Race To Calculus In College

Math had always been the easy, simple subject for me until calculus suddenly turned math into a terribly fascinating new world for me to explore. My paradigm regarding the seemingly rigid discipline shifted from indifference to a desire to learn how the puzzle pieces of the world clicked and fitted together. I hoped to spread that sentiment by establishing Mu Alpha Theta at my school, a chartering process that I expected to last at most two months.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was first implemented in 2010, nine years after I graduated from high school. Although I wasn’t personally affected by the new academic standards, it has a direct impact on the current and future generation of leaders, innovators, and world changers including my future children. The initial purpose of the Common Core Standards is to set high-quality learning goals designed to prepare students to be college and career ready. Given the current controversies surrounding CCSS, studies have shown that although the intent was to benefit students in the long-run it may actually be hindering their mathematical and reading skills. To further explore the arguments behind the Common Core initiative, I will

Disturbingly, “nearly one-fifth of high school students and over 50 percent of middle school students are enrolled in math classes whose teachers neither majored or minored in math” (Drew, 2011, p.9). In 2000, 31 percent of high

I was a junior at Brentwood High School, who arrived to the United states from Peru a couple of months ago, and after complaining for three months, Christine Burrows, my guidance counselor, decided to change my Algebra class by a “higher” level math.

The academic performance at Central Falls High School (CFHS) has historically trailed behind the average school performance numbers for the state of Rhode Island. According to the article, 271 freshmen entered Central Falls High School in 2005, but only 47 percent reached graduation four years later. Other data revealed that other 33.5 percent of the students dropped out, 12.5 percent were held back, and 7 percent received a General Equivalency Diploma. Data also revealed that only 55 percent of the student body was considered to be proficient in reading and only 7 percent proficient in math. These statistics showed little improvement by 2008, where the math proficiency rose another 3 percent (Donnelly & Rochefort, 2011).

The “Accelerated Algebra Issue” has been leaving educators and parents over some difficult questions. When should formal algebra be taught? Who should be taking Accelerated Algebra 1/Geometry or any accelerated mathematics course in middle school or in high school? How should algebra be presented and in what form? How should student placement be determined?

‘Down with Algebra II’ is an article about a political scientist named Andrew Hacker, who wants to have a course in statistics instead of algebra II and calculus. The article points out that those two courses can be difficult for high school and college students to understand, which causes them to drop out. Hacker believes that the statistics course would be better to apply to the real world and understand. However, most schools and colleges are not willing to give up this curriculum, even though most people do not get a degree in mathematics. The journalist points out that if her teacher had been better in their math course then she may have understood it better. It also mentions a cognitive psychologist who thought the problem was that the schools taught the students about conceptual understanding too late and should begin teaching it much earlier. Altogether, the journalists stance was that it would be best to give the students more options of math classes.

In 10th grade I transferred from Edmund Burke, a small progressive private school, to Wilson High School, the largest public high school in DC. It was a huge adjustment and totally screwed up my academic progression in math. At Burke one took Algebra I, Algebra II, and then Geometry. But at Wilson one took Geometry between Algebra I and II. Taking Geometry in 10th grade at Wilson would have stuck me firmly in the second lowest academic track for math. Although this was my - and by extension my mom’s - first encounter with tracking, my mom – and I by extension - knew that placement in a lower academic track could potentially detriment my future academic success. My mom knew this because she was highly educated, because she was involved in my academic life, and because her friends were fellow affluent parents. In other words, she knew how to successfully navigate tracking because she was part of the culture of power. And so I persuaded the Wilson administration to allow me to take Honors Pre-Calculus, in 10th grade because I had the cultural capitol to do so (Delpit,

In recent discussions of Algebra II, one controversial issue has been whether or not it should be a graduation requirement. Some argue that it prepares students for college and provides critical thinking skills. On the other hand, some contend that college readiness can source from any other core class offered in school. My own view is that although high school math classes can provide students with needed analytical skills, Algebra II should not be a requirement. It takes up room in a student’s schedule who would highly benefit from taking another class. This math class should still be offered for those who have an interest in the mathematics field, but should not be a deciding factor in whether a student graduates, or is accepted into the college of their choice.

Growing up, I was always one of those students who never got anything less than an A. From proudly receiving stickers and praise notes in elementary school to non-stop studying for an algebra test, I’ve always expected an A on my assignments. But then came junior year of high school. I had signed up for one of my school’s most demanding courses, AP Calculus AB. On the first day of class, the teacher explained the depth of the material we would be learning, telling us that it would cover a wide range of math, and showed us a brief introduction to it. He also mentioned that it was a course where we would have to take time and learn the material on our own. Having gotten straight A’s since the day I started attending school, I had no worries towards these statements.

College is expensive. I think it is important to look at the various options that are available to high school graduates before immediately deciding to attend a college or university. For some students, it may be more economically advantageous to attend a junior college or a trade school. However, for the students who aspire to do something that involves a graduate degree, undergraduate work is a necessity. Personally, I know that attending college is something I want to do, and I am excited to have that opportunity. While I know I will not qualify for any federal financial aid, I know that I am talented and well-rounded enough to be awarded a variety of scholarships. My goal, though a little far-fetched,

Many students ask their mathematics teachers, “Do I really need calculus in my real life?” Unfortunately the answer for most of us is no. Therefore the mathematician and presenter of the video Arthur Benjamin calls for a change in the mathematics curriculums of schools. Though he points out that calculus is an important subject for mathematicians, engineers and scientists, in Arthur’s opinion they should be taught by the end of the freshman year of studies that actually need calculus ?? (do you mean: when they actually need calculus..??).

Calculus is a high-level mathematics class where the students focus on using basic algebra with calculus formulas. The two main parts of the class are derivatives and integrals. A derivative is a rate of change, like a slope. An integral finds an area of curves other than circles. Both the derivative and integral have multiple real-world uses. Basic algebra and plane geometry are used as common knowledge. Calculus involves three distinct stages of math: precalculus, the limit process, and new calculus concepts. The discovery of calculus was credited to both Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz. As science changes practically daily, calculus has been fairly the same for the past 150 years. As calculus has deep roots in geometry, it focuses on using new formulas and algebra to solve equations and has an interesting creation story.

Students will know prior to graduation, if they plan on attending college, what skills they are lacking, with time to brush up on them. Funding for both K-12 and postsecondary education may be tied to how well they find ways to collaborate rather than just their success outcomes. Developmental education courses will begin to overlap, and professors will need content knowledge outside of their own field. The integration of reading and writing into all areas, including mathematics, is necessary both now and in the

A Year in the Life of an Elementary School: One School's Experiences in Meeting New Mathematics Standards