Posted on 02/08/2013 9:08:51 AM PST by lowbridge
California will no longer require eighth-graders to take algebra —a move that is line with the Common Core standards being adopted by most states, but that may leave students unprepared for college.
Last month, California formally shifted to the Common Core mathematics standards, which recommend that students delay taking algebra if they aren’t ready for it. Previously, algebra class was a requirement for all eighth-graders in the state.
The Common Core State Standards Initiative, which is sponsored by the National Governor’s Association, is an effort to unify diverse state education curricula. Forty-five other states and the District of Columbia have signed on so far.
But some education experts worry that the change will further damage struggling students’ college chances, since early proficiency in Algebra I is an excellent predictor of college graduation, according to the Mercury News.
(Excerpt) Read more at gopthedailydose.com ...
“Less people know the difference of two thirds or three quarters and how to solve equations, the easier for the State to steal from them ........”
Methinks you’ve hit the nail on the head.
so is it because the students are too stupid from having not been taught in the earlier grades or can’t they find enough teachers who can teach it?
i still remember my abstract algebra teacher in 11th grade. he would sit with us after class to help. i got a B and was damn proud of it. failed the first 3 semesters of plane geometry and algebra in 9th grade even with the helop of teachers and my dad. one day it clicked. aced 4th semester, aced the final, never got anything less than a B in all future math courses. trig was a snap and i still use it.
And colleges now offer remedial classes for writing and math before the college level courses. In other words they are doing the job of the free public high schools.
Quarters?
f’ that, man... gimme dollars!
Same with me in the early 70s. You had to qualify to take 8th grade algebra with grades and an exam.
We got it in the 7th.............
Same with me in the early 70s. You had to qualify to take 8th grade algebra with grades and an exam.
“This is clearly cultural insensitivity towards Arabs.”
Actually, no, it doesn’t affect them.
Their parents, like most immigrant parents, FULLY UNDERSTAND that their kids will not learn squat if left to the public schools, so they take their education into their own hands, which is why they outrun whites.
It’s only American parents who actually still believe that kids can be educated by public schools. Even Hispanic parents know better, although many of them don’t have the background or resources to help their kids.
(BTW, moved from Indiana to Virginia in the 1970s)
Southern school systems like those in Virginia think chilluns are entirely too immature to handle algebra until 9th grade. On the other hand they require county, state and us history ~ and for kids in Northern Virginia that's the same course taken three times ~ makes for some really great docents and tourguides in the DC area BTW.
Fortunately they've given up on handwriting and moved boldly into computer keyboards.
Such “standards” do not allow childern to learn at a pace that is suited to their mental abilities. My daughter is graduating HS taking Algebra II. There was no way that she would have been ready for Algebra in the 8th grade. This is due to her being diagnosed with Ausbergers AND a every poor math system being taught in elementary called “Everyday Math”.
White and Asian people math (pronounced maff)
BTW, Arabs are white people.
So true! I taught algebra, and LOVED every minute of it! I had some 8th graders in algebra, and they were the motivated kids. The ones in pre-algebra were either unmotivated, not quite as mature as others :), or ones who struggled with math. It was a joy to see my pre-al kids do well the following year in algebra when they were convinced they would never learn it!
Oh yes, my algebra teacher in 8th grade wrote me off as stupid. My 9th grade algebra teacher MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE!!!
“This is clearly cultural insensitivity towards Arabs.”
Well Algebra is an arabic derived word...
So--just extrapolating a bit here--if a student takes algebra in HS, then they're officially doomed in college? Is this coming from the same people who say your three-year old must be reading Melville or he'll NEVER amount to anything?
many of the folks who turn out to be football players are simply not terribly verbal ~ which may or may not be significant. depends on the kid.
My son took algebra in the eighth grade, but couldn’t pass the 9th grade algebra exam, so he took it again.
He’ll take it again in college, only to find out in life he won’t need it all that much unless he becomes an engineer.
I don’t think this is all that big if a deal. Not everyone is suited for college anyway.
I took algebra in high school and my first go around in college and hated every minute of it.
When I went for my second degree ( engineering related) I had to take it again in order to prepare for calculus. I LOVED it. My professor stated I wasn’t crappy in math, I just had crappy teachers.
My sin us a seventh grade math teacher and he loves it as well. Hats off to you,
Outcome based education is a live and well in Kalifornia.
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