Fla. Teacher Failed Math Test 6 Times

Local6.com ^ | April 27, 2003

[LibertyThug]

That's nothing.
Here in CA, in my school no less, are teachers who have failed the MSAT (a test you must take to become fully credentialed)going into the double digits.

Many are my friends and appear to be good teachers. I don't know what to make of it.

[Chemist_Geek]

Would love to see a sample test

As would I. I seriously doubt that the teacher's certification exam requires them to do linear algebra or differential equations...

Many elementary and secondary teachers nowadays have education degrees, not degrees in a subject that is taught in the lower level schools. I am of the opinion that education ought to be a minor added on to a baccalaureate degree in whatever subject (English, mathematics, chemistry, etc.) the person intends to teach.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

I think California teacher's test was the equivalent of what an eighth grader would know. Yet many teachers failed it on numerous attempts.

I knew a girl in college who could not pass the CBEST. She tried many times. Her writing was atrocious, full of third grade vocabulary mistakes and misspellings. But she wanted to be a teacher and she might be right now........

[exit82]

Well, we could make the math portion of the general knowledge test more in terms she could understand.

Lessee.....

If Train A leaves the station traveling west with a load of 27 pronouns and 13 adverbs at 50 mph, and Train B leaves the next station to the west 25 miles away,traveling east at the same speed, with a load of16 verbs and 46 nouns, at what points to the trains meet and create a wreck of dangling participles?

[Pan_Yans Wife]

The reason why it is important that teachers are minimally proficient in an array of subjects, is because certain subjects are carried throughout other courses. Reading and writing English are necessary, in order to understand the reading materials in your History and Civics Courses, and English is a must, if you wish to study a foreign language. Math is found in the science subjects, when doing equations. Latin is found in the sciences and also in many of the languages, since languages are notorious for borrowing from each other's roots, like latin, greek, or the germanic languages.

[CurlyDave]

If she's an ENGLISH teacher, why is a math test so important?

She is not taking a "math test". She has been failing the mathematics portion of the general knowledge test which all teachers are required to pass by state law.

Since you "consider myself gifted in current events, history and political matters" I am truely amazed that you failed to eluicidate this in reading a very short article consisting of only four small paragraphs containing seven sentences in total. How does your other reading go? Or possibly do you obtain your knowledge of current events, history and politics by watching TV?

If children are to respect their teachers the teachers have to have some expertise in "general knowledge" in order to be seen as intelligent and worthy of respect.

Passing a general knowledge test seems very appropriate to me. People who claim to have a "math block" are really saying that they are not willing to work hard enough to do anything other than express their "feeling" on any given issue.

[lawdude]

"I wonder what part of 2+2 she didn't understand?"

If the teachers union gets you a 10% raise and only ups their dues by 12%, how much money is given to the democrat party?

[bannie]

...yet many pass it quite handily on the first try.

I don't believe that the math questions were of 8th grade level.

[annyokie]

Easy: the grade inflation in Ed majors is mind-boggling.

[bannie]

eluicidate

elucidate?

[The_Reader_David]

Unfortunately, in most states teacher certification is teacher certification. It isn't specific to subject or discipline. If her district lost a few math teachers, she could well be in front of a math class the next year.

The math test requirement was doubtless put in precisely because math is the one subject they have trouble moving teachers into. (Mere literacy is enough to prepare an experienced teacher to change subjects--school science courses are appaulingly taxonomic any more, and shifting among the school analogs of humanities and social sciences basically means reading the text before the students do, but not so with math.)

[annyokie]

No lie. I did 1640 on the GRE's and my math sucks.

[bannie]

Unfortunately, in most states teacher certification is teacher certification...If her district lost a few math teachers, she could well be in front of a math class the next year.

In my experiences, this is not possible. If one has a minor in a subject required, he/she may teach that class; but, I believe, he/she may not teach that course for an extended period without furthering his/her education in that subject area.

[thegreatbeast]

What is hard to understand is that there are FReepers who don't support MINIMUM standards for teachers, knowing as they do that the teachers unions play a large role in the democrat party AND the dumbing down of America.
But most importantly if you don't have minimum standards of competence in all areas of intellectual accomplishment you don't have any standards at all. At all.
And you know in your heart that the test is not that hard and that this woman was given every aid in trying to pass the test.

[The_Reader_David]

Are you writing from Florida?

[org.whodat]

If she's an ENGLISH teacher, why is a math test so important? As long as she's not teaching math, I don't see the need for it.

Well my friend there is a little something called a college degree and the last time I checked you were suspose to be able to do math to get one.

[The_Reader_David]

"Minimum standard for teachers" is just a tweaking of the parameters in the system by which the NEA defends its guild interests: the really corrupting, hidden monopoly which has destroyed American elementary and secondary education, the teachers colleges.

Breaking that monopoly with "freedom to teach" laws which allow anyone with a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and a good GPA (say 3.3 or better) to teach grades 4-12 in their own major field is the only real way forward. Once that was in place, raising teacher salaries would actually help education. Without "freedom to teach" legislation additional education spending is money down a rat-hole.

[Dan from Michigan]

Well genius, if you saw what I said and want to get technical, I didn't say she was taking a math test. I wondered why a math test was important. You are ASSuming.

Also, I have taken state proficiency tests a few years back probably similar to what she was taking. There were three sections. Math, Writing, and Science.(and yes I did pass all of them). Those 'sections' were in essense, different tests, since they were graded seperately.

If children are to respect their teachers the teachers have to have some expertise in "general knowledge" in order to be seen as intelligent and worthy of respect.

What's considered general knowledge? Long Division? Basic Algebra? Advanced Algebra? Calculus? Geometry? If she's not passing basic math that's one thing. I don't expect an English teacher to know even mid level Algebra. I expect an English teacher to know English and the subjects that are related(Reading, Writing, etc).

[Mark Turbo]

If Train A leaves the station traveling west with a load of 27 pronouns and 13 adverbs at 50 mph, and Train B leaves the next station to the west 25 miles away,traveling east at the same speed, with a load of16 verbs and 46 nouns, at what points to the trains meet and create a wreck of dangling participles?

The trains create a bunch of gibberish 15 minutes later 12.5 miles west of the first station, assuming they left their respective stations at the same time.

[Dan from Michigan]

Well my friend there is a little something called a college degree and the last time I checked you were suspose to be able to do math to get one.

Not necessarily.....