<p>I think this “one size fits all” approach is ill guided. I have no problem with this requirement for students choosing an academi,college track curriculum but students should be able have the option of choosing a vocational track education which has different graduation requirements.</p>
<p>My plumber, electrician, barber, dental assistant needs to know their craft well rather than have 4 yrs of math and science.</p>
<p>Now if the Texas public 4 year colleges want up their math/science requirements, I say hooray. But watch out for unintended consequences! Does anyone not think that this legislation will not increase the number of hs dropouts by thousands per year?</p>
<p>A very good question. All children who attend school at all in China attend a school at which the seventh grade curriculum includes algebra. The provision of schooling in China still lags behind that of many other countries. In Taiwan, for example, schooling has been free (= tax-supported), compulsory through junior high, and PROVIDED since the Baby Boom generation, and heavily attended beyond the compulsory age through high school (also free, in many cases) since that generation. In Singapore, the language of instruction is English, making simply going to school an experience in learning a foreign language, and schooling has only been compulsory in the last decade, but it has long been free and heavily attended. </p>
<p>The rural poor in China have a lot of problems because of their country’s lousy government, and lack of provision of theoretically available school programs is one of them. (Rural schools in China impose tuition fees, fees too high for many rural families to pay, contrary to the practice of urban schools in China.) But the minority of pupils in China who live in urban areas have schools that are largely up to world standards, and are sometimes up to PHENOMENAL standards in some selective schools. (I have the textbooks at home, and I have met some of the alumni.) The state of Texas is wealthier and less multilingual than China as a whole, and ought to be able to meet the standards of schools anywhere in Taiwan or Singapore or those of schools in urban areas of China if it tries. </p>
<p>Originaloog’s comments are interesting. In general, I’m in favor of pluralism in education, once “basics” are covered somehow. My experience of living abroad, where all the barbers and electricians had to finish junior high, and thus learn algebra, geometry, general physical science, etc., suggests that one doesn’t become a worse barber by taking an algebra class. I do agree that electricians need job-specific technical training once they finish their basic good-citizens-and-informed-voters curriculum.</p>
<p>I studied algebra in 5th grade. It was standard curriculum in my country. 5th grade - 11 y.o., so it would be 6th grade in USA.
Children who struggled with algebra, geometry and other academic subjects went to vocational and technical schools after 8th grade. Those who did not struggle continued in 9th grade. By the way after vocational or technical school kids still had chances to enter university and get a college degree. It was just another pathway.
Algebra was not difficult at all, and I even cannot tell when exactly we started transition from math to algebra. </p>
<p>When we studied math in 1st grade we learned addition and subtraction and solved problems not only with numbers but something like:<br>
x + 27 = 52, 81 - k = 37, y - 49 = 31
In second grade we learned multiplication and division and solved problems both with numbers and something like
3x = 48 - 21, 48 : e = 57 - 49.
So the transition from math to algebra was really easy.</p>
<p>Textbooks for 1st & 2nd grade are right in front of me right now. I just copied this stuff.
Sorry, I don’t have anything above 2nd grade at home.</p>
<p>I’d quibble about 5th grade being 11 - at least in our town. You have to be 10 by Dec 31. My kids saw problems with x’s and y’s from early on, though I don’t think they got double digits as fast as you did, but then the curriculum really seemed to sloooow down in later elementary school. All that graphing, all that estimating!</p>
<p>5th grade is 10 years old generally here too.
kindergarten 5 years and so on.
some kids start earlier some later- depending on birthdays- my girls both have early summer birthdays- so while they were age appropriate- their LDs made them even younger-</p>
<p>I attended K as a 4 year old,( blame Sputnik) however- I also had undiagnosed Lds and while I wouldn’t say it was the cause of my dropping out of high school , I don’t think it ultimately helped me any.</p>
<p>I would be happy if our state would require ( and support) 4 years of math for all students- whether it be technical math geared for a vocational job, or through CalcBC like Ds high school, I think students need 4 years of math-science-history & english, no matter what they plan on doing after school- all those subjects can be made meaningful, but while I acknowledge that many students aren’t going to attend college directly after graduation, I do not think they should have a choice to only have two years of any level math, the way our current system allows them</p>
<p>I also don’t think these plans take into account the impact of learning differences. While students with disabilities are not even necessarily educated in other countries, those students should be educated, and many in this country even thrive. However, it may take different teaching methods & a different timeline than with other students.</p>
<p>5th grade for me means 5th year of school instruction. The age when children go to school varies in different countries.</p>
<p>I am not sure that I understand how children with disabilities are related to the topic.
But if you are interested in this subject here is a wonderful opportunity. It’s a pity it doesn’t exist in Texas yet.
<a href=“http://www.camphill.org/[/url]”>http://www.camphill.org/</a></p>
<p>I agree that math curriculum is getting too slow and boring later in elementary school, I think this is one of the reasons why children cannot do all this same stuff all over and over again without games, centers and manipulatives. And later on (in high school) they get consequences.</p>
<p>I think that if I had a chance to study math here in an American school I would hate it with all my heart and soul. I would have probably been a slow student too. The way how math is taught here in elementary school is the best way to kill any curiosity and make this subject the most boring ever…</p>
<p>Our D is a high school sophomore in Texas. She was homeschooled through 8th grade so we had no idea what to expect academically when she decided to enroll in public high school. In a nutshell, expectations for students are very low. In her school, only 45% of the kids that graduate go on to a 4-year institution. Many attend a local CC and may or may not attain an Associates Degree. The dropout rate in this part of Texas is about 30%. </p>
<p>Why can’t Texas students do math & science (& other subjects)? Because the subjects taught in public high schools are frequently “dumbed down” and boring. Even AP classes aren’t as challenging as they should be because students who participate in extracurriculars (read: sports) are routinely encouraged to enroll in AP classes because an F in an AP class doesn’t prevent UIL participation. That really screws things up for the stronger students! Sitting in an AP class, surrounded by unmotivated students, isn’t a great way to prepare for an academically rigorous university.</p>
<p>Despite what the Texas legislature may claim, the only way to improve education in Texas is to actually allow students to become well-educated. Testing doesn’t do that. Dumbing classes down doesn’t do that. Until we value education for its own sake, students from Texas are doomed.</p>
<p>which illustrates how clueless school officials here are about improving learners’ chances to learn math up to a meaningful standard. I’m glad I homeschool.</p>