Re:California moves to recommend delaying algebra to 9th gra...
by AnimalMuppet on Wednesday November 24, 2021 @01:02PM
(#29332978)
No, you shouldn't delay those who can (and want) to handle it earlier. That doesn't help anyone.
But maybe what should be changed is the expectation. If the vast bulk of 8th graders aren't ready to handle algebra, don't create an expectation that "the smart kids" are taking algebra in 8th grade, because parents are going to be pushing their kids to be one of the smart kids (as measured by when they take algebra), and you're going to get a bunch of kids who aren't ready.
But this brings up a problem. Who decides if a kid is ready? The parents? The teachers? The school bureaucracy? On what basis do they decide?
Teachers seems like the best bet (they observe kids in the classroom all day), but they also have biases, blind spots, laziness, and so on. I don't know that it's possible to build a system where it happens "as it should" all the time.
But maybe what should be changed is the expectation. If the vast bulk of 8th graders aren't ready to handle algebra, don't create an expectation that "the smart kids" are taking algebra in 8th grade, because parents are going to be pushing their kids to be one of the smart kids (as measured by when they take algebra), and you're going to get a bunch of kids who aren't ready.
But this brings up a problem. Who decides if a kid is ready? The parents? The teachers? The school bureaucracy? On what basis do they decide?
Teachers seems like the best bet (they observe kids in the classroom all day), but they also have biases, blind spots, laziness, and so on. I don't know that it's possible to build a system where it happens "as it should" all the time.