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News & ArtsFriday, July 31, 2009
Life Re: Judging a Candidate for School Board By Her Penmanship
Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 1:33 PM
You think that's crazy, Christopher? No. This was crazy:
Former State School Superintendent Terry Bergeson's failed attempt at the WASL
3
Question 1 is at least answerable given the expected skills of the students.
Question 3 requires algebra techniques not typically taught at any time in high school. Or just to guess.. which would only garner the student partial credit.
Question 2 takes the cake though as there is a perfectly valid reading of the question that implies that only levitating boxes should be stamped.
Question 3 requires algebra techniques not typically taught at any time in high school. Or just to guess.. which would only garner the student partial credit.
Question 2 takes the cake though as there is a perfectly valid reading of the question that implies that only levitating boxes should be stamped.
4
Huh. At my school, Question 3 would have been answerable by 8th grade. I know I went to a good school, but is US education really that bad? Wait, don't answer that. I teach college students, all upper level undergraduates, and most of them don't know the difference between "calculus" and "adding" in a course where 3 semesters of calculus is a prerequisite.
@2 - If I were grading, and you specified that the boxes were levitating and gave the correct answer accordingly, I would totally give you extra credit.
@2 - If I were grading, and you specified that the boxes were levitating and gave the correct answer accordingly, I would totally give you extra credit.
6
1 is answerable, but is a sloppy question because the same person is referenced twice in the same sentence.
2 - Setting aside the levitation component, nowhere does it say that the stacks have to be of equal height. Presumably "the sides of the stacks touch" means equal stacks, but if you had four stacks of 1 box and 1 stack of 21, each the stacks would touch each other, but would yield a very different answer.
3 - I don't remember the math to "really" get the answer, but after setting up the basic equations which should be simple, it's an easy plug and chug.
2 - Setting aside the levitation component, nowhere does it say that the stacks have to be of equal height. Presumably "the sides of the stacks touch" means equal stacks, but if you had four stacks of 1 box and 1 stack of 21, each the stacks would touch each other, but would yield a very different answer.
3 - I don't remember the math to "really" get the answer, but after setting up the basic equations which should be simple, it's an easy plug and chug.
7
HA HA @ 4
I find it interesting that the more we have talked about pushing math and science the farther we have fallen behind against other countries. Some of our country's most successful years were when a broad based curriculum was taught in many public schools. A curriculum that gave equal weight and importance to math, science AND English, art, music, history, etc. Liberal arts education paired with math and science made this country great and can do so again.
I find it interesting that the more we have talked about pushing math and science the farther we have fallen behind against other countries. Some of our country's most successful years were when a broad based curriculum was taught in many public schools. A curriculum that gave equal weight and importance to math, science AND English, art, music, history, etc. Liberal arts education paired with math and science made this country great and can do so again.
9
The WASL operates under the fallacy that all kids should go to college and shouldn't be allowed to graduate high school until they've completed the necessary credits to qualify for college. Kids shouldn't have to know algebra to get a high school diploma. What they need are marketable job skills.
10
@8 As I said, I don't remember the math to "really" get the answer. To do the plug and chug, arrange your equations so that you have x^3 - 12x = 12y - y^3. The question says that the numbers have to be integers and because they are dimensions, they have to be positive. From observation, once each side gets above 4, the answer on each side will start to get exponentially larger and diverge from one another. So, plugging in 1, 2, 3 and 4 on each side gives two possible results x = 2, y = 4 or x = 4, y = 2, which for this problem is really the same answer.
11
@8 x^3 - 12x = 12y - y^3. Consider each side of the equation two different formulas. Plug in integer values for formula 1 (x^3 - 12x) and formula 2 (12y - y^3). Plug and chug values of x, y = 1 - 5 to start out. Compare answers to formula 1 and formula 2.
The new cube length is 2 units (y) while the old cube length was 4 units (x).
That was fun. :)
The new cube length is 2 units (y) while the old cube length was 4 units (x).
That was fun. :)
12
@ 9 agreed.
I also find the thinking that all college students should be capable of higher math faulty. There is no practical application anything above algebra (and there is limited use for that) outside the classroom if you aren't going into a field that uses math on a day to day basis.
I also find the thinking that all college students should be capable of higher math faulty. There is no practical application anything above algebra (and there is limited use for that) outside the classroom if you aren't going into a field that uses math on a day to day basis.
13
well done @10 & @11. Of course, as mentioned above, plugging and chugging typically doesn't get full credit on the WASL.
14
@9 & @12 - Attitudes like yours are precisely the reason people are maxing out their credit cards and signing up for the sub-prime mortgages that are destroying their finances. When you don't know anything about math, you're what the financial industry would consider "a mark".
Why are Americans so proud of being ignorant?
Why are Americans so proud of being ignorant?
15
@13 I don't think that's correct. The purpose of the short repsonse math questions on the WASL is to explain your mathematical reasoning rather than simplying guessing. I think showing the plug and chug work would constitute full credit. Like most standardized math tests (and I've taken a lot), there are multiple routes to get to the same answer. As long as the reasoning is correct, you receive full credit.
16
@ 14 Oh, puhhhleeeezzzze. Look up specious in the dictionary, that is if you every learned to use one while you were scribbling away equations on your graph paper, and you will find your statement there.
Studying math in high school or college does not create responsible spenders. None of my posts here have celebrated ignorance, American or otherwise.
Studying math in high school or college does not create responsible spenders. None of my posts here have celebrated ignorance, American or otherwise.
18
@ 7,
The problem is they're pushing new math (or math concepts, not actually how to do math problems) and creation science to appease the fundies, which is worse than not teaching them math and science at all.
The problem is they're pushing new math (or math concepts, not actually how to do math problems) and creation science to appease the fundies, which is worse than not teaching them math and science at all.
19
@14, Please, like knowing calculus would prevent any of those things?
What would be of more benefit to more people would be to have a basic finances class taught in every high school, where almost-adults can learn about credit cards, credit scores, mortgages and loans, predatory lending, retirement savings, etc. There would be a lot fewer "marks" out there if people had some basic understanding of those industries in advance.
What would be of more benefit to more people would be to have a basic finances class taught in every high school, where almost-adults can learn about credit cards, credit scores, mortgages and loans, predatory lending, retirement savings, etc. There would be a lot fewer "marks" out there if people had some basic understanding of those industries in advance.
20
Had my just finished 8 grade and soon to start high schooler look at problem 3, she solved it. She said without a written explanation of her thinking that she'd only get partial credit on an actual exam. Sheesh! I remember when getting the correct answer was all that was required. It seems, Oregon (according to her) cares more for the thought process than the actual correct answer.
21
When I was in High School, a fair chunk of my Math class was telling us the answers to the test and how to make pretty answers.
The other half is teaching the new math - and I always got marked down because I did get the answer right (via long division) but I did not do it their way (Yes, partially my fault but I never got a decent explanation how the new way works)
The other half is teaching the new math - and I always got marked down because I did get the answer right (via long division) but I did not do it their way (Yes, partially my fault but I never got a decent explanation how the new way works)
22
question 1: Harry earns more than the manager, and therefore cannot be the teller. Tom cannot be the teller either, because he has a sister. therefore, dick is the teller. if harry earns more than the manager, harry cannot be the manager, so harry must be the cashier. this means tom must be the manager.
question 2: zero. all boxes are touching each other or the floor. boxes touching other boxes or the floor are not stamped; all the boxes are touching each other or the floor, so no stamping occurs. (how do I get that job?)
question 3:... I don't even understand the question.
question 2: zero. all boxes are touching each other or the floor. boxes touching other boxes or the floor are not stamped; all the boxes are touching each other or the floor, so no stamping occurs. (how do I get that job?)
question 3:... I don't even understand the question.
23
I believe the answer to #1 is:
Harry is the cashier
Tom is the manager
Dick is the teller.
Harry has to be the cashier because he makes more than the manager and the teller makes the least.
Dick has to be the teller because Tom has a sister and the teller is an only child.
I think the answer to #2 is 40. Of course, I am assuming that the boxes are the exact same shape and height and that they don't levitate AND that they are arranged 1 stack next to another and not in a 4 square configuration with 1 stack sticking out of the side.
I have no fucking clue about question #3.
Harry is the cashier
Tom is the manager
Dick is the teller.
Harry has to be the cashier because he makes more than the manager and the teller makes the least.
Dick has to be the teller because Tom has a sister and the teller is an only child.
I think the answer to #2 is 40. Of course, I am assuming that the boxes are the exact same shape and height and that they don't levitate AND that they are arranged 1 stack next to another and not in a 4 square configuration with 1 stack sticking out of the side.
I have no fucking clue about question #3.
25
I worked at a elementary school in Tukwila. Over 50% of kids there did not speak English as their first language- somalian, spanish, russian, korean, bosnian..etc.. Most knew English very well. Just think about the ones who didn't taking that WASL. I could barely answer the math Pattern questions. Teaching to standardized tests is a disservice.
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