2 ms·
I haven't read it. The claim is silly. In 1992 a Calculus I professor showed me the coursework he was allowed to cover that year and the coursework he covered
by ergonaught 2y ago
I haven't read it.
The claim is silly. In 1992 a Calculus I professor showed me the coursework he was allowed to cover that year and the coursework he covered in 1982. It was 5-10%. He was forced to grade on a curve because the department mandated a certain pass rate. All of this was done because students were dropping out of the class (ie: depriving the school of funds), long before any other motives entered the scene.
One teacher, one class, one school, 33 years ago.
"Overblown" seems wildly off base.
Again, didn't read it.
- josefritzishere 2y agoThat's an anecdote, not a statistic. I wouldn't disregard a well made argument based on an anecdote.
- ergonaught 2y agoOf course, and that is why I repeated that I hadn’t bothered to read it before writing. Just sharing something I experienced.
- markgall 2y agoYeah, I have been teaching calculus for ... several years, and it's very clear that the curriculum has been dumbed down over the years across the board. The last place I was at removed infinite series from the curriculum altogether. Epsilon/delta proofs were removed from the AP exam not so long ago. Some calculus classes don't use any transcendental functions because students can't handle it. At the same time grades have gone up, I suspect mostly because exams are usually weighted less than they were in the old days. It is probably true however that there is more of a baseline expectation that you take it in high school. Whether this is sensible I do not know. It is also true that the very best students are better than ever, because the materials on the internet have gotten better and better over time.