Virginia moving to eliminate all accelerated math courses before 11th grade
foxnews.com
foxnews.com
This is crazy. I grew up in a South Asian country before immigrating for University. Even in my first year in University, I was tutoring multiple students from both my year as well as 2nd year on algebra, calculus and discrete mathematics. I would even say my math courses in first 2 years of University in western world was much easier than what I had already studied by grade 12 of back home.
I had covered Algebra, Geometry, quite advanced Calculus by grade 12 in South Asia. If these asinine policies continues, you can guarantee that western university students will keep loosing to foreign students like myself. There may even be no longer a point of people immigrating here for higher studies.
I have even spent time thinking about whether it might be a wise idea for me to immigrate back to my home country when I have kids because I wouldn't want them having such watered down education.
Standard that one size of 10+ years of education fits all is false. Yes, some kids my have no interests and/or predispositions, it does not mean they failed in any meaningful way, eventually they find something given opportunities (similarly but less strict/competitive education is today) they are passionate about.
What they're actually talking about is this:
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/mathematics/vmpi/in...
So we've got a thread full of people decrying manipulation... while being massively manipulated in really trivial ways. And instead of talking about how to improve math education, we're talking about BS. Or really not talking, just clutching pearls.
If you want to claim that your way of thinking is so much better, demonstrate it, at least a little.
Does the site you linked refute this? Are you refuting this?
That's because the Facebook post is shitting its pants about the wrong thing. The thing that they're supposed to be shitting their pants about is that they're reorganizing the math in such a way that the regular path allows students to take the main math courses by grade 10, rather than a course focused on getting every single person into calculus (even if it means stopping in a weird place like pre-calculus).
So some students can finish their math by grade 10 and stop (and in the process focus on more everyday math rather than STEM-focused math). That's the things that's supposed to be filling their Fruit of the Looms with fecal matter, not banning gifted students from jumping ahead.
Does it? The site says The Initiative supports the Profile of a Virginia Graduate by redefining mathematics pathways - i.e. it defines a new program by which math is to be taught. This program is illustrated with a chart (Follow the "Math Path"!). "Advanced placement" appears in this chart no sooner than grade 11.
When someone closely familiar with this system (member of the school board), that may have attended meetings where more information was shared, beyond what is featured in this website, tells me this means there will be no accelerated math before grade 11, why shouldn't I believe them?
Honestly, that doesn't sound bad to me. It sounds more like how people actually use math in life and in work, rather than forcing kids to all of sudden only care about geometry for an entire year.
Some people use science and math beyond your experience in "every day life". These are the people that created the steam engine, Apollo, the Internet and our Covid vaccines.
From the school board: "Let me be totally clear, we are talking about taking Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 – those three courses that we've known and loved ... and removing them from our high school mathematics program, replacing them with essential concepts for grade eight, nine, and 10."
Fewer of these poor children will be in STEM careers.
This is not to belittle whatever it is you do. All occupations are important. If I had it to do over again, I might be a plumber and start a business, skipping the student loan BS.
Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=siS8jlTcUzo&ab_c.... I did.
The VMPI's number one goal (21:13) is to "Improve equity in mathematics learning opportunities". Note that is "equity", not equality. Why that difference?
I would suggest that kids be given "equal" opportunities. Some will excel at STEM, some will excel at other things like business. Unfortunately, some will not excel.
In 2018, 13 of 39 HSs in Baltimore have not a single child proficient in Math. NOT ONE! I do not have data for Norfolk, but is it likely to be much different? You cannot tell me that not a single kid in those 13 HSs are capable. In these HSs, none excel.
Wouldn't we be better off helping these kids?
Relabeling course names...is that a solution?
I don't see any evidence the curriculum is being watered down. I don't see the problem in making math appeal to more people. We need more people who enjoy and understand math, not less. Including things like word problems that appeal to kids interested in different careers, data sets to analyze, practice creating models to describe the physical world. I think this will make math more interesting and relatable. Also, I think the concepts will stick with them more than spending and entire year only thinking about triangles and congruency, and then never thinking about it again.
The main difference is whether we spend an entire year on just geometry and then never bring it up again. Or whether we introduce a few mathematical concepts like data analysis, model development, and probability as students are learning these concepts. I don't see how this is an inevitable "watering down the curriculum." If there is language prohibiting students from advancing faster, then yes I think that is a problem. Including these concepts in the curriculum, in my opinion is good.
Who says not being in a STEM field makes one "clueless"? That is your word, not mine.
"There is a great deal of ruin in a nation" - Adam Smith
As each day passes, America has a little bit less left. And no, if you understand the quote, this is a depressing thought.