Georgia math students stymied by accelerated pace and complex concepts expected in high school
One of the most well-informed group of posters on this blog has been parents and teachers concerned over the state’s new methodology for teaching math. I am eager to hear their comments on the statewide End of Course test results for Math II.
Only 52 percent of the students who took the End of Course Test for Math II in May passed, the state recently reported. Many students in metro Atlanta schools who took the tests squeaked by with barely passing grades, earning modest average scores of C’s and D’s for their districts.
The freshman class, meanwhile, fared somewhat better on the Math I End of Course Test, with 64 percent passing.
The benchmark scores reflect what several educators and parents have been saying all along: The new math curriculum, souped-up to get teens competitive for college, is leaving some students in the dust.
Tamela Cosby, an Atlanta Public Schools high school teacher, said only 20 percent of her ninth- and 10th-graders passed the final. They also struggled with the material in class.
“Since the course is a little difficult for the students, it’s not enough time to teach to mastery,” Cosby said. “They are not really understanding the material. For a lot of them, it’s the reading comprehension. They are not understanding what is being asked of them. It’s not just two plus two, there are word problems. They are not used to thinking in that aspect.”
About 80,000 teens statewide failed final exams in Math I and Math II in May.
Students in Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett schools earned a C-average for their district on the Math II End of Course Test. The lowest marks went to Atlanta Public Schools and Clayton County Schools, sharing a D-average on both Math I and Math II End of Course Tests. Two more affluent districts at opposite ends of the metro area — Forsyth and Fayette — rose to the top of the class, however, with students earning the equivalent of B’s on both Math I and Math II exams.
Kelly Price, a curriculum coordinator in Forsyth, saw her district do well, but she understood the challenges.
“Some students were good at the other way of doing math because all they had to do was memorize and regurgitate,” she said. “They never applied or understood, but they were good at spitting it back out. Now, we are asking them to put the pieces together. That is a whole different level of demonstrating mastery.”
The state Department of Education is optimistic that math scores will improve over time as teens adjust to the accelerated pace and get more familiar with complex concepts in algebra, geometry and statistics, which are being taught to students sooner than ever before. They see the end goal of dramatically improving state SAT scores and churning out classes of grads able to compete globally for jobs and admission to top colleges without remediation as within Georgia’s reach.
“We have to have well-educated students no matter what they are going to do after high school,” said Janet Davis, math program manager for the state DOE. “Our students have to be mathematically able to function in a 21st-century society. They are going to have to be problem solvers in a very different world.”
Beginning with the Class of 2012, every student must pass four years of math to receive a college prep diploma even if he or she plans to attend a technical school or enter the work force after graduation.
Some teens on the path to graduation got off to a shaky start. About 39,400 students failed the Math II End of Course Test, which accounts for 15 percent of their grade. About 40,600 students failed the Math I End of Course Test.
For the failing and near failing, help could soon be on the way. The state may allow some struggling math students to take an emergency break to keep them from veering off course toward a timely graduation.
State math officials have asked the Board of Education to consider a measure at their August meeting that will allow low-performing students headed for Math III — an Algebra II and statistics course – to instead take the slower Math III support class full time to meet their third-year requirement. Support classes for struggling students, taken in concert with math courses, spend more time on explaining complex math lessons. They were designed to help students be more successful at passing math core classes.
“This is a bridge measure we could put in place for the first two graduating classes instead of continuing to push them on into Math III,” Davis explained. “Our goal has always been to make sure that our students are learning the concepts at the most rigorous level possible, but not at the expense of our students.”
If successful at Math III support for the year, students could then take Math III senior year, Davis said.
If the state board approves the option, it could soon be extended to students across metro Atlanta where math final test scores were mediocre.
Despite her best efforts, even Donna Aker, a Gwinnett high school math teacher, said her daughter earned only a D in her Math II course with tutoring at school and at home from Mom. Aker said her own classes of Math I freshmen didn’t fare much better. Only about 60 percent of them passed the Math I course — with D’s, not A’s or B’s, as they tried to recall facts and formulas she says some may not even use after graduation.
“This is a true college-bound curriculum we are teaching — not all children are going to college,” said Aker. “I just don’t think that the one-size-fits-all approach is the way to go.”
It was a different story in Forsyth. Price said she is pleased with her district’s scores, adding that they will curb anxiety parents and students had about the state’s accelerated math program.
Price attributes Forsyth’s success to staff development and teachers sharing information on lessons that unlock the mysteries of math for struggling students. Math support also was used to help slower learners achieve better results.
Why are other students struggling in math? Aker, a 28-year veteran teacher and co-president of the Gwinnett County Association of Educators, says the math is aggressive and fast, which can intimidate slower learners; teachers are still learning the pitfalls of the curriculum, and they have to cover more ground.
Aker also said parents should be pushing their kids to work harder at home and at school.
Weisu Nugent of Atlanta says the new math curriculum will benefit students if they stick with it and study hard. She says her daughter, an 11th-grader at Druid Hills High, is soaring in accelerated math classes.
“If a child doesn’t have the habit of studying, when you reach a certain age, it gets more difficult,” she said. “It is hard for them to start high school math because when they reach high school, a lot of the kids don’t have a solid foundation. You have to practice every day.”
State officials predict that math final exam scores will climb. The new math curriculum was introduced to sixth-graders in 2005. The Class of 2019 will be the first to have had the accelerated math exposure from kindergarten through 12th grade.
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277 comments Add your comment
more random thoughts
August 1st, 2010
10:38 pm
Some people act like the new math program was instituted out of blue, but it was approved in 2005 – actually K-8 was approved earlier than that as they started the implementation in Gr. 6 in the 2005-06 school year. HS had at least 3 years to prepare for Math 1.
South GA teacher says there is no research to back up the CCSS will improve student achievement and s/he is absolutely right. On the other hand, there is no research to show that the traditional program does, either. Unfortunately, too often in education, we simply keep doing things just because that’s what we have done so. There is a very amusing story called Sabertooth Curriculum. I highly recommend it.
A lot of people here are fond of saying colleges aren’t for everyone. However, it seems like a lot of people think colleges aren’t for everyone – but definitely for MY children. When MY child fails, then there is something wrong with the program. I think there was actually a survey that asked people what they thought about the state of public schools. A very high percentage of the respondents said public schools are failing. However, the same group of respondents thought that the public schools that their children are attending are doing well.
Maybe I will open up a math tutoring business – or buy stocks in Kumon or Sylvan. Now, if they can help students perform well in these math courses, what’s wrong with what’s happening with public school classrooms?
catlady
August 1st, 2010
10:39 pm
stuck
more random thoughts
August 1st, 2010
11:00 pm
A couple more.
If what we want out of our students in K-12 schools is obedient worker bees, then certainly we should push for “don’t worry about understanding, just memorize what I am telling you to memorize.”
Some people want research to back something up and others are perfectly happy with anecdotes, maybe even their own…
Old Timer Educator
August 1st, 2010
11:31 pm
I have so much to say on this subject that I could use up one page of the blog all by myself; however, I’ll resist the temptation and just add this: As a person with vested interest in this subject I believe the biggest problem with it is there is no alternative. I respect the initiatives of Fulton County and how they have incorporated the old curriculum with the new. I’d like to see all of the school systems doing that as well. The DOE is digging a hole for the state that it’s not going to be able to get out of. We now have students in Math I – Integrated Algebra – that have been trying to pass it for three years. So what do we do with kids who are passing everything else, are passing the standardized tests, but can’t complete the Math 123 program? The ONLY choice they have is to drop out. Is this really in our kids’ best interest? I can’t remember a time – ever – when we didn’t offer students some other choice. As we’re seeing with the new conversation with Math 3 and its support class, “something” is going to have to be done. What a fabulous way to welcome our new freshmen to the 2010-2011 school year: Welcome. We wish you much success. Oh, BTW, if you don’t pass Math 1234, plan on dropping out.
South Ga Teacher180
August 1st, 2010
11:34 pm
@ more random thoughts
August 1st, 2010
10:38 pm
At least we have the GPS’s in the other subject areas that suggest that the tests are designed to assess to see if students can learn at least 50% of the standards…and according to the infinite wisdom of the Twin Towers in Hot-lanta, that is enough to say that our students our “high performing”…really? So there is research on who is achieving and who is not…it is all about the subgroups and all the other acronyms that follow with it!
Mike Honcho Himself
August 1st, 2010
11:51 pm
There definitely seems to be a big problem with the current curriculum. I know when I was trained to teach math 1, all of the concerns of current high school math teachers were basically ignored. These concerns of 3 and 4 years ago are today’s realities. Unfortunately, there is nobody at the state level that seems capable of dealing with the problems. I believe the new math 3 support is there best effort of helping students who are struggling with this curriculum.
I’m no neurologist, but I think the fact that topics of algebra one are now taught in middle school is a big problem. In the early 1990’s, I wrote an article review about teaching algebra one in 7th and 8th grades. My professor spent a great deal of time arguing that average 7th and 8th graders do not have the brain development to handle algebra. Is it possible that this new math curriculum is just too much to soon for far too many students? If I recall correctly, the brain research from my undergraduate and graduate work does linke abstract thought and brain development.
I wonder if the writers of this curriculum looked into the research of brain development and abstract thought? Maybe brain development research lead to the traditional math curriculum and why average students of my day took algebra 1 in the 9th grade. Only the truely gifted students took algebra 1 in middel school.
These are just some random thoughts I have.
abstract thought
August 2nd, 2010
5:44 am
@ Mike,
So, what do you call “abstract thought”? Why is it possible for 2nd graders to think “What plus 3 equal 7?” but too hard for 7th or 8th graders to think about X+3=7? What is “abstract” depend on what students have experienced previously, I think. For some, numbers may be abstract – that is, even 2+2=4 just written out is abstract. For others, numbers are concrete “objects” that they can actually manipulate.
On the other hand, I think a part of the reason for the push to make algebra I an 8th grade math (see CA) is that parents think THEIR children are “truly gifted,” thus they should be taking Algebra 1 in the 8th grade so that they can take AP Calculus in the senior year.
South Ga Teacher180
August 2nd, 2010
7:53 am
Yall, maybe we are on to something…maybe the current curriculum , as it is written, may be suitbable for those students who are truly gifted or very bright in their aptitudes and might be the curriculum could be used as the accelerated curriculum for Ga, because most of the kids in the state of Georgia do not have the reasoning capacity to do this kind of math at this time….I am not saying that they are not smart enough, I am saying that they are just developmentally ready for this type of manipulation.
This is like trying to teach a 9th grader about quantum mechanics when they have not every had the first physics class in college…we are setting up a new wave of illiteracy in this country…we should leave this up to the local BOE’s to teach this and go back to “old-school”
The state and their infinite wisdom needs to be careful, and it may already be to late for the class of 2012, but we will be graduating more kids that cannot think because we have not taught them how due to the policy of the so-called experts who are no longer in the classroom.
East Cobb Parent
August 2nd, 2010
8:35 am
If we want a change in the math curriculum, then we must ask hard questions of those running for State Super and Gov. Personally show me your plan.
Dr NO
August 2nd, 2010
10:14 am
With all these overtly superior/intelligent opinions its no wonder nothing ever get accomplished. You people are too busy slapping one another on the rear-ends and coming here seeking some self-gratification.
Pitiful.
Ole Guy
August 2nd, 2010
5:33 pm
Johnny K, the one-size-fits-all arguement, in my way of thinking, has several components, some of which may seem to (on the surface, at least) cancel out each other. My arguement, IN SUPPORT of the one-size-fits-all approach, is based on the concept of minimum standards. While we can’t all be star athletes any more than we can all be super achievers in academe, there should be minimum standards of demonstrated competence in subject matter, be it in the mathematical disciplines, language arts, etc. To accept anything less is admiting that today’s youth is entirely incapable of meeting the challenges which lie ahead in a world of uncertainty. The multi-track system which you advocate…admirable in concept…also provides an “out” for those who wish to remain within the comfort zone of perceived capability limitation.
I present this arguement, not to counter your position, but to challenge the notion that today’s youth is doomed to remain within (perceived) self-imposed limitation.
In days long gone, those entering the work world may not have been prone to benefit from higher level academics, simply because the job did not require such expertise. I am not too sure the same thoughts can necessarily be attributed to the demands de jour.
Wether the kid aspires to go to college or not should not be the sole determinant as to the level of academic difficulty. Many trades have been, and will continue to be intertwined with higher level math and science disciplines.
Non-traditional School Educator
August 2nd, 2010
9:52 pm
Alot of math issues. Our agency does alot of math tutoring and credit classes. One on one with great success. It is unfortunate that students have to resort to one on one to really get the concepts, but most students, athletes need this to stay on track for their scholarships. We are glad to help students and schools keep students on track with the math, but we really need to reconsider what this new math is really doing to our students, all students.
Ole Guy
August 2nd, 2010
11:57 pm
Ya know, Non-Trad, many years ago, in the dawning-of-the-computer 60s, a “New Math” was introduced to us 8th graders. At the time, it seemed like a dialect of Mandarin Chinese, however, through a basic reference to the familiar “base 10″ concept of math…a concept which had been…and, I would presume, continues to be taught…the variations in “base” became a little more “graspable”. Value manipulations, in bases other than the familiar base 10, became somewhat understandable, although one always felt as though one was walking on stilts through a bed of thorns…one slip and YOUCH!
I’m not sure exactly what the newest new math entails, but…rather than bemoan it’s (preceived or not) complexity, let’s just find a few EDUCATORS who know how to educate…how to disassemble the complex and create “bite-sized” nuggets for educational consumption. Somehow, my teachers did it. I sometimes “look inwardly” and marvel…”HOW IN HELL DID I EVER GET TO THIS POINT OF ACHIEVEMENT…I will be the very first to admit that I am not, nor was I ever anything but a minimaly mediocer scholar. I, like many, have had the privelege of the finest mentorship, however, it all had roots in my elementary/hs years…teachers who refused to allow mediocrity to get in the way of growth. However, in partial defense of today’s teachers, I do not think my teachers had to contend with the “operational handcuffs” with which educators, today, must contend.
South Ga Teacher180
August 3rd, 2010
3:13 pm
Maureen stop filtering me, you know I have a clue!!!
Maureen Downey
August 3rd, 2010
3:21 pm
@SouthGa, If you are being filtered, it’s being done automatically. I try to go into the filter often to release trapped posts. It is now empty and you ought to be out if you were in.
Coastal Area Math I Teacher
August 4th, 2010
8:07 pm
As a current high school Mathematics I teacher, who teaches all support and remedial classes (by choice), I have to say I see a lot of blame shifting. Everyone (teachers, students, parents, state) blames the other groups; each stating something that is out of one’s area of control.
Teachers are not adequately trained nor prepared to teach the curriculum. The curriculum does not sufficiently allow time to develop mastery. Students refuse to work for prolonged periods of time and choose to disrupt class. Parents complain that students have too much homework yet do not adequately provide for their child’s educational needs. The state dictates when, what, and how teaching is conducted leaving teachers no room for creativity. Children arrive without the necessary competencies and have too many gaps. The list goes on and on, yet it is what it is. Each student arrives in my classroom with a unique set of skills, interests, personal issues, abilities, and understandings, and I must get them to understand as much of the curriculum as possible in the limited time given.
From a teacher’s perspective, there are more concepts that can be adequately taught in a semester or even a year. In the semester long Mathematics I course, I had to teach, on average, three to five different topics each day just to talk about all of the topics in the standards. Sometimes that meant spending 10 minutes on something that really needed a week to master, in order to allocate more time for foundational topics (like factoring). Under the standards of algebra, geometry, and statistics and probability, there are 38 elements, each with multiple components [i.e. graph the basic functions (there are 6 in Math I) using multiple methods]. Some of these concepts could be mastered, with diligence on both the student and teacher’s parts, in an hour, while others require more than a week. Teachers need the ability to decide what teaching methods are effective and how to reach different modalities. Unfortunately, there is no time for trial. If a student does not learn the material, there is no time in the curriculum to try something different. There is also no time in the curriculum for remediation of concepts from previous years. The Georgia Mathematics I curriculum assumes students have mastered all concepts from previous years AND have no need for reminders.
So what do I do? I work with my students. I find out what they remember from the previous years, do some remediation at the beginning of the year, and take the time to practice some critical skills, such as solving a multi-step equation. I focus on the critical areas which are needed for success in subsequent years. That means, yes, I brush over some areas and expunge others – I have to, if my students are to grasp the basics of factoring, square roots, and polynomial operations, all of which are needed to be successful in Mathematics II. Are they necessary to have a fulfilling and productive life? No, in fact many of our students will never see a square root or factor a polynomial outside of a mathematics classroom. Statistically somewhere between 15 and 35% of high school students attend college. Many of those never need anything beyond basic college algebra. So what’s the point? The point of mathematics is not always about the calculation but the skills and understandings which are pertinent to everyone. Organization skills, explaining processes, persistence, logical argument, interpretation and evaluation of information, accuracy, and learning from one’s mistakes are all skills students learn in a high school mathematics classroom. These are the skills we need every US citizen to have; skills which are learned through the hard work and determination it takes to accurately make calculations.
With regards to the state tasks, I use them judiciously. Some of them are very poorly written, others are unintelligible, and some hold no interest to my students. At a Mathematics I training session, 40 math teachers could not finish the first page of an 8 page task in an hour, yet the state determined that students should complete the whole task in 2 days (3 hours). When teachers cannot understand the directions or the expected process with a state provided trainer, how can we expect students to find success. I have re-written several of the state tasks in order to make them accessible to my students. Some of them just need clarification and some need re-organization. Scrap them and salvage what you can use, which changes from class to class and year to year. Yes, it is a lot of work on my part, but it is worth it.
Regarding textbooks, several of the previous posters are accurate. There are only a few approved textbooks for use in Georgia at the high school level; all of them have problems. The one I have worked with is exactly as has been previously mentioned; terrible as a resource for parents and students and was pieced together from three other books. There are few examples, often not directly relating to the problem sets and little explanation. I created videos demonstrating how to solve certain types of problems, handouts with examples and explanations, graphic organizers, and decision trees all to provide more support for my students and their parents.
By the way, there is no “new math”; mathematics has not changed, just the manner in which it is organized and taught. Some of the “new” methods of teaching mathematics comes from “recent” research on learning: brain-based learning, multiple intelligences, hierarchies of learning, etc. Some of it is garbage; some of it works. Everything in the Georgia Performance Standards at the high school level was there in old Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry curriculums, with the addition of statistics and data analysis; it is a matter of organization and time. The old set of courses were much more linear allowing students to build and continue to practice earlier learned skills. The integrated curriculum has not approached this well; it is very disjointed and does not include inherent connections.
Just my $0.02 added to the pot with no blame. I am far from perfect at teaching the Mathematics I curriculum, but I do my best, which is what I expect of my students.
I do have to say, I think it stinks that we are forcing all students into the same mold. It is especially sad that our students with disabilities no longer can earn a special education diploma to accommodate their individual needs. Sadly, I think we will see a rise in the drop-out rate as students become frustrated, not only with the difficulty, but the expectation of all to meet college readiness. I have not even touched on the complexities involved in a student transferring in or out of Georgia, nor the issues with out of state colleges.
Mill Creek Mom
August 4th, 2010
8:33 pm
Coastal Area Math I Teacher, thank you so much for your post. It validated everything I’ve experienced trying to get my son through the program. Your post was extremly well written and nails the problems on the head. It is just so frustrating to know these are the issues and that there’s not one thing I can do except try to get my son all the help there is and hope he squeaks it out.
Mike Honcho Himself
August 5th, 2010
8:55 pm
Coastal Area Math Teacher explains it better than I could even begin. You are exactly correct.
Text
August 6th, 2010
8:28 pm
I will be teaching math III next week. Has anyone heard of the CorePlus text books? I think they are horrible and are not aligned with the course. Carnigie is alright.
anonymous YO
August 9th, 2010
9:31 pm
I’m in Accelerated Math III right now.
Acc Math 1 was incredibly hard. Hardest class ever. I got better teachers my sophomore year and I got the same teacher I had last year this year.
I got an 80 my first semester freshman year… and I’m a straight A student. Then I got an A second semester and from there on out A’s.
What I’m saying is, it’s quite an adjustment. And even though I’m getting A’s now, it doesn’t mean it’s coming easily. I have to put SO MUCH WORK into that class especially compared to others.
Hopefully I’ll do good in Accelerated Math III then I can get into AP Calculus BC and get off this effin math curriculum crap
Nicholas Durepo
August 12th, 2010
9:32 pm
I’m a student in high school that has just started into to 11th grade Kathy Cox is a moron the class of 2012 is struggling really bad at my school some students are forced to cheat because that’s the only way to pass these bar-barrack math classes and to those students that passed the math 2 Eoct I hope everyone knows that the state curved them by 20 points this is a fact my math teachers have said that every ones failing these state test. And I would like everyone to know that these math classes have ruined me going to college because i failed 1 and 2 but made them up thanks Kathy Cox for ruining my life.
Linda
August 13th, 2010
8:19 am
I understand the need to teach children a more complex curriculum; however, when a school (like my son’s) does not furnish or teach from a math textbook stating the children will “make their own math textbook”, I see failure written all over it. I can state my son’s accomplishments and tell you that in the 5th grade his reading and comprehension was that of a 10th grade, 4th month student, I can tell you that he was placed in the gifted classes in 1st grade and remains there still; with the exception of math, I can even tell you he was the second child in his 50-year-old class to be sent to Washington D.C. with People to People for his outstanding abilities. However, this has nothing to do with the fact that he is struggling profusely in math which is due primarily from the absence of a math textbook. Please do tell me what child can learn middle school math without examples from which to reference generally found in a standard math textbook?
I will be petitioning the board of education and should I receive no answer for the second year in a row, I will be going directly to news channels, AJC, and the state as this is the most ridiculous way to ensure our children fail in math – a subject that is detrimental to making it in this world.
teacher2010
August 15th, 2010
6:25 pm
Every student in Georgia does not need to take 4 years of college prep math, especially if that child could not pass middle school math. What makes me so mad is that these kids are PLACED into the ninth grade and all of a sudden it is the high school teacher’s fault if the kid does not pass. What a mess…Being a high school math teacher today is a job with no benefits. We get only complaints from parents and pressure from higher ups. Oh, and the only way to teach this new material is TEACH it and not use the DISCOVERY method. I think the schools/teachers who are having some success are throwing out the state’s preferred way of teaching and going back to actually teaching.
Also,this Math 3 support for math credit idea is fine, but once again the state just comes up with a “solution” without giving schools any background info or how this will really affect kids. Kids who need Math III support are probably not the ones to be accepted into a 4 year school anyway. This course is just the state’s way of putting a band aid on this curriculum and expecting teachers to teach all the Math I and II stuff this year in the hopes of possibly allowing some kids to pass the Grad test. And when kids don’t pass (or enough do not pass), teachers will be blamed yet again. How in the world will 80% pass if only 52% passed Math II EOCT?
Fed Up in Dawson County Too
August 16th, 2010
12:16 pm
Linda, I wholeheartedly agree with you! How in the world can you expect a child to learn when there is no textbook, ESPECIALLY in Math???
Coastal Area Math I Teacher
August 17th, 2010
7:16 pm
. @Teacher2010
Sadly you are right; we high school math teachers get students placed in our class, often by someone who has little knowledge of the child or the curriculum. Most of my non-support students belonged in support. They were placed in “regular” Math I because they were pleasant students, who knew how to play the game, not because they were particularly good at mathematics. My assumption was that CRCT scores would be used to place students; that was obviously not the policy in my district. Last year, we asked 8th grade teachers to evaluate students work habits, along with CRCT scores, and final course scores. Unfortunately, it was usually too late to move a student once we had enough time to determine where a student would be most successful.
I rarely use discovery in Math I; some things are just impossible to “discover” in the limited amount of time provided to process the topics in the Math I curriculum. When I taught middle school math, I used the discovery method for many topics, but there is a great difference in degree of complexity. Discovery works really well for some topics when provided ample time, but that is generally not the case, especially with the current Georgia high school mathematics curriculum.
I wish I could adequately prepare the 60-85% of my students who are not college bound. Most of my students would benefit from learning banking skills; how interest/loan rates work; real-world applications of charts, graphs, and statistics; measurement and conversion skills; and estimation. The skills adults need to function are left behind at middle school, yet these are the skills we should be reinforcing. How many times have you been given the wrong change back? I feel embarrassed for the cashier when I have to correct them, often giving them money back.
mathwonk
September 15th, 2010
2:52 pm
A little perspective. One of the posters above discussed teaching X+3 = 7 as “what? plus 3 = 7?” to 7th graders, presumably here in Georgia.
This summer I suggested this same example of making algebra easier to a friend who teaches in Seattle, and she replied “But that is still a really hard concept for some first graders”.
This blew me away as I had never imagined teaching algebra to first graders as she apparently routinely did. When I told her that I really was talking about 7th graders or ninth graders, she just stared at me in embarrassment, too polite to comment.
It is sobering to talk to people in other states (or countries) where algebra in elementary school is normal, and here we have to remediate it to college freshmen. Maybe we do need to set our standards a little higher. Someday these students might want to survive outside Georgia.
It reminds me of a study we did at UGA showing math performance was correlated with social security number, which has a portion showing what state you are from.
The challenge is how to improve standards without sacrificing a whole generation in the experiment.
Math Prof and Long Time HS Teacher.
September 16th, 2010
4:02 pm
This new math curriculum is horrible. I am a professor at a private university in Atlanta. We would not dream of teaching math in this manner. Students taking math under the new curriculum are struggling because they are not afforded the opportunity to truly master the topics. The claim is that it will boost standardized test scores. From working with students, I predict the opposite will happen. Additionally, they will enter college without the requisite skills for success. We are doing our students a grave disservice by, as the previous poster put it, subjecting them to this grandstanding experiment.