Reply to What elementary/middle schools have the strongest math programs?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]And this is why American students can't compete with Finland, Korea, and Poland...low expectations.

So how many children in those countries take Calculus BC at age 13?[/quote]
I can't speak for "all those" countries, but in my eastern-european one everyone started algebra in 5th grade.  And geometry as well. 
We did addition/subtraction in first, multiplication/division in second (had to memorize the multipl. facts the summer before), fractions/decimals in third, order of operations either in third or in fourth, and started equations and graphs in fifth.  It's NOT complicated. I'm not gifted in math at all - trust me.  But we didn't just have a "problem of the week" like my son does.  We had 5-10 problems assigned to us every day. That's all it takes. [/quote]

How old is the average 1st grader in your home country?  I know many European countries don't start full school until age 7.  SO 1st grade would be equivalent to 2nd grade here.......  Plus, my kids go some algebra and geometry in their math classes in ES, but didn't start the full on Algebra until MS.  [/quote]
They start school at 7, but I adjusted the grade level to match their american equivalent.  Actually, just like for the Indian poster above, both Algebra and Geometry starts in 4th grade, which would be 5th here. Algebra and Geometry are taught concurrently for the next 4 years, at which point some kids leave school to go to trade schools, and others continue with calculus. Chemistry/Physics/Biology is also taught concurrently from either 5th or 6th grade (I forget now which one) and is taught for at least 4 years straight.  And, unlike India, the attendance rate is 100% of the population.  This is your regular neighborhood public school. [/quote]

European schools are often cited for their model of "starting later" i.e. Finland - but that's only citing mandatory attendance laws - but what's often left out of that story is that the overwhelming majority of European students start before the mandatory starting age and have academically robust public preschool programs.  So, they don't actually start later.[/quote]

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