Reply to I'm not from this country. Would you please explain to me WHY taking Algn 7th grade seems to be the

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Reply to "I'm not from this country. Would you please explain to me WHY taking Algn 7th grade seems to be the"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP. It is ridiculous. Most of the kids have a weak understanding of Algebra as a result. It's rushed, almost always badly done, and largely has to do with parental bragging.[/quote]

If that is true*, it's more of a reflection of the sub-par teaching and math curriculum from K-6.  In some other countries, it's pretty standard for everyone to take Algebra in 7th.

*It's not true.  Some person keeps claiming that the kids who are accelerated more perform worse in subsequent math classes, but this person has no evidence.  At least in LCPS, the kids taking Algebra in 6th outperform the other kids in all math classes.  [/quote]

In specifically what countries is it standard for EVERYONE to take Algebra in 7th?[/quote]

Russia, for one.  It's standard in grade 7 for kids to do integrated Algebra and Geometry.  
https://www.emis.de/data/projects/reference-levels/EMS_RUSSIA.pdf

Poland also teaches Algebra earlier than the US.  [/quote][/quote]

Are all of the kids starting Algebra in 7th grade or is it a higher percentage of kids?

I know that there are countries that use more strict tracking then we do in the US and so that you end up with a group of kids that are put on a more advanced path while others are sent on a more vo-tech path starting in Elementary School. People point to how many STEM based students there are in China without looking at the percentage of kids in China who are studying STEM. The number of grads is going to be higher because there is a massive population difference but the percentage is not as stark.

For example "Chinese universities graduated 34,801 STEM doctorates compared to 26,076 by American universities. Over the last decade, China has steadily increased its lead. In 2019, Chinese universities produced 49,498 PhDs in STEM fields, while U.S. universities produced 33,759" So there are more Chinese PhDs but when you take into consideration the substantial population size differences, not that much of a gap.

I know that kids in rural China are not getting the same education as the kid in Beijing and that the kids of the wealthy parents in Beijing are receiving a very different education then the other kids. This idea that all kids in these countries are on this advanced path and the US is far behind is over inflated. In many countries, the kids who are this advanced path are the kids of families that can afford the tutoring and prep classes that allow their kids to do well in school and well in the exams that are used to select kids for the top tier high schools and universities in their respective countries. Kids who do not make the cut take different classes and are on different paths.

I would guess that the same is true in Russia and other systems.

The people that many Americans are interacting with are the ones who excelled and are representing their countries or excelled but didn't pass the test to attend the top tier school in their country so they came to the US to complete their education or the people who worked their butts off and are not recognized and came to the US in order to improve their lives. Not surprisingly, many of these folks were surrounded by other families who emphasized STEM and prep and tutoring to excel so that is the tradition that they bring with them. But we are not seeing the kids who were tracked into a different path in elementary school and we are not seeing the kids who are from rural parts of the world that are in a very different system. [/quote]

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