Recently, Diana Suddreth, the Utah State Math Specialist, informed school personnel about changes to available math choices for high school students. Currently all ninth graders must take Math 1 and all 10th graders must take Math 2 and next year, all juniors must take Math 3 or the corresponding honors courses. "All students" means everyone regardless of previous math achievement or skill level. This includes kids who qualify for resource and ESL classes. There is no text book and no real remediation. The next year, they all get sent to the next level even if they fail.
What happened to caring about student success? We all learn at a different pace, and students should be taught material that they are ready to understand. Many students and parents have expressed frustration this year. Why have they eliminated choices to fit students' individual needs? Why can juniors no longer take concurrent math classes for high school credit? Math 1050 and 1060 have been proven to be the best choice to prepare students to take calculus, physics, chemistry, etc. This new curriculum makes no sense and should be opposed by parents, students and educators alike.
Benjamin Jared Mehner
Midvale
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Perhaps you should spend some time reading and understanding the new law before you complain about it.
Secondary math III - which would be Junior year - can be replaced with a concurrent enrollment college math class.
As for More..
Its getting to the point where no one is going to care your kid failed. You will have to help. Yes its sad... but what is the alternative? Is there a system that will work for everyone?
Well since you asked: The alternative is overhauling More..
There should be more options for math learners. The schools our children attended differentiated children by math ability in elementary school (3rd grade?) They had a "homeroom" teacher who taught all the subjects, but for math the kids were More..