Have you heard about SFUSD taking away algebra from eighth grade curriculums? Well, that means us, class of 2018, will not be learning about algebra in math next year. Ever since 2013, SFUSD stopped teaching algebra in eighth grade due to common core curriculums. Therefore, algebra has been pushed to be learned in high schools. SFUSD should consider adding algebra to their eighth grade curriculum because it prepares us for high school and college, so it doesn't hold students back in high school, and certain families may face financial hardships for having to pay for their child's summer school course.
Having eighth grade algebra will help prepare students for high school and college. According to Rachel Norton, “Algebra II is a basic gatekeeper to the future: you cannot go to a four-year college as an eighteen-year-old if you cannot pass it.” This can quote supports the claim because we need to take this in math in order to get into a four-year college.
If we don't learn algebra in eighth grade, we may get held back in high school. In the article “Should There Be an Eighth-Grade Algebra Requirement?”, Secretary Richard Riley said, "The key to understanding mathematics is taking algebra or courses covering algebraic concepts by the end of eighth grade." This supports the claim by stating that understanding mathematics
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SFUSD can help students be ready for the future by preparing them for high school and college, not holding students back, and not causing financial hardships for families by adding back algebra to eighth grade curriculums. Don't hesitate to talk to your math teacher and see what you could do to be prepared in high school so you aren't behind in learning new
Algebra is one of the major parts in exams like GRE and ACT so that all college students and high school students need to learn. In order to get a good grade, students are willing to spend hours and hours studying hard on things like matrices and equations. When they are wondering why they have to learn things so difficult and if this knowledge would be useful in the future time. Andrew Hacker, the author of "Is Algebra Necessary?", thinks not. In his editorial, he argues that students, especially those who are not majoring in math, should not be forced to learn high-level math. His arguments are very effective because he successfully uses logos, pathos and ethos in his editorial. The usage of the rhetorical triangle made his editorial logical,
My personal view regarding algebra being a requirement for a degree program has changed from years pasted. If you had asked me this same question as a kid I would have said algebra as a requirement is a terrible idea. 7th grade was the first time I can remember ever seeing an algebra problem and to me it was like a foreign language. All the alphabets and numbers just didn’t make any since to me and many times I just except I wasn’t very smart in math. I struggled from that point on all the way through high school barely passing my math classes. It wasn’t until I failed many math courses at the local community college and by luck was in Mrs. Brown college math class that the light came on. I wasn’t I couldn’t learn
The students that enter the school might hate math before they come but as soon as they enter they start to love it they become exceptionally good at it to starting high school math in seventh grade. This is all because they are given the opportunity to become who they want to be not what they have to be, they are given the opportunity to dream about what they can become. This is all because yes school are equal now but are they really, most of the time it seems that they are yes but, they still are mainly one race or another but only because people live segregated lives within the world yet they still complain that they are not treated equally, even though they are the ones that are living in a segregated
The transition from high school to college is supposed to be freeing and exciting for students, yet general education requirements make it the opposite. Jaime Wandschneider, writer for Iowa State Daily, says, “From the start of our first semester, general education classes fill the credit count towards our graduation. These courses are supposed to turn young, fresh college students into well-rounded adults”. General education classes do exactly what he says: they fill: they are fillers: somewhat educational and very pointless. Many of the first and second year courses feel like a repeat from high school. As a freshman, I am taking algebra, and I can attest completely that this class is absolutely pointless to me. Does it makes sense that a freshman in college would be taking the same math as a freshman in high school? No, absolutely not, but that is the case for me, and unfor...
Under their mathematics section on their website they state that “These standards define what students should understand and be able to do in their study of mathematics. But asking a student to understand something also means asking a teacher to assess whether the student has understood it. But what does mathematical understanding look like? One way for teachers to do that is to ask the student to justify, in a way that is appropriate to the student’s mathematical maturity, why a particular mathematical statement is true or where a mathematical rule comes from” (Common Core).They believe that having a uniform way of doing things will eliminate the possibility of mistakes and confusion. It will ensure that teachers across all grade levels are teaching the same processes and that students are getting the correct answers by the correct means. The standards go more into depth of what exact skills should be acquired and at what grade
One of the major reasons I dropped out was the fact that my Math t...
In conclusion, the core curriculum is vital to life of any student, yet with more personal choice and freedom, the high school environment can be strengthened and improved . Having a more balanced high school curriculum, with more options for the students, would also allow students to narrow their focus on a particular field or subject, while preparing them for their major in college. It would even boost the confidence of the student body, and therefore boost the Test scores as well. In addition, students who have trouble recognizing their talents, might be able to have a more fulfilling high school experience. The purpose of school is to prepare one for the future and ones occupation; it is certain, that having a more elective-based high school program would do just that.
I particularly enjoyed the YouTube Videos with Khan Academy to learn different mathematical concepts. Because Math did not come easily like other subjects, I would repeatedly replay videos after videos until I started a library with all my videos in one place. Between Mrs. Goggins’ after school tutorials, long nights of studying, the use of Khan Academy and other YouTube videos, I made up for my loss in first semester Algebra by successfully completing second semester Ninth Grade Algebra with a
(pre algebra and algebra 1 respectively) which led to me losing my financial aid for college. I'm at a loss of what to do, as I'm wanting to get my art degree, but that requires me to pass a college level algebra class, which I'd been trying to work up to with the other math classes.
One job the requires algebra is an Animator. Animators have to draw all kinds of pictures and cartoons and it requires them to use linear algebra for every movement a character or object may make. Algebra also helps create special effects to make the images shine and sparkle. The requirements you must have to do this type of job is that of course you have to have talent, some type of degree in animation, and be pretty decent in math. Animators make around $47,000 a year.
As a secondary subject, society often views mathematics a critical subject for students to learn in order to be successful. Often times, mathematics serves as a gatekeeper for higher learning and certain specific careers. Since the times of Plato, “mathematics was virtually the first thing everyone has to learn…common to all arts, science, and forms of thought” (Stinson, 2004). Plato argued that all students should learn arithmetic; the advanced mathematics was reserved for those that would serve as the “philosopher guardians” of the city (Stinson, 2004). By the 1900s in the United States, mathematics found itself as a cornerstone of curriculum for students. National reports throughout the 20th Century solidified the importance of mathematics in the success of our nation and its students (Stinson, 2004). As a mathematics teacher, my role to educate all students in mathematics is an important one. My personal philosophy of mathematics education – including the optimal learning environment and best practices teaching strategies – motivates my teaching strategies in my personal classroom.
Well, this is the time when one can actually say that they will need that algebra they learned in school now. Since the world is ever evolving and new technological advances are becoming in great demand, it is time to apply what was learned in college, and the experiences gained while in college, to use in the real world. There are all kinds of new and innovated electronics, this world could use for everyday consumption. From the article that Fiore wrote, she states “The latest generation of engineers has a range of innovative fields, like alternative energy, green engineering, and nanotechnology, to motivate them” (51). With so many avenues to take to in the world of electrical engineering, no one is bound by limits of what’s known but only limited by their own imagination. Even if an engineer is not coming up with some mind blowing idea to take us into the future, some engineers are going to make our current technology even better and more efficient. Take for example the large cathode ray tube televisions of the past to the present day lightweight flat screens. Electronics have come a long ways from what they started out as to what they are now because of electrical engineers. Computers that use to take up an entire room can now fit in the palm of one’s hand. The possibilities of improving current technology are limitless within the mind of well educated, analytical, and motivated
Becoming a civilized person required an education about the world around us. One must obtain an education to live in today’s society and live in America. Typically, the average school system consists of elementary school starting at five years old for six years, then middle school for three years, and finally high school for four years. During these years, a student gains an understanding of the world around us and how to live in a high-functioning society. While many children around the world do not have the guaranteed privilege of receiving an education, I was fortunate enough to go to school. The education I received was not perfect; I was faced with countless assignments and assessments that challenged me and often brought stress and pressure
...away from the ACT or SAT and focusing on other skills like social interaction. Although it is important for students to get a good education, it is imperative that all students are given the skills, the opportunity, and equality to obtain that good education.
A theme that I have noticed in lab that has stood out to me is the importance of being both accurate and precise with your measurements while conducting and experiment in the lab. Given the fact that I only had one chemistry course in high school, I was unsure as to what I should prepare for with a college level chemistry course as well as the lab that went along with it. The one skill that my high school chemistry teacher always scrutinized was the ability of his students to be both accurate and precise with their measurements in the lab. He always would go out of his way to make sure that we were being as accurate and as precise as possible during our lab work. If you were not very careful with your measurements, your grade would