Posted on 08/18/2014 2:48:19 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Girls in New York City outperformed boys on the state's standardized math tests this year, widening the gap between the genders when it comes to math, new statistics show.
More than 35 percent of the city's third-through-eighth-grade girls passed the state math test, up from 30 percent last year which was the first year of the harder tests aligned to federal Common Core standards. For boys, 33.4 percent passed this year's test, up from last year's 29.3 percent.
It's too soon to know why girls' math scores are rising faster than boys', but some experts wonder if all of the focus and funding going to boosting girls' performance in STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — is paying off.
"My gut feeling is that all of the attention that has been given to STEM and getting girls involved in the STEM areas really has impacted these results," said Deborah Shanley, professor at Brooklyn College.
Over the past several years, the National Science Foundation and other organizations have given a lot more funding for K through 12 programs directed at girls, Shanely noted. Groups like Black Girls Code run programs to spark girls' interest in math and computer science.
There has been a cultural shift, too, with commercials like the General Electric one that features a girl talking about how her mom builds underwater fans and airplane engines.
"Putting women in those roles and having girls talk about 'that's my mother that developed that engine' — a lot of it is PR," she said. "But I'm hoping [it seeps into] instruction for girls."
Girls' math scores were better than boys' in all grades from third through eighth and across all ethnic groups, according to city and state data. But it remains to be seen whether the gains will be sustained in high school and beyond.
There are still big gaps between boys' and girls' SAT math scores, with boys scoring 30 points better on recent SATs. And there's still a dearth of women in math and science-related fields, advocates said.
"There is no intrinsic difference in math ability in girls and boys and, in fact, there’s evidence that girls are more attentive and diligent students," Glen Whitney, founder of Flatiron's Museum of Math which is highlighting the accomplishments of women in the field with in an informal lunch discussion featuring three female mathematicians on Sept. 6 called "Solve for XX: A Celebration of Women in Mathematics."
"Methods of assessment," Whitney said, have gradually "let go of their gender biases," which has helped turn the tide for girls' math scores.
"As parents, teachers and mentors we must make sure we don’t introduce a bias that might be based on old misconceptions," he added.
Elementary and middle school girls in New York City have been performing better on English tests than boys for many years and the data shows they've been doing better on math for several years too, raising questions about whether schools are now doing enough to reach boys, some said.
"Girls have the social skills at an earlier age to do well, like sitting still and listening to instruction," said NYU education professor Pedro Noguera. "Boys especially — and all kids — benefit from more hands-on learning, more active learning."
The challenge now, Noguera said, is to use the results of the standardized test scores to think about effective teaching for all students.
"We should be using the scores to guide our interventions and professional development for teachers," he said. "We need again to focus on what kind of instructional strategies would engage kids."
Your son’s school sounds pretty racist.
The NHS = high GPAs from math, science, biology, language arts, etc.
Maybe I am missing your point?
However, maybe post high school is when kids get serious about their lives and maybe the hopes of being a professional football player are tempered by reality. :)
That may be.
Part of why kids do not know math is that they are not taught that it is a language.
I am not great at it, but when I was, I saw it as a language, and a way to express things before breaking my back using empirical methods.
Jeez I am rusty, convert Voltage peak to peak I to RMS (root mean square) X by .707, convert back X by 1.404. See the relationship?
That was the case with me.
since the early 90s, boys math has been neglected by the teachers union on hilary’s say-so.
this is just the latest result.
In my graduating class of 40+ years ago, the NHS membership was about the same, but most of the females had their top grades in non-mathematical options. There were only two females in the Calculus class, and none in the second year chemistry or second year physics classes.
Me too. :)
google it up... hilary asked the teachers to stop calling on boys in order to get more girls into STEM programs
that was back around 1994
I was pretty busy effing off in HS.
Lotta girls and Rock and roll dontcha know? ;)
There is a big difference between doing “math” and doing trigonometry and calculus.
a good reader. nice. but not all young boys are good readers and they need the basics - which is teaching sums, multiplication and division.
a young student who has trouble sounding out words does not need MORE words thrown at him.
check out the homeschool math books for elementary school. A paragraph at the beginning of the chapter telling you how to do the math. some examples. checking your work. then....lots of problems to practice on.
the exact same math in the public school book involves lots of pictures showing diversity in the classroom, with a cultural story incorporating the math concept.
want to know why one group is suddenly not doing well? check out the books we USED to teach from.
Zactly! And I have a daughter majoring in Math & Science
First off, the TITLE didn't match the article HEADLINE.
The important thing to take away from this article is that ,based on the NY tests, only about 1/3 of our FUTURE ADULTS AND DECISION MAKERS can pass a math test.
OK, so how do we help the 85% who failed?
You are right, kids don’t need more words when they are drowning in them.
Some teachers just suck at teaching and teach kids by rote.
Some people thrive on that but rarely gain comprehension.
I do not trust 90% of the stuff the educators and schools say.
Remember the New Math? What a farce.
Mad said the reason was “tacky”
Ya. And other things. :)
Had to work for a little while to realize that life is tough. Still had the option of going to school. Thanks to my parents and grandparents. This made a huge difference in my life.
Pushing my son to not make the same mistakes that I made. But a couple years working for minimum wage in a terrible job will set him straight. Helps with those late night/early morning cramming binge sessions and 4 hour exams.
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