I was just perusing the Algebra requirements for high school and I noticed that in California Special Ed students are required to take and pass algebra.

The Moonbeam Utopian Dream is unsustainable and destined to fail. They also just passed a law in San Francisco that everyone who works a minimum of 8 hours a week is eligible for 12 weeks paid maternity leave...BOTH Parents of the Child.

At some point the term "Stupid" must be recognized.

How is "Special Ed" defined?

They have not gone crazy, they have been friggen nuts for a long time. Ed

why shouldn't they be required Algebra like any other student? Just because a child is in special ed doesn't necessarily mean they are stupid.

Too many want to just make [bleep] up to complain about... hell I was getting algebra in early grade school... didn't agree with their choice of mandatory second language though!


Phil

Spot on hence my question above. I have known and worked with many "Special Ed" folks that were bright as hell. I am guessing that Steven Hawking was a "Special Ed" kid...

Hawking didn't find out he had ALS until he was in college. I believe he was quite normal before that, Joe.

Many special ed. students ARE stupid -- so stupid we call them retarded. I have no problem with a special ed. student taking algebra if they want to, but to require them to do so is insane.

My mother and my wife could never get their heads around algebra, and most people would say they were above average intelligence. Just being "smart" without knowing a person's Quantitative intelligence doesn't say much about a person's ability to do algebra.

A lifetime of experience has taught me that most people haven't mastered the math taught in grades 6-7 (fractions, percentages, and proprotionality). Probably only the people with the top 10% mathematical ability should take algebra -- and most of them will use very little of it in their jobs. So why bother? Probably only the top 1% will ever use algebra. I found that being able to write well (using proper grammar) is a much more useful skill.

100% agree postoak.

Learning to read and write well is critical. As is the ability to think critically.

Exactly.

In this state a student can receive "Special Ed", for something such as a speech impediment that has no effect of their cognitive skills.

Definitions matter.

CA algebra: 1 + 1 = 3. Ah yes, the common core version works every time.
You get a free democrat voter ID card, an EBT worth hundreds and your first job guarantees $15/hr if you are so motivated.

Man, we're in serious deep shiznit if an "above average intelligence" American can't do what the average year 5 Chinese primary school kid has to do. Now I really hate to burst your bubble, but since his 9 year old big brother gets to do "mystery numbers", my 7 year old is demanding his first taste of basic one unknown algebra. But to your point, he is pretty good with numbers.


FYI - "Proprotionality" [sic]. I'm not normally a spelling Nazi, but when you tout your English skills as being more important than learning Algebra, I feel you leave yourself open to criticism...

Special Ed students aren't all mentally retarded. Some are in Special Ed merely for dyslexia, for example. And I don't see how you legitimately give someone a high school diploma if they can't pass Algebra I and II anyway.

Yeah, of the Special Ed kids I've seen around here, a few are wheelchair bound, or almost, and social issues (Aspergers).

California Algebra

Z + (3X+2Y/S)= K

Where:

Z = Governor
X = Special Activists
Y = Legislators
S = Blithering idiots
K = Clusterphuoc Magnitude

Surely you jest... It's CA, fer the love of Mike..

Here we go trying to stuff every peg in the same hole. I know lots of really smart people that have very little to no mechanical ability, and on the reverse side, a very good electrician neighbor that can fix most anything is lacking in some ways. I am a fair fixer of things but was not always that way. My natural ability in that area was not strong but my curiosity helped me along the way. miles

It's well documented that east Asians have higher quant skills than Europeans, on average, but I'm skeptical that a 5 YO can do any meaningful algebra.

A spelling error has nothing -- nothing -- to do with my belief that writing well is a more important skill than higher math for the overwhelming majority of people.

Another take on it. Algebra is even more important than basic mathematics today. Why? In a word spreadsheets. If you can't do Algebra then you're not going to be able write formulas in spreadsheets and everyone from Administrative Assistants to sales people to every profession I can come up with uses spreadsheets on a daily basis. The spreadsheet takes care of the math but you have to know how to write a correct formula to make it work.

While most of us memorized multiplication tables out to 12x12 in our day, I'm not sure that's what we need to teach kids today.

So...we've got a genius in Algebra....that can't change a friggin flat tire out!!

My AZZ!!

Post oak I believe his reference was to year 5 of primary school not a 5 year old child

Could be wrong but that's the way I read it

You forgot an exponent there, DD

Yep - "wu nian" = year five of primary school.

As for differences in mathematical ability between Asians and Europeans, I'm of the opinion it's more nurture than nature. The amount of math homework required is rather staggering. Though on the whole, it's very, very, very, very, very, very repetitive (get it?). But it's a constant honing of mathematical ability - creating those neural pathways that will last a lifetime.

The thing is, is that at least at the year 3 level, I can see no substantial difference between the curriculum my older boy had in CA vs that in China. It was all review for him. However, just due to the amount of work the Chinese kids are doing, I've no doubt they'd kick butt on Americans, maybe Europeans when it comes to mathematical aptitude tests. Their brains have been sharpened when it comes to math...

Now, if only they could do the same with driving skills...

What is it like in Texas, do they just give special ed students diplomas just for being special?

Why shouldn't they have to earn it like everyone else.

The point is that most people -- over half, in my experience, never even thoroughly "get" 6th and 7th grade math. It would be far better to spend years 8 - 11 relentlessly drilling these concepts and then give them a semester of algebra and geometry, than to cut away prematurely from these core subjects.

I have no idea what special ed. is like in Texas, but if they are trying to force them to learn subjects that even regular people struggle with, then it would be equally open to my criticism.

Okay, 5th grade, if you google "5 year olds calculus", you'll see that even they can learn some form of simple calculus.

Phuoc Me^3!