Monday, April 4, 2011

Let's Hear It For Algebra II

Most folks know that the S.A.T. has never been a great predictor of success in either college or life. According to the below interesting Washington Post article, though, Algebra II does fill the bill, and is being looked at more and more as a requirement for graduation, as it tends to heighten critical thinking of the sort that will be needed increasingly in workplaces of the future:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/requiring-algebra-ii-in-high-school-gains-momentum-nationwide/2011/04/01/AF7FBWXC_story.html

(interestingly too, the article has already garnered 360 comments!)

1 comment:

Sue VanHattum said...

>it tends to heighten critical thinking ...

Algebra II may be a 'great predictor' of future success only because the correlation is high. ie The people who pass algebra II already knew how to think.

I'd be more likely to believe Algebra I capable of 'heightening critical thinking' than Algebra II, which often covers too many unrelated topics.