[CSPS] CS Response

[Susan Scott]

Sarah,
I have heard some interesting perspectives on this from Linda Stearns,
Bryan ISD math teacher, at recent CSPS events.  She can explain this
better than I can but it is my understanding that when the requirements
jumped from 2 years of math to 3 several years ago, teachers found that
they had to water down the curriculum for the upper level courses in
order to have a reasonable percentage of the students (at least 60%, I
believe) pass the classes.  Linda stated that the college-bound students
are no longer adequately prepared for first-year college math classes. 
She was strongly opposed to adding the 4-year requirement for all
students, both for the sake of the college-bound kids and for the
students who want classes with vocational emphases.  She and other
teachers expressed concern about increased drop-out rates with these new
requirements.
Susan


Susan G. Scott
Instructor and Internship Coordinator
Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences
Texas A&M University 
College Station, TX  77843-2261
Phone:  (979) 845-5350
FAX:  (979) 845-0446
susan-g-scott at tamu.edu
www.rpts.tamu.edu

>>> Sarah Bednarz <s-bednarz at tamu.edu> 12/13/2006 8:11 am >>>
Am I alone in being upset with the response of some school board  
members and administrators as reported in today's Eagle about the new 

curriculum? It makes me question the collective dedication to  
preparing ALL students for life-long success if they do not support  
the idea of four years of math, science, language arts and social  
studies.

Just wondering if I have become too elitist or if standards are  
slipping.

Sarah Bednarz
*******************************************
Sarah Witham Bednarz
Associate Professor of Geography
Department of Geography
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843-3147
s-bednarz at tamu.edu 
979/845-1579
FAX: 979/862-4487
CELL: 979/229-7247
http://agsss.tamu.edu 
*******************************************
The death-knell of the republic had rung as soon as the active power  
became lodged in the hands of those who sought, not to do justice to  
all citizens, rich and poor alike, but to stand for one special class 

and for its interests as opposed to the interests of others.
Theodore Roosevelt, Labor Day speech at Syracuse, NY, Sept 7, 1903


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