An editorial today in the King County Journal, the paper where I started my daily journalism career, expressed a few thoughts worth noting.
While it admitted that the Math WASL retake scores weren't anything to brag about, it did point out that the focus is right where it should be now. Microsoft had dedicated millions to local school districts that will focus time and energy on math classes, especially middle school math classes.
Math will be the focus when the state Legislature convenes this year. In the end, the editorial urges the state to hold the course on the Class of 2008 and mathematics.
Several conversations over the past several days support this stand in my mind. My daughter turned to me on the way to school, worrying about taking the 7th grade WASL this spring. First, I was surprised that worrying about a test even entered her brain.
When I relayed this conversation to a friend at the Federal Way School District, she just said, "Tell her to take math every year, show up for class, and do her homework, she'll pass."
One of my husband's co-workers is married to a teacher. This teacher was discouraged at the number of kids in his summer class that failed the math WASL the second time. However, one kid passed with flying colors. That student showed up every day , did the work and the homework. Suddenly, the WASL was no problem for him.
Comments
Is it an easy test? I don't think so.
Tim,
I don't think the WASL math tests are easy, if I'm reading your post correctly. But, sending our kids out the door with only 10th grade math skills gives me pause. As for who sents the standards? That would be OSPI and the State Board of Education. Both determine what math curriculum (s) are taught and how much math students have to take in high school.
Right now the bar is ridiculously low. Two years of math, unspecified. Ick. We need to have four years of math in my book, (okay, at least three) and have every student complete courses through Algebra II. Jennifer doesn't know if yet, but she's taking math, tough math, and science classes all four years in high school. Since she wants to be a chemist now (she's 13, this could change tomorrow), this shouldn't be a tough sell.
But for students that aren't necessarily looking at a four-year degree in their future, the trick will be to make the math courses both tough and relevant to them.
Thanks for commenting,
Barbara
A Math Problem?
There's probably a simple answer to this simple-minded question, but I suspect I'm not the only one wondering. How do we know that the math skills are low?
I teach English, and our reading and writing scores are relatively strong. But when I look at the test it seems so easy. I'd say that the 10th grader writing prompts and rubrics are set at about a 7th grade level, and many students who pass the Reading and Writing WASL are nowhere near ready for college level work.
Who decides what level of math is expected of the students? How has is been determined that our students are better writers than mathematicians? I like to think that English teachers are better than Math teachers, but how can I be sure?