kitchen table math, the sequel: progress report

Sunday, March 4, 2007

progress report

State tests coming up on March 12, and I've managed to haul C's tuchus through 36 of 49 lessons in his Test Prep book, plus 2 of 6 "Progress Checks."

I've managed to do this in spite of the fact that he's in the middle of his annual winter health collapse. He's missed at least a week of school (or are we up to two? I've lost track.)

This week the kids took the CTBS test for placement in Earth Science; he missed that. No idea whether they'll give it again.

He gets so sick each and every winter I'm beginning to wonder how he's going to get through high school.

Can you afford to be flat on your back for at least two weeks every winter?

Two weeks may not even be right; it may be more like 3 or even 4.

And we still haven't hit rotavirus season. That will eat up another week or two come spring.

In any case, 36 of 49 lessons. This is good!

It's easy to see why "Uncertainty" has become the all-star math subject these days: it's far easier than any of the standard math kids used to learn, standard math being arithmetic, algebra, and geometry.

Christopher was planning to refuse to do any lessons today at all on grounds that he's still sick (true, but we're running out of time). Finally he agreed to do a couple of lessons in the statistics uncertainty section.

That took him about two minutes.

So the lessons on circles, volume, formulas, etc. all remain to be tackled.


test prep query

My test prep query is: why do we have these books?

Christopher hasn't been assigned a single lesson in the book. Not one.

Ms. K had the kids do a couple of the lessons in class, the ones on subjects she hadn't otherwise covered. And that was it.

I don't know whether the other classes are being assigned practice lessons. Judging from what C's friends tell him, I gather they're not.

I have no idea what 6th & 8th grades are doing. I'd be surprised if they're doing something 7th grade isn't doing, but you never know.

As far as I can tell, the idea for requiring parents to purchase these books was that....parents would then use the books? Is that it?

Parents would use the books, but would not be provided the answer key so they could check their kids' answers?

I think this may call for an email to the math chair.

So far I'm the only person I know who is using the book.

I'm not only using the book, I've ordered the books for 6th & 8th grades, too, along with their respective answer keys.

Christopher's going to be doing all 3 of them.

_____________

state test coming right up (2006)
throwing money at the problem
more stuff only teachers can buy
help desk 1
state test coming right up (2007)
help desk 2
my life and welcome to it
inflammatory
canadianteacher.com
progress report
despair
28 out of 30

all the answers are belong to us
email to the math chair
second request
teacher's manual
it would be unusual

3 comments:

Tracy W said...

Someone had a bright idea in a meeting but never figured out all of the things necessary for support?

Catherine Johnson said...

I'd love to know.

The district is now completely out of control (that's probably obvious).

Ed suspects that the superintendent may have told everyone they had to get test prep books; then everyone got test prep books; then....nothing.

That's entirely possible.

It's a bit hard for me to imagine the math department doing this on its own seeing as how they've done essentially nothing with the books.

A good friend of mine says that in Irvington everything is "shrouded in mystery."

case in point

LynnG said...

How in the world did you get him to comply?

Out of pity, I've given up making any progress at all until after we survive the state 5th grade test prep cram. It has been non-stop cramming for two weeks. At some point I am going to have to count up all of the math problems my daughter has been assigned.

Our state tests start tomorrow.

I'm hoping to start getting back on track this week. I might have to resort to M&M bribes to get her focused. How did you get a sick 7th grader to work through test prep?

Very impressive