College students are struggling with basic math,

[Anonymous]

“College students are struggling with basic math.”

Said every aging generation about every new generation, and every college always and forever.

[Anonymous]

I am sure I will get roasted for this, but...so?

I'm assuming these students aren't going to I to math heavy majors. So if they have to take basic math, fine.

[Anonymous]

Trades require basic math these days. These kids have no economic value. Basically welfare cases in an economy that can still afford paying people for un-needed or truly necessary “jobs”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two causes. first and predominant cause is that schools are passing everyone and doing so with As and A-s. Secondary is learning loss from COVID. A lot of kids missed out on the opportunity to learn fundamental math concepts. US math education is far behind the rest of the world.

So, anytime you are talking about US education, you are averaging over the entire country. Also, the comparisons can be misleading.

As an example, China is now at the top of worldwide math rankings...BUT they only look at test results from kids in Beijing and Shanghai and they only look at the top schools. The US would also be at the top of the Math scores if they only looked at scores from NYC and LA and only took the scores from Bronx Science, Harvard Westlake, Horace Mann, etc.

A reporter went to 2nd tier cities and rural areas of China and essentially said most of the kids are functionally illiterate. The schools are in terrible shape, the teachers are barely qualified, etc.

[Anonymous]

This is sad. K-12 school districts need to stop the grade inflation and get serious about math instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:whats going on?
COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE NOW TAKING 9TH GRADE MATH IN COLLEGE. EVEN SCHOOLS LIKE GEORGE MASON UNIVERISTY.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/college-students-struggling-basic-math-many-stuck-9th-grade-level-professors-blame-pandemic

This is sad. we need to stop giving everyone an A and give real grades, let's go back to giving 0's and F's when they are earned.

Wow, GMU finally made it to a news article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two causes. first and predominant cause is that schools are passing everyone and doing so with As and A-s. Secondary is learning loss from COVID. A lot of kids missed out on the opportunity to learn fundamental math concepts. US math education is far behind the rest of the world.

This is such BS. In the rest of the world, by the time you get to a school like Mason, those kids would be in trade school not college. People bash the US because we don't pressure kids to leave the college track early or just drop out and our over all scores reflect it. Meanwhile kids from countries that people love to praise fall over themselves to attend US universities

Yes, especially against Asian and European countries. Their average math/science high school standard would be close to TJ standards here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two causes. first and predominant cause is that schools are passing everyone and doing so with As and A-s. Secondary is learning loss from COVID. A lot of kids missed out on the opportunity to learn fundamental math concepts. US math education is far behind the rest of the world.

This is such BS. In the rest of the world, by the time you get to a school like Mason, those kids would be in trade school not college. People bash the US because we don't pressure kids to leave the college track early or just drop out and our over all scores reflect it. Meanwhile kids from countries that people love to praise fall over themselves to attend US universities

It's not bs. Latest PISA test results: https://data.oecd.org/pisa/mathematics-performance-pisa.htm

What cohorts were given the test in every country?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two causes. first and predominant cause is that schools are passing everyone and doing so with As and A-s. Secondary is learning loss from COVID. A lot of kids missed out on the opportunity to learn fundamental math concepts. US math education is far behind the rest of the world.

This is such BS. In the rest of the world, by the time you get to a school like Mason, those kids would be in trade school not college. People bash the US because we don't pressure kids to leave the college track early or just drop out and our over all scores reflect it. Meanwhile kids from countries that people love to praise fall over themselves to attend US universities

NP. While what you are saying is true, I think this is actually more of a philosophical debate as to whether the US is doing right by ANY students in our efforts to NOT “track” them. The students who can’t learn math still won’t, and the kids who could learn math won’t because the resources are going towards pushing stones uphill. Who does this benefit?

The best schools for math in the world are still in the US and still filled with American students who had no problem excelling in high school

[Anonymous]

If you are interested in this subject, check out this book: https://www.amazon.com/Smartest-Kids-World-They-That/dp/145165443X

US students lag behind because, just as this thread demonstrates, we don't care. It is part of the culture.

It is sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are interested in this subject, check out this book: https://www.amazon.com/Smartest-Kids-World-They-That/dp/145165443X

US students lag behind because, just as this thread demonstrates, we don't care. It is part of the culture.

It is sad.

The US lags because the US doesn't push kids off of a college track. If you selectively test US kids the same way kids in China are selectively tested, then the US doesn't lag. MIT is still the best university in the world for math and they manage to fill their freshman class with almost 90% Americans every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two causes. first and predominant cause is that schools are passing everyone and doing so with As and A-s. Secondary is learning loss from COVID. A lot of kids missed out on the opportunity to learn fundamental math concepts. US math education is far behind the rest of the world.

This is such BS. In the rest of the world, by the time you get to a school like Mason, those kids would be in trade school not college. People bash the US because we don't pressure kids to leave the college track early or just drop out and our over all scores reflect it. Meanwhile kids from countries that people love to praise fall over themselves to attend US universities

Yes, especially against Asian and European countries. Their average math/science high school standard would be close to TJ standards here.

That's why immigrants were coming here attempting to go to TJ, because it was as good as average back home

Here take a shot at UK A level exams - https://revisionmaths.com/level-maths/level-maths-past-papers/aqa-level-maths-past-papers Yes they are for kids that want to go on to university study. Which would be all of TJ. This is basic math for them.

Calc BC seems a lot harder to me, not to mention the post calculus classes most students at TJ will take

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two causes. first and predominant cause is that schools are passing everyone and doing so with As and A-s. Secondary is learning loss from COVID. A lot of kids missed out on the opportunity to learn fundamental math concepts. US math education is far behind the rest of the world.

This is such BS. In the rest of the world, by the time you get to a school like Mason, those kids would be in trade school not college. People bash the US because we don't pressure kids to leave the college track early or just drop out and our over all scores reflect it. Meanwhile kids from countries that people love to praise fall over themselves to attend US universities

Yes, especially against Asian and European countries. Their average math/science high school standard would be close to TJ standards here.

That's why immigrants were coming here attempting to go to TJ, because it was as good as average back home

Here take a shot at UK A level exams - https://revisionmaths.com/level-maths/level-maths-past-papers/aqa-level-maths-past-papers Yes they are for kids that want to go on to university study. Which would be all of TJ. This is basic math for them.

This is not that much different from an AP Calc exam - which several TJ kids take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't test optional great?

It works in public high schools would stop inflating grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two causes. first and predominant cause is that schools are passing everyone and doing so with As and A-s. Secondary is learning loss from COVID. A lot of kids missed out on the opportunity to learn fundamental math concepts. US math education is far behind the rest of the world.

This is such BS. In the rest of the world, by the time you get to a school like Mason, those kids would be in trade school not college. People bash the US because we don't pressure kids to leave the college track early or just drop out and our over all scores reflect it. Meanwhile kids from countries that people love to praise fall over themselves to attend US universities

It's not bs. Latest PISA test results: https://data.oecd.org/pisa/mathematics-performance-pisa.htm

Interesting to look at the G7 scores over a long period of time - the average G7 score has been declining.