Support for LD students in mainstreamed algebra and geo

The big question is: why do they need support? (What are their needs?)

I mean, it’s the old “IEP” question.

However, that’s the dream world — and generally, there are some really common issues. I’ve put some stuff about things like negative numbers in the math section of my website at http://www.resourceroom.net

I work with college students in pre-100 level classes. Their needs vary. The *most* common issue is that things just go too fast.; the primary reason things are going too fast is that basic skills and concepts are rusty or nonexistent and the holes need to be filled in.
For example, the first chapter covers perimeter and area of rectangles. Okay, they re-learned or learned those formulae. PEachy. Then they had to find areas and perimeters of L-shaped things — and they didn’t know that if you knew part of something was 20 inches, and the whole thing was 28, then to find the “other part” of it you subtracted. When I took 15 minutes to teach it they got it… but that would be people who came down to my office for that extra work, and will they remember it all in time for the test, which of course also has 100 other little thigns?

In my not so humble opinion, students are rushed through curricula without regard to whether they’re learning it or not. My home county was great… gosh, since students who have advanced math classes tend to do better in college, ALL students must take them. Obviously the folks making those decisions didn’t understand the difference between cause-effect and correlation…

I would be happy if these guys had simply been drilled in the following, while doing whatever stupid pretense for the other stuff is necessary for political reasons:
A. knowing what exponents are: Being able to calculate four to the seventh power, 2 to the third power, etc. and not confuse it with multiplication.
B. knowing you can’t add fractions with different denominators.
C. Knowing what subtraction is.

Really understanding div ision or negative numbers would be a huge bonus, but I know that would be asking a lot. But just *REALLY* teaching something to mastery… that would be something…

The reality is that both special ed and gen ed students are in math courses in which they have minimal interest in, will problably never use, and when done, still cannot multuply without a calculator and do not understand percent.

The problem still remains. What can the special ed teacher do?

Is there any reason students should not be told, “You lack the necessary skills to succeed in this class at this time. You first need to take and master the material in this other course before taking algebra.”

Thanks for the link.

There are lots of reasons, most of ‘em not very good. Students almost invariably rank their math skills *much* higher than they really are. I am very grateful my students have to take a placement test and it is pretty good. While I do have to review some things, if they’ve placed into a class they do have enough skills to make the gap not too incredibly wide.
In fact, I’d forgotten how completely frustrating it is to sit with a student trying to to work that s/he utterly lacked the foundation skills for.
At the high shcool where I taught, I was constantly listening to the frustrations fo students who were “stuck” taking “easy” math when they were utterly sure they “belonged” in a higher level. The school was very strict — and it really, really paid off in the long run.

Well, Sue, as usual I agree with you too. Teaching to mastery — what a concept! I often wonder why anyone bothers to not teach to mastery or even try — why bother? I have had many kids who would have been better off studying Chinese poetry than the so-called math classes they had had; all they had learned was bad attitude and bad habits and faking.

Third International Math and Science Study — American students are among the lowest in the industrialized world in math achievelent; and the highest by far in their self-opinion. Guess all thos self-esteem courses really worked — too bad the crash ruins it all when they meet real demands for real skill.

I taught in some colleges for a while. Several of these colleges had instituted placement tests for the same reason as your college — the high school records and marks are totally imaginary. Then the college administration, with malice aforethought, shot itself in the foot. One college started to offer a summer math cram course to help entering students “pass” the placement test — so the students crammed just enough to fake their way through one test and then forgot it again, being totally misunderstood and irrelevant to them; then of course they were over-placed in their college math classes and failed in huge numbers. The same dean of “developmental” classes was very upset at the low pass rates and gave direct orders to instructors to raise them, ie to pass on yet more unqualified students even further. This college also just didn’t happen to use the placement test in the summer, so all the fake students signed up for summer math courses; I had a class of twenty-one where fifteen of the students should never have been allowed to register in the class. When I handed back the first test and firmly recommended to all of them (in writing), with scores below 40%, to drop the course, the guidance counsellor sent them all back with advice to just try harder.

The missing holes can be filled, but not by overnight miracles and not by just trying harder.

Oy. We’re almost always recommending against summer math since it’s even faster than the usually too fast semester versions.
It’s an odd thing, logic. Fortunately our current admins have some — as well as the belief that yes, this stuff can be learned by these folks so it’s not necessary to lie. (I’d have to wonder about your admins — hmmm, did they fake it through math themselves and think that’s what most people do?)
We’re in a University town, so our admins with marketing sense realize it’s easier to find niches they don’t market to. THus, developmental students are a target — folks the competitive U would turn their noses at. Fortunately they’re not perceived as just cash flow, though — *teaching* seems to have some value :-)