WyBlog

Well, they could all be Idiot Savants, but I doubt it

If their teachers are to be believed, some New Jersey high school students without evident ability to exhibit simple math skills have been excelling at calculus.

And what did the reviewers discover?

"The findings that result from the extensive data we collected and the portfolio information we reviewed is disturbing. While there were many struggling students whose teachers and counselors provided good evidence of work accomplished and a record of appropriate courses and local interventions, there were other students, unable ultimately to evidence even simple math skills, who were unimaginably recorded by their schools as succeeding in Algebra II or even Calculus."

Sounds to me like some schools just might be padding their grades. A lot.

Many teachers (and sycophantic parents) bemoan the fact that they have to "teach to the test". But here's the thing. If they are indeed "teaching to the test" why is it that Rain Man can't add and subtract? That's what's on the test. Basic math. Surely we don't have hundreds of budding math whizzes who absorbed calculus by osmosis yet can't make change for a dollar.

So we're left to conclude that the schools are either (a) lying about those great grades, or (b) not "teaching to the test". Or both. Either way, something is radically wrong here.

But have no fear; New Jersey is among two groups of states recently awarded federal education funds to develop a new set of standardized tests. The big innovation will be to offer students a second chance to answer questions they got wrong by using computer technology to craft specifically tailored followup queries.

You know, like what a teacher is supposed to do in class.

Jaime Escalante, please call your office.

Posted at 09:21 by Chris Wysocki   [/education]   Comments | Archived | Perm Link |
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