Lists | [no subject] : ARN-L : February 2002

[Art Burke <aburke@VANSD.ORG>]

Sometimes high-scoring kids get relatively easy items incorrect - kind of a "sleeping" effect.  Art

>>> gbracey@EROLS.COM 02/25 7:03 AM >>>
I didn't make an argument, Art, I made a guess.  The point from the data is
that low-scoring (overall) kids in Chicago did better than high-scoring
(overall) kids in the suburbs.  If the skills reflected in the items were
necessary for higher math skills, those high-scoring kids should not have
been high-scoring.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Art Burke" <aburke@VANSD.ORG>
To: <ARN-L@LISTS.CUA.EDU>
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 10:37 AM


Jerry ... What the data indicate is that on two subtraction problems Chicago
kids did better than some other kids.  Citing that as evidence that
arithmetic and mathematics are "independent" of one another is quite a
stretch.  I would have thought that you would use these data to argue that
maybe Chicago kids are being exposed to a more rote kind of math learning
because of the kinds of accountability measures that are used - the ITBS, I
think.

Art

>>> gbracey@EROLS.COM 02/23 5:16 AM >>>
Here's something a little different.  I want to present some data and then
ask a question. It's a real question, not a conclusion in the form of a
question.

The data come from the TIMSS Benchmarking study.  In that study, 38 nations,
13 states, and 14 distric ts or consortia of districts participated.  Among
these 65 entities, the First in the World Consortium finished 7th in math.
Chicago public schools finished 53rd.

Yet on the following two problems, Chicago did better than FITW:
4.722-1.935 = , and 7003-2925 = .For the first problem, the international
average was 77% correct.  Some 83% of Chicago kids and only 73% of FITW kids
got it right.  For the second, the international average was 74% with
Chicago kids checking in at 80% and FITW and 74%.

Here's the question:  Given FITW's overall stellar performance, do the above
data not indicate that mastery of "the basics" is not necessary for the
acquisition of advanced mathematical skills?

In the college town where I grew up, it was a cliche that mathematicians
couldn't cope with arithmetic.  Are arithmetic and math independent of each
other?  My guess is yes.

I await your responses.

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