A key to use of calculators

On the upcoming statewide math tests, only students in grades 7 and 8 will be allowed to use calculators.

Scientific calculators are preferred, although State Ed has said that at a minimum calculators should be four-function with a square root key; graphing calculators are not permitted.

Calculators are not allowed on the multiple-choice questions in Part I, but are permitted on extended-response items in these two grades.

Calculators are not permitted on any tests in grades 3-6.

A key element in the math changes adopted by the state Board of Regents in January was a recommendation for using scientific calculators on assessments in grades 5-8.

State Ed plans to phase in calculator use for math assessments in grades 5 and 6, although the start date has not been set.

A couple of years ago the principal at the Main Street School told me New York was modeling its revised state standards on Singapore. We would teach fewer topics in greater depth. The watchword in Albany, he said, was 'mile-wide, inch deep.'

My first thought was, FANTASTIC!

My second thought was, We'll learn less stuff and we'll still learn it badly.

The heart and soul of Singapore Math isn't fewer-topics-taught-in-greater-depth.

It's fewer-topics-taught-in-greater-depth with huge amounts of problem-solving and no calculators.

Singapore Math is a problem-solving curriculum. From the get-go.

There's no problem-solving in these new standards.

Not even any memorizing.

Just understanding.

-- CatherineJohnson - 20 Mar 2006

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Comments

Your son's score if converted to an SAT score would be in the range of 660-690. Do you find that a bad score? Also, you don't know the percentile rank which tells you how much better he did than other kids in the state. I would imagine it was pretty high.

My daughter gets A's on math "quizzes" but B's or C's on the unit tests. She gets anxious because there are more questions and she thinks she can't do them all in the alloted time, so she rushes and makes mistakes. But she knows the material. So there are all sorts of reasons for test scores.

By the way, doesn't NY's Truth in Testing law require that answers to standardized tests be made available to all who took them? Or is that only for privately administered tests like the SAT?

-- BarryGarelick - 21 Mar 2006

My daughter gets A's on math "quizzes" but B's or C's on the unit tests.

I have the same problem with my son in algebra. He aces the quizzes and does fine on homework, but the tests are hit and miss. I thought part of the problem might be the stamina of going on so long, but I've never been able to totally figure it out.

-- SusanS - 21 Mar 2006

I, right the way through high school and uni, used to do worse on the first exam I took for that year than on the others. It just seemed to take that time to settle into taking them again.

-- TracyW - 21 Mar 2006

Your son's score if converted to an SAT score would be in the range of 660-690.

Is that right???

wow!

That's great!

I can't wait to tell him!

-- CatherineJohnson - 22 Mar 2006

I always use 90% as my cut-off for mastery, simply because that's what behaviorists use.

I have no idea how the '90%' of behaviorists transfers to tests like these.

-- CatherineJohnson - 22 Mar 2006

I do know, unfortunately, how he stacks up against the kids in his class. 21 was the lowest score.

I'm hoping a bunch of kids got a 21, of course.

The scores ranged from 21-out-of-25 to 25-out-of-25.

What I really need to do is see the test.

I need to know whether he missed the 4 items because he doesn't know that concept, because he mis-read, OR - and this is important, given his very poor handwriting - because he got mixed up in his own calculations & lost his place.

THANKS, BARRY!

-- CatherineJohnson - 22 Mar 2006

By the way, doesn't NY's Truth in Testing law require that answers to standardized tests be made available to all who took them?

oh, good question

I have no idea; I'll find out

I really do need to know these things, especially since we just don't have a teach-to-mastery approach at all in the school

-- CatherineJohnson - 22 Mar 2006

The problem on this test wasn't anxiety (I don't think).

He thought it was super-easy, and he's told me he kind of likes these test.

The one time he's gotten terribly anxious was on the ratio & proportion test.

However, Ed always got anxious on standardized tests, and did worse than he might have as a result. So Christopher could be the same (he's a pretty cautiuous soul).

I always liked standardized tests. Once I started learning about the brain I assumed that was because of the 'treatment effect.'

-- CatherineJohnson - 22 Mar 2006