California Leftists Try to Cancel Math Class – WSJ

Many highly selective colleges expect students to take calculus in high school. To get to calculus by senior year, students have to proceed on a pathway of advanced courses. The framework condemns this as a rush to calculus and indicates that California schools won t provide such a pathway. California high-school grads may be put at a disadvantage in applying to top colleges.

The framework explicitly rejects ideas of natural gifts and talents. That some are gifted in math implies some others aren t, and this is inequitable. The framework s authors also fear that those designated gifted may have their fragile egos hurt if they later lose that designation. So it writes an obituary for gifted-and-talented programs, which would hobble the rise of many talented children in California.

The framework rejects ability grouping, also called tracking, even though studies show that students do better when grouped with others who are progressing in their studies at the same pace. We have known for years, including from a 2009 Fordham Institute study of Massachusetts middle schools, that schools with more tracks have significantly more math students at advanced levels and fewer failing students.

The proposal s agenda becomes clear when it says math should be taught so it can be used for social justice. It extols a fictional teacher who uses class to develop her students sociopolitical consciousness. Math, it says, is a tool to change the world. Teachers are supposed to adopt a culturally relevant pedagogy, which includes the ability to identify, analyze and solve real-world problems, especially those that result in societal inequalities.

via www.wsj.com

One could be forgiven for thinking that this new math curriculum is a conspiracy to keep people of color out of the technical professions. For once you get behind in math, it’s hard to ever really catch up.

When my wife was at the church we go to for a bible study this last week, they were using a classroom sometimes used in the summer by other groups not affiliated with the church. On the whiteboard was written an “equation.” It showed three pictures of trees, such that [tree] plus [tree] plus [tree] = 10. That’s not even wrong.