Texas education board votes to stop algebra 2 for most students

[Suicide King]

I believe it's usually required, but you can test out of it, or at least you could when I was in school.

Basically you take a Math Placement Test when you first enter college, and you can place anywhere from remedial math up to Calc. If you place out of the basic math requirements that the college requires, then you don't have to take math unless your major requires additional math classes. Obviously if you're in a math heavy major that requires Calc or higher you're taking some math regardless of placement.

Looks like universities only requires 6 credits of math for most majors, you can take Liberal Arts Math I and II, Logic, or Statistics and you'll never come within 10 feet of an algebra class.

You do have take a placement test, and if you fail you'll take remedial math (which is called Intermediate Algebra), but nothing at the level of Algebra II.

 

[gho3st]

,,,,,,

yo the shyt these teachers are using to teach kids math these days is crazy. I had to force my niece to remember addition and multiplication tables because the shyt they were using to teach were just They make that shyt so complicated for no fukking reason.

 

[acri1]

Looks like universities only requires 6 credits of math for most majors, you can take Liberal Arts Math I and II, Logic, or Statistics and you'll never come within 10 feet of an algebra class.

You do have take a placement test, and if you fail you'll take remedial math (which is called Intermediate Algebra), but nothing at the level of Algebra II.

Yeah but Algebra really isn't that serious. I mean really, it's not that hard.

I'd say a high school is doing its students a favor if it puts them in a position where they can place out of college math if they're taking a non-technical major. It's one less class to take and/or pay for. Here was the requirement at my college -

The Basic University Mathematics Graduation Requirement:

A student may meet the mathematics requirement by

a) Obtaining a Mathematics Placement Service exam score of at least 19 on a proctored exam.

or b) Completing one of the following:

• One course from among MTH 110, MTH 112, MTH 116, MTH 124, MTH 132, MTH 152H, and MTH 201
• Both MTH 103 and MTH 114
• Either STT200 or STT201

or c) Obtaining transfer credit for any of the choices in part b).

IIRC, MTH 103 was College Algebra, MTH 114 was a 3-credit Trig class, and MTH 110 was College Algebra/Finite Math.

If a high school can have most of its students able to score at least a 19 that's one less thing they have to worry about. And trust me, I took the test, you shouldn't need anything more than decent algebra and a bit of Trig to get a 19. Yet a lot of the urban kids ended up in Remedial Math and then had to take the actual required Math classes later.

 

[Kings County]

i agree with this i remember learning this shyt and being like im never gonna use this in real life which i havent waste of a subject

 

[Suicide King]

Yeah but Algebra really isn't that serious. I mean really, it's not that hard.

I'd say a high school is doing its students a favor if it puts them in a position where they can place out of college math if they're taking a non-technical major. It's one less class to take and/or pay for. Here was the requirement at my college -



If a high school can have most of its students able to score at least a 19 that's one less thing they have to worry about. And trust me, I took the test, you shouldn't need anything more than algebra to get a 19.

That's what I figured. the math requirements are not as strict in Florida.

 

[Hawaiian Punch]

As we slowly turn into a 3rd world country

 

[tmonster]

Don't need no Algebra for duck hunt'n
Mur'ka!!!!!!!!

 

[Serious]

@Black Jesus @AquaCityBoy

 

[Jesus]

@Black Jesus @AquaCityBoy

Tragic, I'm from Texas and a math major. That's why I'm going to Navy and try to join the feds...fukk the kids. i'm homeschool mine and teach them calc in middle school.

 

[DStyles]

This is something Will Smith's c00n son would love

 

[AquaCityBoy]

@Black Jesus @AquaCityBoy

I'm surprised more people in Higher Learning aren't championing this. A regular-ass algebra class ain't gon help you get no IT certs or six-figure engineering job.

Texas is also stepping back from the strenuous accountability policies it has long been a national leader in championing, amid fears that youngsters are being forced to take too many high-stakes tests and that too many might drop out because of higher expectations. The new law also cuts the number of standardized tests students must pass to graduate from a nation-high 15 to five, but the board can’t change that.

How strenuous were these tests, exactly? In my state we had to take several exams to graduate, but they were so easy that, if you didn't pass, you SHOULDN'T be graduating. But the bolded just seems wrong to me. "Instead to teaching our children and encouraging them to live up to our higher expectations, let's just lower the standards because these kids ain't shyt anyway."

The vote means algebra II would be required of students who want “distinguished” degrees that allow them to qualify for automatic admission to any state public university in Texas. It will also be required of students who choose diploma plans that focus on STEM courses — science, technology, engineering and math.

But the board removed a proposed algebra II requirement for students who choose all other diploma paths: arts and humanities, business and industry, multidisciplinary studies and public service. Students can also earn “foundation” degrees that don’t include higher math or science requirements and don’t focus on a particular discipline.

If they're going to do this, I'd think it'd take a lot more than just keeping an algebra requirement. A lot of high school and college instructors complain about how high school math isn't rigorous enough. If Algebra II is strictly for people who want STEM degrees, then they're gonna need to be introduced to mathematical thinking, logic, and proofs. Maybe they'd do that for seniors or something, but it doesn't sound like it from this article.

 

[Raava]

All Texas cares about is test scores and money. Last year the administration at my moms school were telling teacher not to give the students F's, because they wanted to have less10% D's and F's show up. She was a math specialist the year before and when she would try to come up with new things for the kids in her district, they told her they don't want any ideas. You are in education but you don't want ideas?

This isn't for them to eliminate extra work for a student that will not need it for a trade school. They just want to look good. Instead of actually teaching students they want short cuts that won't show how their system is failing. A far to large number kids down here are dumb as hell. It's just going to get worse.

 

[DEAD7]

Texas is seeing an economic boom, while the rest of the nation(for the most part) is suffering... why are we questioning their decision making rather than figuring out how we can make this turnaround nation wide?

 

[the cool]

i wish they banned algerbreh 2 when i was in school. i never made it past 10th grade.

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

But some trade groups argued that plenty of high-paying jobs are available without a college degree or high-level math.

Discourage young people from bettering themselves and being the BEST THEY CAN BE in a competitive job market that awaits them breh's