Soxy Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Standardized 8th grade math test is at 2nd-3rd grade level. Study Finds National Math Test Easier By BEN FELLER, AP Education Writer WASHINGTON - The national test of student math skills is filled with easy questions, raising doubts about recent gains in achievement tests, a study contends. On the eighth-grade version of the test, almost 40 percent of the questions address skills taught in first or second grade, according to the report by Tom Loveless, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at The Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. The test for fourth-graders also has "false rigor," Loveless says: More than 40 percent of questions gauge first and second grade skills, two levels below the students tested. The central fault, Loveless contends, is that too many problem-solving questions rely on whole numbers, with too few challenges involving fractions, decimals and percentages. Such instruction sets students up for trouble in more advanced high school classes and in daily life, where tasks such as shopping and measuring rarely involve neat, round numbers, he said. "If we want kids to be sophisticated problem solvers, they've got to be able to think beyond whole numbers," Loveless said. "That's just not good enough." Known as the nation's report card, the National Assessment of Educational Progress is the most widely respected measure of the skill levels of U.S. students. Given to representative samples of students, it is offered periodically in many subjects, including math in 2003. A leader of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets the test content, strongly disagreed with the findings, saying the study is flawed because it is based on a questionable formula of what kids should know when. The study, being released Thursday, analyzed questions from the 2003 math tests, and then determined a grade level for those questions based on the Singapore math textbook program. Loveless said he chose that program because of its clarity and strong international reputation, and he said it compared well to the math-class sequences used in states such as California and North Carolina. But using Singapore as a model presents skewed results, said Sharif Shakrani, deputy executive director of the assessment governing board. Math is taught differently in that country, with heavy concentration on computation early before other topics are introduced. U.S. schools go for breadth, he said, with more math skills to cover each year. Overall, he said, the questions on the national in fourth grade and eighth grade are commensurate with what's being taught in those grades. "I contend that if we do what he suggests, moving to much more complex skills, it would be akin to giving a test in Russian," Shakrani said. "We already are not doing well. If you increase the cognitive function of the math concepts and the way you test them, you will end up with scores so low you will not be able to make sense of the results." Some questions — about 20 percent of them — are intentionally the same on the fourth-grade and eighth-grade tests to help track growth in achievement over grades, Shakrani said. A fair number of questions, he said, involve percentages and fractions. But others avoid them to isolate whether students have problem-solving skills regardless of the complexity of the numbers. Loveless said that approach is shortsighted. "Boosting students' competency in arithmetic and the ability to solve problems are not contradictory goals," he wrote. "Neither one need be denigrated in the pursuit of the other." Scale scores on the math tests have risen sharply for fourth-graders and eighth-graders since 1990. Loveless said it is not clear whether that reflects true gains in math knowledge, particularly since the gains have not translated into more enrollment in high-level classes. Overall, more than seven in 10 fourth-graders and almost as many eighth-graders are now achieving at a basic level or better on math, according to the latest federal scores. But more than two-thirds can't do math at the more challenging "proficient" level they should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskyCaucasian Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 I went to a private Christian school from preschool through 8th grade. It is STANDARD ciriculum to take pre-algebra in 7th grade and algebra in 8th grade. I REALLY felt that gave me an advantage of public school kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 That's the way it's supposed to go, IMO. In Oelwein, this is how it goes. I'm assuming it's similar everywhere else: 6 - Gen. Math 7 - Pre Alg. 8 - Alg. 9 - Geometry 10 - Algebra 2 11 - Analysis 12 - Calculus That's how I've done it, along with 3 other people who've been in town the whole time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Prawn Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 I went to a private Christian school from preschool through 8th grade. It is STANDARD ciriculum to take pre-algebra in 7th grade and algebra in 8th grade. I REALLY felt that gave me an advantage of public school kids. Ditto for me. I went to a Catholic grade school and then high school. It was the same for me. I completed Calc I during my senior year of high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHarris1 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 In my school district it goes more like this... 7)General (negatives, volume, stuff like that) 8)Pre Algebra 9)Algebra 1 10)Geometry Not exactly sure what after that... I'm in 9th grade and I'm in geometry. They call folks like me advanced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 You're stuck in the public school here. I think I could've gotten a waiver to go to the prep school for Northern Iowa or something but I'm not sure. I like this public school. The one in Waterloo is Catholic and the people are so damn cocky. I couldn't stand it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MurcieOne Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Math is hard...... so is my wang! couldnt resist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxin' Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 In our school system some of us start Algebra in 8th grade and the rest take it in 9th grade. I took Algebra in 8th, Geometry last year (9), and Algebra II this year. I'm in the top level Algebra class and its awesome because we get an honors point for it, and it's the only sophmore class to earn it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Math is hard...... so is my wang! couldnt resist. This is why we miss your presence around here Murc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaSoxFan Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 In my school district it goes more like this... 7)General (negatives, volume, stuff like that) 8)Pre Algebra 9)Algebra 1 10)Geometry Not exactly sure what after that... I'm in 9th grade and I'm in geometry. They call folks like me advanced. You nerd... or... You nerd Take whatever statement you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxin' Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 You nerd... or... You nerd Take whatever statement you want. Yeah all smart people are nerds. :rolly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 I took algebra 2 in 9th grade, but who cares. Here we have 3 levels, and started the split in 6th grade. So in HS you would start with either algebra 1, geometry, or algebra 2. However, only 2 of the 4 feeder junior highs over the advanced level. The furthest along you could be starting 9th grade was geometry at the other 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 How do honors courses work at your high schools? Here we just have to take a certain combonation and if we pass them or whatever during our senior year...like 24 credits or something....we get honors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaSoxFan Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Yeah all smart people are nerds. :rolly You bet they are... Jason was probably one of 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Honors are different classes 99% of the time. If there is little interest in a class (such as Russian, adv foreign language, or Astronomy) they have 1 class and those that take honors will have more homework and projects than the kids in the regular class. To be in honors classes you have to have department reccomendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MurcieOne Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 This is why we miss your presence around here Murc. Im not canaidian alex..... jesus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Jason was/is a nerd. No green needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Honors are different classes 99% of the time. If there is little interest in a class (such as Russian, adv foreign language, or Astronomy) they have 1 class and those that take honors will have more homework and projects than the kids in the regular class. To be in honors classes you have to have department reccomendation. We have 2 AP classes....lol.. And maybe 7 dual college credit courses.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Im not canaidian alex..... jesus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 We have 2 AP classes....lol.. If our high school wiped APs off of kids' schedules and didn't replace them with anything we would have a lot of kids not taking any academic classes senior year. A friend of mine who is ranked 14th in the class is taking all APs this year...I keep doing this at him :rolly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxin' Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 How do honors courses work at your high schools? Here we just have to take a certain combonation and if we pass them or whatever during our senior year...like 24 credits or something....we get honors My school has AP courses and IB courses. AP is advanced placement (I think) and IB is International Baceloriate (sp?). The IB Program has a whole list of thing you have to do to get the diploma, for example community service, building a website, writing an extended essay and so forth. You have to take a lot of extra tests too and it comes with a pricetag. I don't know why my sister did it, it's a lot of work for a diploma that wasn't highly regarded by colleges, according to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 I think I'm fine to get into ISU though. My ACT and GPA add up to 36, so I'm perfect....haaaaa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 I think I'm fine to get into ISU though. My ACT and GPA add up to 36, so I'm perfect....haaaaa Brag much? Besides, it doesn't take an idiot to get into ISU. Oh wait, idiots are all over ISU. Nevermind... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaSoxFan Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Brag much? Besides, it doesn't take an idiot to get into ISU. Oh wait, idiots are all over ISU. Nevermind... Round 1! Danman vs Heads! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 This one goes a ways back. Dan usually wins cause he can better...um...express himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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