Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Nobody Could Have Predicted

NYTimes:

Even though students are getting more credits in more advanced courses, they are not scoring any higher on standardized tests.

The reason, according to a growing body of research, is that the content of these courses is not as high-achieving as their names — the course-title equivalent of grade inflation. Algebra II is sometimes just Algebra I. And College Preparatory Biology can be just Biology.

Maybe if they change the grading scale that'll help.

Also, kids say the darndest things:

Brandi Davis, a student in Mr. Boby’s third-period class, Transitions to College Math, struggled to catch up, she said, after taking a chaotic eighth-grade math course in a neighboring district.

The course had a catchy name, she recalled: “Jungle Gym Math.”

That's funny, because that phrase didn't turn up on the internet prior to this article, and things like course names tend to turn up on school websites, posted PDF's of course handbooks, names of textbooks, etc.

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