Georgia high-schoolers who performed poorly on an end-of-course coordinate algebra test given earlier this year will face another big challenge in the coming school term: a tough new analytical geometry course.
State officials say the geometry end-of-course test will have the “same rigor” as the algebra test that produced a set of lackluster scores.
The analytical geometry and coordinate algebra courses are both tied to Common Core, the controversial national education standards Georgia and 44 other states have embraced. The algebra course is primarily taken by ninth-graders. It is sometimes also taken by advanced eighth-graders and by 10th-graders who failed ninth-grade math. The geometry course is for 10th-graders.
Pointing to other instances where a test has been given on new material, state and local school district officials had predicted the coordinate algebra end-of-course test scores would be low.
Those predictions were spot-on.
Some 63 percent of those who took the coordinate algebra test failed to meet state standards. Eight school districts in Georgia had failure rates above 80 percent, and several schools in metro Atlanta had failure rates above 90 percent.
“The coordinate algebra results give us a first look at the new level of rigor that is coming with new federal criteria for state tests, where the expectations to meet standards will increase significantly,” Georgia school Superintendent John Barge said.
The low coordinate algebra scores raise questions about the end-of-course tests given in other subjects, where students performed much better, scoring higher than their 2012 predecessors. Matt Cardoza, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said the “cut score,” a department-established score used to determine the state standard for students, should be raised on those other tests.
“We know the cut scores are too low and will be addressing those when new tests are built for each course,” Cardoza said.
The U.S. Department of Education is requiring that states raise the cut scores they use on standardized and end-of-course tests by the 2014-2015 school year.
Barge said the cut scores for the coordinate algebra test “are more in line with the higher level of expectations required for our students to get into post-secondary institutions and not need remediation, as well as the expectations many of today’s jobs require, which is why fewer students met or exceeded the standard.”
In an effort to help boost student performance, the state DOE and individual school districts are providing additional training to teachers who will teach coordinate algebra and analytical geometry.
“We are currently offering two-day summer academies at four sites across the state,” Cardoza said. “K-12 mathematics teachers are receiving 12 hours of face-to-face grade level/course training focused on content and effective instructional strategies.”
Cherokee County Schools is gathering its math teachers and department heads July 22 for an examination of the district’s coordinate algebra results.
Gwinnett County teachers will focus on the new courses this week during the district’s annual Summer Numeracy Institute.
“We are currently reviewing the latest data to help us better support our teachers next school year,” said Jorge Quintana, a Gwinnett schools spokesman.
Fulton County Schools will focus on coordinate algebra and analytical geometry on its curriculum day, scheduled for Aug. 2. Other work in those areas already has begun.
Some of the schools have paid “to bring teachers in during the summer to do additional work in coordinate algebra,” said Samantha Evans, a Fulton schools spokeswoman.
Cobb County Schools also will take a deeper look at coordinate algebra.
Cobb Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said there are a variety of reasons why the scores were so low, including the newness of the material and the ever-shifting curriculum.
“We’ve had so many changes in math,” he said. “That could have something to do with it. Our teachers have had so many changes in the math curriculum. They’re so confused right now. We need some stability in math. If you keep changing it, it’s hard to get everybody prepared.”
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