Education has always been a subject of intense scrutiny; it has beenbrtoo easy, it has been too hard, and we are behind other countries based on testbrscores. The leaders of our state spend abrlot of money on researching potential changes for our education system. Despite many recent changes that were aimed atbrbeing for the better, math – now, more than ever – is still a subject thatbrcauses tears, fear of failure and low self-confidence. Students as young as first grade are scared ofbrtimed tests and want to quit math. Doesbranyone else see a problem with this?
With the STAAR test and most recent updates to the TEKS, students arebrfeeling even more stressed than ever. Educatorsbrand politicians are looking forward to seeing this year's STAAR scores,brespecially since the majority of curriculum in fourth through sixth grade, thebrmost integral years of math foundations, is either new or has been moved downbrfrom higher grade levels. Teachers arebrforced to rush through more than one year's worth of curriculum and play catchbrup in order to prepare their students in hopes of having a good passing rate onbrSTAAR.
Why all the changes? The TEAbrconstantly researches and edits standards for college readiness, and the agencybrfelt that a major change was needed in order for our students to be ready forbrcollege-level classes. The change inbrTEKS goes hand-in-hand with the new SAT design, which is designed to accuratelybrreflect college readiness of incoming college freshman. The new SAT will affect this year's freshmanbrclass. The major changes in the mathbrsection are two-fold: there is now a non-calculator section AND the majority ofbrthe test focuses on Problem Solving and the Heart of Algebra, with only 10% ofbrthe exam covering advanced math topics. brIn addition, test-taking strategies will change, as there will be nobrpenalty for incorrect answers. Studentsbrwill be focusing on their knowledge of the subject, rather than their abilitybrto know when to guess and when to leave an answer blank. The new TEKS are building blocks that willbrlead to better preparation for the SAT, advanced placement courses, and collegebrclasses.
Putting it all together, it is clear that the country wants to betterbrprepare our students for the future. Itbris unfortunate for students in third grade and above, as they will bebrexperiencing this change without any extra transition time to catch up. In spite of all changes, it is important webrremember that the key to success is having a solid math foundation, whichbrstarts in elementary school and continues to build. At Mathnasium, our primary focus is to ensurebrthat each student has a strong math foundation and number sense. We want to help your students catch up, keepbrup, and get ahead, no matter how far behind they feel. Please do not hesitate to contact us if youbrhave any questions about the new changes in curriculum or want more informationbrabout our program.
For more information on Mathnasium and our curriculum, please visit our website at Mathnasium of Southlake, call (817) 421-1900 or drop by the center at 1251 E. Southlake Blvd., Suite 305 and see how we make learning fun.