Alabama Math
 

Ugh! I was helping my 11 year old with her math yesterday.

The question was to write 5*5 as an exponent (no problem) and then write the "value of the power", a phrase that wasn't used elsewhere in the book. So do they want the value of the "exponent" (2) or the value of the "expression" (25)?

The book seemed rather thin on classical math and I couldn't find any 3 digit x 3 digit multiplication (stuff I was doing in the 4th grade). There is not much repitition. They do a couple of simple problems and move on to the next math for non-math topic. Several standard math terms are changed to other names and the book seems more geared towards getting a child to pick A,B,C or D than to solve a math problem. Too much test preparation and not enough learning how to solve problems.

Then I noticed the book was the "Alabama Edition" of the math book. What? We can't get our teachers to teach our kids from a regular math book so we have to dumb it down?

Then I find out that our SAT tests that all our grade school children take are an "Alabama Edition" as well. No doubt they are easier to give us higher scores and thus try to stay ahead of Mississippi.......or whatever other state is 50th nowdays. Maybe it's us. :(

I'm just disgusted right now. Dang watered down crap. And this is a fairly large school that has some of the best ratings in our area. I guess we're just destined to be "Special."

:rolleyes:

Rest assured that CA isn't much better. And if the kids get the problem set wrong, the grade will be noted in green ink as "Deferred Success."

Why does Missippi exist so... Alabama won't be last. But Alabama never fear there is always Nevada...

For all U parents with Kids in school...guess what...Your kids are going to be more stupid when they come out than when they went in...Public Education is an oxymoron...with the emphasis on moron...PE is another bureaucratic failure...

For this very reason is why we homeschool. 12 yr old is doing 10th grade math. Already studying for ACT. When is comes to school..there's no place like home!

Yep... it's not about actually LEARNING anything, it's about passing the standardized tests.

There are choices t be made when considering the education of your children.

Up through the 7th grade, my children were in the Mesa, AZ school system....Very good. However, I was planning to have my children college educated in the East and when the oldest child was to enter the 8th grade, we made the move to PA where they received a great education and went on to College...(they are graduates now...whew)

When it comes to educating your children, take control as much as you can. You've got to give them a chance to succeed in this society.

Funny you mention this - my son (totally educated in the Alabama public school system) took the ACT when he was in 7th grade. He made a 17. Not great, but not too bad for a 7th grader that had never had most of the math on the test. He came home and asked me what "SIN", "COS" and "TAN" meant. :>)

Mike

I've got a 5 year old who started kindergarten and a 2 year old. Both will be in public school - easy, since we are zoned for one of the best in the area. However, as soon as they are both done iwth their 10th grade year, they will be in dual enrollment here at the community college. They will actually graduate with either an AA or AS degree about 2 weeks before they graduate highschool. :)