I believe the school did it right this time. Parts of "old" Algebra I were moved to so-called 8th grade math in CC. The worse scenario is that your son would not have a good solid foundation in basic Algebra. If he finds his Math 8 course too easy then start to supplement with Khan Academy etc.

For an Engineering major he probably should have some calculus before attending a 4 year school. You should consider having your son takes some community college classes (Calculus and Physics) to ensure that he can handle the math before spending a lot of money at the 4 year. Does he think math is "fairly easy"? For now, go the CP route in Physics.

So the the talented Art person who is math impaired has to go elsewhere? What a stupid trend. I thought that W&M was more of a liberal arts school. If MIT or RPI stated this requirement then it would make more sense. Not everyone is good at STEM nor want to be. Once again, one size fits all. The so-called well rounded person. Jack of all trades, master of none.

look at the samples for: http://www.springboardonline.com/california/ there are others

You are probably better off to find a mapping from a text book or two to the standard. That's what I am doing. I already skim read the whole CC math standard - yuk.

Not true only some of the "old" HS Algebra I topics were moved to so-called CC 8th grade math. The CC disaster is having all students take college prep Algebra 2/Trig when the less math savvy could be learning something more useful like understanding how loans work.

1) I wish they had not used the terms 6th, 7th 8th grade math etc. They should have just used Middle School Math 1, 2 and 3 and then HS Algebra I, HS Geometry, HS Algebra 2 - so students would be placed where they belong based on capability and current attained knowledge. Reinforcing the grade level stuff implies one size fits all. 2) If your state hadn't started to integrate probability and stats a while back then they were quite behind on that curve anyway.

Common Core actually reduces or moves "topics' to earlier courses such as Pre-Algebra. The current Saxon editions (Algebra I and Geometry) which my DS uses at his charter school cover lots of topics. I doubt that have to add any. Algebra I 4th edition covers probability etc. If they go back to Integrated approach then they will have upgrade the Geometry part. I have only seen the Saxon Algebra I 3rd edition (orange cover) so maybe the proofs were covered later. What I can't stand is that dice became "number cubes" in the 4th edition and other made up stuff like that.

The Mazur presentation is very good. I recommend you have external speakers since the sound volume is kind of low.

Wow even at the college level! I am trying to get my 8th grader to actually read his math textbook. If the teacher didn't cover the particular problem type in class he wants me to explain it to him. I push back and make him read the text (then he does the problem himself because he is smart). The father of my son's best friend says the same thing. This is just being lazy. The students should have to read (at least glance at) the material (or watch a video) before the teacher covers it.

After four years it should start to get a reputation. A quick glance at their "Academics" tab it appeared a little trendy: "Big Data Analytics" - what will that be called in 10 years time! "Big Data" is a current IT buzzword. I like the idea that they have an Embedded System Design area. After your first job, Engineering and computer professions are way less about the particular school you attended since it is a life-long learning process.

Here in AZ we have charter schools (fully public) to help with improving that situation. The downside is that AZ is fully into "teaching to the test" since that is how they "grade" the schools. Would you expect any different behavior.

I didn't mean get rid of all research in universities. Many "super-star" professors today would never even come close to making what they do in the private world considering some of the junk they come up with, especially outside of the true science and engineering areas. My best college instructors were two industry professionals, one from Digital Equipment and the other from Data General (this was back in the 1980s) so I totally agree with your only teach statement. Half of the full-time professors looked upon classes only as a distraction and came across that way.

Not bad on a quick look. I like how they derived the Quadratic Formula instead of just presenting it and showing how to plug in the numbers.

I have no problem with the College Board company creating materials. I believe in competition. At least I could see an interpretation of what is listed in Common Core HS Math standard for Algebra I. Since that standard has some clear stuff but a certain percent is just edu-speak not math.

My biggest fear with current school practices. "Teaching to the test" instead of true education. All driven by ridiculous government policies that only measure the schools on "high stakes" tests and the one size fits all HS diploma. America's race to mediocrity.

In 2012 I "audited" a Compilers course offered at Coursera from Stanford. I really enjoyed my Compiler course a long time ago and was curious to see the difference. The theory material covered was very similar to what I had learned back in the 1980s but the practical aspect of the course to implement a subset programming language compiler (we did the same back then) was more challenging because of the improvement in the software tools these days. I was pleasantly surprised with the support provided by the TAs (professor was available only via the videos) since nobody was paying. The experience was very comparable to a large lecture hall class at state U back in the day. ================================================================ related topic: Some how the American college system needs to keep their costs down. Currently the cost of college is ridiculous versus general inflation over the last 30 years. I seriously doubt that regentrude's salary tripled in the last 10 years. Colleges need to be run more like a business where it is a trade-off of raising prices versus cutting costs. Many of the administrators at colleges are way over-paid (like most CEOs) and completely out of touch with reality. Research professors should be required to "pay for themselves" by bringing in funding for their particular research. I am sick of hearing we need to raise Joe Research professor's salary because another university may poach him. Let him go - I prefer the Money Ball approach.

Any recommendations on a middle school Spanish workbook for a one semester (1/2 year) course? Background - my DS (8th grade 13) He is not very interested in foreign languages but I feel that he will under perform in High School Spanish I next year without some exposure at the middle school level. His charter school offers Spanish but requires everything written in cursive which he can not stand (and I don't disagree). He agreed to do a home/after school program with his mother who has a minor in Spanish. I am interested in the reading and writing (grammar) aspect but his mother will of course teach him the proper pronunciation. So we don't need audio etc. Probably just a need a workbook that introduces topics and asks for written response such as "fill in the blank". It needs to be of Middle School level and interest - no kiddie books please. Anyone use "Getting Started with Spanish" by Linney and Orta? Others?

Redsquirrel How are things progressing? I was raised in upstate NY and think the whole Regents exam concept is excellent. The exams are not super challenging but provide a state-wide standard for a particular course. A smart kid who did and understood his HW should get a 90 or better. I wish we had that here in AZ. My son completed HS Algebra I (Saxon at Charter ) in 7th grade but no one in AZ can tell you what a particular course here should cover. Of course the state standards are all Edu-speak and cover the entire HS period not a particular course. Be happy you live in NYS in that respect. I am reviewing AoPS Algebra to use as refresher material for my DS 13 8th grader in summer 2014 prior to his high school. It is a good text. suggest also have your DH look at: AMSCO Integrated Algebra I you can typically find the PDF for free. Back in my day (before the stupid No Child Left Behind begot teaching to the test) we only spent about week or so prepping for the regents exam just to become familiar with the multiple choice section and the general layout. I was in an honors class.

Anyone try using these? CK-12 flexbook www.ck12.org Wikibooks others I am especially interested in an Algebra based Physics text for a smart 8th/9th grader thanks

that book Rex & Jackson achieved "rare" status quite quickly - $60 used for volume I

So called Pre-algebra is a transition course before High School Algebra I. For the top 25-30% Math capable students it should also include some basic Algebra topics as well to make it a honors course. I believe the current trend of rushing students into HS Algebra is a mistake. Each student needs a solid foundation to build upon. My son's K-8 charter school did this last year. I volunteered to tutor Algebra there. Many students I tutored struggled with basic concepts (like fractions and percent) that should have been learned and internalized before taking ever attempting Algebra. The placement exam they used was way too easy. I mentioned that to them and they have since raised the bar on the placement test. This is better for both the students and the teachers. Saxon Course 3 book has pre-algebra plus the Algebra topics. Also look for the term "accelerated 7th grade math".