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Earlier in the article it addressed some achievement metrics for the same district: >For instance, after San Francisco Unified de-tracked math, the proportion

Earlier in the article it addressed some achievement metrics for the same district: >For instance, after San Francisco Unified de-tracked math, the proportion of students failing algebra fell from 40 percent to 8 percent and the proportion of students taking advanced classes rose to a third, the highest percentage in district history. Until 10th grade, students take the same mathematics classes. From 11th grade on, students can choose different pathways. The author is indeed trying to connect feelings about ability and achievement. I'm not sure how this is postmodern.

marcusverus 7y ago
He is referring to cultural postmodernism, which is a worldview in which objective truth is not to be preferred to the perceived / experienced understanding (i.e. opinion) as to the truth. Especially when considering the socially or economically disadvantaged. So while an adherent to a purely rational worldview might ask, "what the hell do feelings have to do with measuring academic performance?", a postmodernist would be glad to, say, include data about feelings (i.e. opinions) in an article and try to pass them off as evidence alongside hard, objective data, as though someone's feelings about grades and the grades themselves are both legitimate data from which to make decisions or design policy.
- jariel 7y ago
  Very true, but 'feelings' and 'attitudes' do matter. Kids who 'love math and solving problems' might be considerably more likely to apply themselves, do the work, have the confidence/grit to push a little bit and get through it. Frankly 'attitude' is one of the bigger determinants in so many things. So if we can somehow get kids to 'love math' my gosh this is a materially good outcome.
  - marcusverus 7y ago
    We agree entirely. Feelings matter for motivation and can underpin performance. But the rational view is that, at the end of the day, you must have an objective measure of performance, devoid of opinion and emotion. The kids' feelings matter when motivating them to perform, but when it comes time to evaluate said performance, feelings cannot matter one wit. If they do, you are no longer measuring performance, you're measuring something else.
underpand 7y ago
I did a little digging into the source of that statistic. The statistic compares the number of 8th graders who failed Algebra 1 before the change to the number of 9th graders who failed Algebra 1 after the change. What we really want to know is how many students have passed Algebra 1 by the end of 9th grade. Unfortunately, the statistic in the article is useless.
- jcranberry 7y ago
  Post your source.
  - underpand 7y ago
    > Students in the district who took Algebra 1 in eighth grade in 2014 (the last year it was offered as a stand-alone course to eighth-graders) had a repeat rate of 40 percent. By contrast, the first group of students who took Common Core Math 8 in eighth grade and Algebra 1 for the first time in ninth grade (and who graduated earlier this year) had an Algebra 1 repeat rate of 8 percent. (emphasis mine) https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-how-one-city-got-math-right/ https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-how-one-city-got-math-ri...

marcusverus 7y ago

He is referring to cultural postmodernism, which is a worldview in which objective truth is not to be preferred to the perceived / experienced understanding (i.e. opinion) as to the truth. Especially when considering the socially or economically disadvantaged. So while an adherent to a purely rational worldview might ask, "what the hell do feelings have to do with measuring academic performance?", a postmodernist would be glad to, say, include data about feelings (i.e. opinions) in an article and try to pass them off as evidence alongside hard, objective data, as though someone's feelings about grades and the grades themselves are both legitimate data from which to make decisions or design policy.

jariel 7y ago
Very true, but 'feelings' and 'attitudes' do matter. Kids who 'love math and solving problems' might be considerably more likely to apply themselves, do the work, have the confidence/grit to push a little bit and get through it. Frankly 'attitude' is one of the bigger determinants in so many things. So if we can somehow get kids to 'love math' my gosh this is a materially good outcome.
- marcusverus 7y ago
  We agree entirely. Feelings matter for motivation and can underpin performance. But the rational view is that, at the end of the day, you must have an objective measure of performance, devoid of opinion and emotion. The kids' feelings matter when motivating them to perform, but when it comes time to evaluate said performance, feelings cannot matter one wit. If they do, you are no longer measuring performance, you're measuring something else.

underpand 7y ago

I did a little digging into the source of that statistic. The statistic compares the number of 8th graders who failed Algebra 1 before the change to the number of 9th graders who failed Algebra 1 after the change. What we really want to know is how many students have passed Algebra 1 by the end of 9th grade. Unfortunately, the statistic in the article is useless.

jcranberry 7y ago
Post your source.
- underpand 7y ago
  > Students in the district who took Algebra 1 in eighth grade in 2014 (the last year it was offered as a stand-alone course to eighth-graders) had a repeat rate of 40 percent. By contrast, the first group of students who took Common Core Math 8 in eighth grade and Algebra 1 for the first time in ninth grade (and who graduated earlier this year) had an Algebra 1 repeat rate of 8 percent. (emphasis mine) https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-how-one-city-got-math-right/ https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-how-one-city-got-math-ri...