Anonymous wrote:I've always wondered why we have history class was so focussed in high school. 4 credits (4 years) of history seems crazy when you could have the students learn useful skills like coding, personal finance, basic business practices, etc...

Why not have something like this:

4 years mandatory math credits
3 years mandatory science (Bio, Chem, Physics)
1 year mandatory History (choose US/World/Civics/Geography)
2 year mandatory Coding/CS credit
1 year mandatory personal finance credit
2 years electives (more history, coding, science, finance, etc)

Total: 13 credits. Once you are done, you are done. If you finish before 4 years are up you can either graduate, or take more electives.

you forgot English
The curriculum does seem history heavy though

Anonymous wrote:I've always wondered why we have history class was so focussed in high school. 4 credits (4 years) of history seems crazy when you could have the students learn useful skills like coding, personal finance, basic business practices, etc...

Why not have something like this:

4 years mandatory math credits
3 years mandatory science (Bio, Chem, Physics)
1 year mandatory History (choose US/World/Civics/Geography)
2 year mandatory Coding/CS credit
1 year mandatory personal finance credit
2 years electives (more history, coding, science, finance, etc)

Total: 13 credits. Once you are done, you are done. If you finish before 4 years are up you can either graduate, or take more electives.

If our goal were to raise robots (or even mere Philistines), that might be reasonable. But we're supposed to be raising informed citizens.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC currently requires 2 credits in World History, 2 in US history, .5 in civics and .5 in DC history

Just wondering, where do you see Civics? dcps.dc.gov

To receive a DCPS diploma, students who enroll in 9th grade for the first time in School Year 2007-2008 and thereafter must earn 24.0 credits (or Carnegie Units) as follows:
Subject Credits
(Carnegie Units)
Art 0.5 credits
Electives 3.5 credits
English 4.0 credits
Health and Physical Education 1.5 credits
Mathematics
(including Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Upper Level Math) 4.0 credits
Music 0.5 credits
Science
(including biology, 2 lab sciences, and 1 other science) 4.0 credits
Social Studies
(including World History I & II, DC History, US
Government, US History) 4.0 credits
World Languages 2.0 credits
Total 24.0 credits

Civics and US government are the same thing.

What a waste to take .5 credits of DC history. What moron thought that one up?

I've always wondered why we have history class was so focussed in high school. 4 credits (4 years) of history seems crazy when you could have the students learn useful skills like coding, personal finance, basic business practices, etc...

Why not have something like this:

4 years mandatory math credits
3 years mandatory science (Bio, Chem, Physics)
1 year mandatory History (choose US/World/Civics/Geography)
2 year mandatory Coding/CS credit
1 year mandatory personal finance credit
2 years electives (more history, coding, science, finance, etc)

Total: 13 credits. Once you are done, you are done. If you finish before 4 years are up you can either graduate, or take more electives.

algebra 1 is a year long course, as are geometry and algebra 2

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another huge change in the proposal is offering a remedial math course before Algebra 1. The course would have to be taken NO CREDIT. Then the kids would have to complete the other four math courses, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry and Trigonometry.

It's not clear why kids do not receive credit for the lower level math course. That seems like a non-starter.

The math requirements are very difficult for some kids and it seems that if a student is going for the technical diploma, that a remedial course would be just fine to fulfill the requirements.

Does your plumber really need to know Algebra 2? I don't think so.

this would mean that a child who isn't ready for algebra 1 in 9th grade won't graduate in 4 years. Summer school cannot cram a whole year of math into a child who is

playing catch up.

They would have to double up on math classes.

In addition to the kids who are just not understanding the math curriculum, there is a problem that there are schools and educational campuses that do not have the basic curriculum to prepare kids to take Algebra 1 in 9th grade. Then we penalize kids because they're not ready.

double up on math? that is not feasible, math follows a sequence of teaching, in the same way as a foreign language. You don't take chinese 2 and 3 in the same semester, one prepares you for the next

I'm not the pp, but can't you take remedial math your first semester of 9th grade and then Algebra 1 the second semester? You should be able to fulfill your math requirements in 4 years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another huge change in the proposal is offering a remedial math course before Algebra 1. The course would have to be taken NO CREDIT. Then the kids would have to complete the other four math courses, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry and Trigonometry.

It's not clear why kids do not receive credit for the lower level math course. That seems like a non-starter.

The math requirements are very difficult for some kids and it seems that if a student is going for the technical diploma, that a remedial course would be just fine to fulfill the requirements.

Does your plumber really need to know Algebra 2? I don't think so.

this would mean that a child who isn't ready for algebra 1 in 9th grade won't graduate in 4 years. Summer school cannot cram a whole year of math into a child who is

playing catch up.

They would have to double up on math classes.

In addition to the kids who are just not understanding the math curriculum, there is a problem that there are schools and educational campuses that do not have the basic curriculum to prepare kids to take Algebra 1 in 9th grade. Then we penalize kids because they're not ready.

double up on math? that is not feasible, math follows a sequence of teaching, in the same way as a foreign language. You don't take chinese 2 and 3 in the same semester, one prepares you for the next

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another huge change in the proposal is offering a remedial math course before Algebra 1. The course would have to be taken NO CREDIT. Then the kids would have to complete the other four math courses, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry and Trigonometry.

It's not clear why kids do not receive credit for the lower level math course. That seems like a non-starter.

The math requirements are very difficult for some kids and it seems that if a student is going for the technical diploma, that a remedial course would be just fine to fulfill the requirements.

Does your plumber really need to know Algebra 2? I don't think so.

this would mean that a child who isn't ready for algebra 1 in 9th grade won't graduate in 4 years. Summer school cannot cram a whole year of math into a child who is

playing catch up.

They would have to double up on math classes.

In addition to the kids who are just not understanding the math curriculum, there is a problem that there are schools and educational campuses that do not have the basic curriculum to prepare kids to take Algebra 1 in 9th grade. Then we penalize kids because they're not ready.

Anonymous wrote:Another huge change in the proposal is offering a remedial math course before Algebra 1. The course would have to be taken NO CREDIT. Then the kids would have to complete the other four math courses, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry and Trigonometry.

It's not clear why kids do not receive credit for the lower level math course. That seems like a non-starter.

The math requirements are very difficult for some kids and it seems that if a student is going for the technical diploma, that a remedial course would be just fine to fulfill the requirements.

Does your plumber really need to know Algebra 2? I don't think so.

this would mean that a child who isn't ready for algebra 1 in 9th grade won't graduate in 4 years. Summer school cannot cram a whole year of math into a child who is playing catch up.

Anonymous wrote:Another huge change in the proposal is offering a remedial math course before Algebra 1. The course would have to be taken NO CREDIT. Then the kids would have to complete the other four math courses, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry and Trigonometry.

It's not clear why kids do not receive credit for the lower level math course. That seems like a non-starter.

The math requirements are very difficult for some kids and it seems that if a student is going for the technical diploma, that a remedial course would be just fine to fulfill the requirements.

Does your plumber really need to know Algebra 2? I don't think so.

Do most of us need to know Algebra 2 in our professional lives? I don't think so.

I can't remember if I even took a 4th year of math in high school. Pretty sure we were just required to do Algebra, Algebra 2, & a year of Geometry/Trig.

Another huge change in the proposal is offering a remedial math course before Algebra 1. The course would have to be taken NO CREDIT. Then the kids would have to complete the other four math courses, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry and Trigonometry.

It's not clear why kids do not receive credit for the lower level math course. That seems like a non-starter.

The math requirements are very difficult for some kids and it seems that if a student is going for the technical diploma, that a remedial course would be just fine to fulfill the requirements.

Does your plumber really need to know Algebra 2? I don't think so.

Current requirements at http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/College+and+Careers/High+School+Planning/Graduation/Graduation+Requirements

Anonymous wrote:DC currently requires 2 credits in World History, 2 in US history, .5 in civics and .5 in DC history

Just wondering, where do you see Civics? dcps.dc.gov

To receive a DCPS diploma, students who enroll in 9th grade for the first time in School Year 2007-2008 and thereafter must earn 24.0 credits (or Carnegie Units) as follows:
Subject Credits
(Carnegie Units)
Art 0.5 credits
Electives 3.5 credits
English 4.0 credits
Health and Physical Education 1.5 credits
Mathematics
(including Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Upper Level Math) 4.0 credits
Music 0.5 credits
Science
(including biology, 2 lab sciences, and 1 other science) 4.0 credits
Social Studies
(including World History I & II, DC History, US
Government, US History) 4.0 credits
World Languages 2.0 credits
Total 24.0 credits

OP where did you get that they are decreasing the social studies requirements? The document says they need 4 years of social studies:

To satisfy this requirement, students must take courses in:
• World history (1.0)
• United States history (1.0)
• US government/civics (0.5)
• DC history (0.5)

The remaining 1.0 unit may be selected by the student from subjects such as: African-American history, global studies, geography, economics, financial literacy, etc.