You’re reminding me of the joke about how math problems have changed over the decades, one version of which is quoted by C K Dexter Haven in the Staff Report on What exactly was the “new math”?
I don’t know all that much about how math is being taught in elementary and high schools these days, but from my experience teaching college math, I’m seeing an increasing number of college students who come to college needing developmental-level course work in math. Some of them are in the situation alluded to in one of the linked articles from the OP: even though they got decent grades in their high school math classes, they didn’t really learn (or they forgot) what they needed to have learned from them.
My nephew is in the 3rd grade and is learning multiplication.
He is allowed to use a calculator because it is hard for him. He only knows his fives and nines for everything else he uses the calculator. To do problems like 8*4 he counts on his fingers to eight, four times.
The only reason he knows his nines is because of the hand trick. When I was helping him with his homework I told him to stop using the hand trick because he needs to memorize his nines along with all the other ones.
He told me his teacher said they didn’t need to memorize their nines because they can always just use the hand trick.*
*I’m more inclined to beleive he’s lying and just doesn’t want to memorize his nines but since I’ve never talked to his teacher and his parents don’t care as long as the homework is done I just let it go.
Wow…really? Do schools just not teach percentages anymore?
Scary…
I have a hunch that even when you went to school there were plenty of kids who has no clue about math as well.
I think it’s a bit of self-selection bias: I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone say “I’m terrible at math and math teaching must be getting worse because kids nowadays are terrible at math too!”
That’s an interesting point. I agree with you that in all generations, there are some of us who weren’t good at math. I guess the direction of my OP was this ‘new math’ seems off somehow, and the few college professors who added their comments seems to attest to it - not any scientific basis for a study by any means, but it does pique my interest.
But, on that note, I’m going to see if my google-fu is up to snuff and see if I can find articles from earlier than 2001 of remedial courses always being prevalent, or is it rising…
In the 80s when I taught remedial math classes at a major university it was the same. A shocking percentage of freshman had to be taught basic fractions and percents and I couldn’t get that knowledge into some of them in one semester. Every semester a student would ask me, “why do I have to learn this, I’m a business major?” I still haven’t found an answer that would convince a freshman and I wasn’t supposed to be a smartass. The people who run the school of business think you should be able to multiple and divide and maybe even learn what percentages are. If you disagree on these fundamental concepts, why are you paying to go to college here?
I’ve always been terrible at math. We memorized the multiplication tables, but a lot of them wouldn’t stick in my head. I suspect I might have had a learning disability related to math. That was on my end. However, I blame the teachers I had in some respect because they didn’t even want to try to help me when they had to know I was having problems - my math grades were always in the toilet. I even had a teacher once get angry at me, as if I were having problems on purpose, just to vex her.
When I was in high school, they’d put you in remedial math classes if you didn’t do well, but that’s it. Then in remedial math class you’d get a crummy teacher who didn’t do much to help you and didn’t help you with the basics. They’d just start talking about pre-algebra or something. Big help. I already had classes in that and they didn’t help me. Aaaaaah!
I home schooled my son in second and third grade and that’s when he learned times tables. He was’t allowed to have a calculator at school until 5th grade when they were learning about square roots and pre-algebra stuff, so I am guessing the public school must have done times tables at that same times frame.
In our area they seem to be doing a fine job teaching math. At least my son is doing very well and most of his friends are, too. They do seem to be teaching “higher math” at an earlier age. Kiddo took Algebra 1 in 7th grade (8th grade standard for CA) and Algebra 2 in 8th grade (rec’d high school credit), but I would say about 40% of the 8th grade class was taking Algebra 2, so it’s not like he’s wildly ahead of his peers. This year (9th) is Geometry and next year Trig or pre-calc depending on which class fits his schedule.
I do think schools should be teaching some sort of “life math” class. Teach kids to calculate interest, percentages, and balance their check book. Stuff like that. I make my kid so stuff like that like if we’re at the store, or make him do the tip at the restaurant. So he gets practice.
This is encouraging to read.
I agree wholeheartedly, and kudos to you for preparing your son for the ‘real world’.
This is interesting:
WARNING - PDF
http://www.gse.uci.edu/person/domina_t/docs/JHE%20remediation%20final.pdf
In the OP article here: http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/leadership/LP101-407.html says:
Interesting it seems the study in 1998 (first quote) approx 40% were not proficient to enter college. While the 2003 study (second quote) shows approx 68% were not proficient to enter college.
Granted they don’t break it out into subjects, so it proves nothing about math, but in these two studies that is a pretty large increase from 1998 to 2003. But, to be realistic, we have no idea if these two studies are even comparable.
Three other articles in no particular order:
http://www.ednewscolorado.org/2012/02/07/32858-college-remediation-rates-rise
http://hechingerreport.org/content/u-s-math-education-is-broken_2356/
I am thankful you chimed in. I was afraid people would think I was lying or exaggerating.
When I first started teaching, I was absolutely shocked at the poor math skills possessed by my students. I am no longer shocked; I now fully expect it. At the end of a 17-week semester in MAT 115 (Algebra w/ Business Applications), I would estimate only half would be able to solve for X in the following equation:
3X + 4 = 31
I could spend an entire year doing nothing but showing students how to solve simple equations like this, and they would still not be able to do it.
I don’t know.
You know, for about 1 second I was going to say “really, never?” but actually…
This is what I had to explain to my professor.
The course handbook read:
Exam - 40%
First paper - 20% of 60%
Second paper - 40% of 60%
I said that “20% of 60%” means 12%. She could not get her head around it. Professor of a very well respected university. 
How did all these college students get past the SAT? Did they just get every single Math question wrong? I don’t understand how this could happen.
Are you thinking of the SAT as a test that everyone has to pass in order to get into college? Because that’s not how it works. Some colleges will take any applicant with a high school diploma (or GED). Even more selective colleges won’t necessarily disqualify an applicant just because they got a relatively low score on the math portion of their SAT (or ACT).
What a weird way of putting it. Where was the other 24% of the grade coming from? I wonder why she bothered of the “of 60%” instead of just saying:
Exam - 40%
First paper - 20%
Second paper - 40%
Yes, I know. But my point is if you can’t solve 8 x 4, you don’t just get a “relatively low score” on the test; I don’t understand how you can get ANY of the answers correct. Or get a high school diploma, for that matter.
I know kids fall through the cracks, yes, but a whole class full of them?
2.5%ish ?? Thats in my head, I can’t remember the equation I learned to solve it though. I may be completely wrong. It would have been super if one of you math teachers would have said the answer so I can determine if I am one of the retards.
Math came easy for me in high school, though I was suprised in college with the sudden need for a math course in my senior year in college. Apparently the math from my previous college didn’t transfer, so I signed up for Algebra 101 and was utterly lost. Mind you, before I had algebra, geometry and calculus but that was 5 years before this class:/. I got a B but I had to WORK for it. I don’t even want to think about the issues I had with graduate level statistics.
My son did his times tables in the 3rd grade and I live in SC where they attend a mid-level performance school and a district that is over crap. However, they are teaching a more conceptual math. It’s not just solving the problems but it’s also what the numbers are and the logic behind the equation.
FWIW, I believe you can use a calculator on the SAT (I know you can on the ACT), but of course that’s no excuse for not being able to answer something like 8 x 4 without a calculator. Since this was Crafter_Man’s example, I wonder what kind of students he’s dealing with: how long ago were they in high school, and what if any math had they used in the meantime?
I go back and forth on it. Sometimes I think it’s not a big deal, she just added an “of 60%” unnecessarily. Then I think that actually, it shows a larger problem of not understanding percentages in a fundamental way. The idea of kinda sorta just writing down any old thing, it doesn’t really matter. Only it does matter.
That said, the whole English university system has a problem with percentages. As an undergraduate you couldn’t get more than 80%. That is to say, we were literally scored points out of 80, to which they added “%” at the end. Another conversation about percentages, and the meaning of “per cent”, that did not go well.
Prof: Wow, you got 68%, that’s really very good!
Me: Really? It doesn’t seem very good at all, it’s barely a pass.
Prof: 68% out of 80, as an undergraduate your score is out of 80!
Me: Euuhhm… but that doesn’t make sense, per centum means “out of 100”
Prof: Well, that’s just how we do it!
Me: Well, I think you should start calling it “per octoginta” to avoid confusion. I felt pretty bad about my mark.
Prof: 
/ :rolleyes: