\doc\web\99\02\yob.txt Reminds me of the Looney Toons where the mother of "Yob" from Mars tells her hubby she's concerned that her baby can construct a molecular model of polyethylene, the planets, and looked up what he spelled out with blocks and found out it was the einstein equation. I just figured out that a "normal" college prep sequence from the Milgram study was: "Outcomes Analysis for Core Plus Students at Andover High School: One Year Later", by R. James Milgram, Department of Mathematics, Stanford University: ftp://math.stanford.edu/pub/papers/milgram/andover-report.html txt: \clip\99\06\coreplus.txt htm: \clipim\99\04\coreplus\coreplus.htm Outcomes Analysis for Core Plus Students at Andover High School: One Year Later In the fall of 1993, Andover High School began what would be a four-year phase-out of its (non-accelerated) "traditional" math program which had been as follows: * Ninth grade --- Algebra I * Tenth Grade --- Geometry * Eleventh Grade --- Algebra II * Twelfth Grade --- Pre-Calculus (Trigonometry and Topics in Advanced Algebra) Which does _not_ require that 8th or 7th graders (or for that matter fourth graders on Washington's WASL ) know how to solve ax + bx = c. Yet nearly all of the new NCTM tests and textbooks move this skill, which is a COLLEGE level course for most students who aren't on a sci/math track down to G4. It's one thing if "raising standards" means holding the all studnets to the 50th percentile, and a basic level of proficiency as measured by past experience. It's quite another to raise standards beyond a level ever expected by even the top 1% of students, and failing schools in the top 5% because we're "raising the bar" even for our best students because even they don't have "problem solving" or "higher order thinking" skills The upshot of the Core Plus study is that even though, and perhaps because integrated math programs cover so much content that is normally college level, such as using matrices and linear algebra and every other doohickey found on a TI-92, the output kids can't even hack remedial math, let alone Calculus which is what prep high school kids used to be tracked into. The same will happen when all children are tracked lock step into one integrated math sequence "for all" instead of the traditional multitrack system. Date sent: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 13:11:02 -0500 From: "Richard G. Innes" <70224.434@compuserve.com> Subject: [education-consumers] Wisconsin CIM test raises bar to colleg prep track by G10 To: "ClearingHouse" Send reply to: "Richard G. Innes" <70224.434@compuserve.com> > ===================================================================== > > > >From a news article in an Art Hu post: > > << chemistry and geometry to earlier grades [and requirement of all students] > if students are going to have a fighting chance to pass a rigorous new > graduation > exam, testing experts and teachers say.>>> > > How "developmentally appropriate" is that going to be? The effect will be > even more frustrated students who are not ready to handle this advanced > work. > > Art, get ready for four hours of astro-physics homework for your youngster > -- in 1st grade!!! > > Richard Innes > > ===================================================================== > > EDUCATION CONSUMERS CLEARINGHOUSE > networking and information for parents and taxpayers on the internet > > Subscriptions & Archives: http://education-consumers.com or > > You are currently subscribed to education-consumers as: arthurhu@halcyon.com > TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send a blank email to leave-education-consumers-989462S@lists.dundee.net > > ===================================================================== > > For less mail, click on the following link and choose > 1) a daily digest, > 2) a daily list of subjects, or > 3) no mail (read postings on Web) > > http://lists.dundee.net/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=education-consumers > > For more help & info: http://www.lyris.com/help or >