frustrating for them and for me. Most do their best, but it's only by 'cooking the books' that many of them pass the course. Many would be better served by a vocationally oriented course where they could learn skills that they will actually use. I don't like to pretend, but if they are working hard and truly not equipped to understand, I can't in good conscience fail 2/3 of the class. Inflexible policies put many people into situations which lead to dishonest grading and waste of time and resources.
I took algebra I and II as a correspondence course when I was in the Army and I got straight A’s. I did not find the math that difficult.
You're joking, right?
Texas public schools are 63% black and hispanic. Algebra II and above requires the ability to reason abstractly. Mastery of trig and calculus requires an IQ of 105 or above.
What do you think the average IQ in Texas public schools is?
By today's standards I would not have made it out of high school. I was class of 1976. The Voc/Tech movement was just starting to take off in my state at that point. My high school Voc/Tech training got me the job in the Navy I wanted and made training me for it once I got to the ship a lot faster than ones I later trained who had no training. I also did well in history except when I got a draw a map loving teacher LOL. Science? I was walking around with a pocket transistor radio I had build myself. Chemistry? Uh OK I made wine in my bedroom :>} {a major offense today} Gym? I couldn't do too well especially in the required mile run. I could swim all day though and could have likely out hiked the Gym Teacher LOL.
I don’t see how lowering school standards will help. If we set the bar low, then the students will respond accordingly, ethnic composition of the student body not withstanding.
Isabel Hutt credits algebra II for dramatically raising her SAT scores, but the 16-year-old admits she wouldn't be in the class if it weren't required. She plans to study Spanish and social work in college.
"That would have been a dream come true, if I had stopped after geometry," said Hutt, an 11th grader at Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio.
A lower SAT and less effort would have been a dream come true for Isabel. Some day she will use this experience navigate her clients, once she has learned their language,
You probably would have graduated. Standards are handed down from admin (or the state), but in most schools teachers can't fail too many kids because it doesn't look good. Some students can meet the standards and have the drive to really do well. Many others are socially promoted over the years, and graduate with limited academic or practical skills. It isn't right but it won't be fixed at the high school level. It means that we have to be willing to fail kids at the elementary school level and to provide whatever remediation they need to get on grade level. It runs counter to our 'feel good' culture and also forces us to acknowledge that children do not all have the same ability and drive to succeed in school.
I agree. I've been processing my first semester grades this weekend, and I have a number of students who will receive failing quarter or semester grades. I'm sure I'll get some heat for it. There are some who will scrape by only by virtue of generous grading curves and my unwillingness to fail so many that it gets admin riled up. I need my job and I'm not tenured.
First, no one gets out of Algebra I and Geometry.
How about 2 tracks:
Academic/College Track
Take the Algebra II or more (you’ll need it in college to take a business major.
VoTech Track
After Algebra I, take accounting (debits and credits, preparation of income statements and balance sheets) AND basic statistics with accent on laughing at newspaper stories quoting bad statistics.
Better to fall short of high standards then to succeed at low standards.
Those that do succeed will go on to bigger and better things. College is not supposed to be for everyone like it is pushed now. Better to have a smaller group of college entrants who can handle the work than a larger group that enters college unprepared. Vocational training and community college should take up the slack.
Part of the obsession in raising the graduation rate. Fact is that no more than maybe 60 per cent of students can hack the traditional high school curriculum. Problem is that the schools have gutted the vocational education programs. That there are no jobs for sixteen year olds who decide that school is not for them, hence no job training.
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