Answer Key Incorrect - Again!

The teacher had to re-grade all the tests.

Of course, the correct answer is B.

Oops, The Correct Answer Isn't Here by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Hey Parents, our tax dollars are paying for this garbage.  

And the teachers don't appreciate this either!

8th Grade Pre Algebra (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

My son didn't choose an answer because the correct answer was not there.  

The correct answer is 1/216.  

(Teacher was correcting from an answer key and later gave everyone credit for the question.)

Ridiculous Test Question from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Honestly, I want to know.  Who is writing this stuff?

8th grade pre-algebra

OK, so I read this several times and finally understood what they wanted.  Keep in mind, this was a "no calculator" test.  

I'll explain:  every square root has two answers, one positive and one negative.  

For example, √25 = ±5, because (-5) x (-5) also equals 25.  

So, without a calculator (why, and why would anyone have to calculate this anyway?) the students needed to find a number with a square root of about 1/2 of 5.3, so that the difference between the positive square root and the negative square root equals about 5.3.  

One of the most pointless questions I've seen to date.

Oops, Two Correct Answers from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Pre-Algebra

My Tax Dollars are paying for this.  

Really, you'd think that they would be able to produce proper tests.  My theory:  instead of paying for people who can vet this stuff, they put it out and then wait for all the teachers in the state to tell them all the errors.  It saves money.

The "new" Common Core edition of the Algebra 2 Book

 Note that the authors are the same. 

Chapter 1 is the "old" Chapter 5.

In case you are wondering, Chapter 2 is the old Chapter 6.  

What is now Chapter 3 used to be Chapter 7 and what is now Chapter 4 used to be Chapter 8.

Perhaps future students will be prepared for this, but this year's students - new to Common Core - are not.

Last Year's Algebra 2 Book

Note Chapter 1.  Begins a largely 4 chapter review of linear Algebra 1, which most students took 2 years ago.

Note Chapter 5.  Beginning of Quadratic Functions.  

Here's my take - as a math teacher and a mother:

1)  All this talk about deeper understanding of the topics is a lot of bs.  Yes, there are harder questions.  Yes, they have increased the level of difficulty covered for most of the skills.  But how does that lead to "deeper understanding"?  Actually, it doesn't, particularly in the lower grades.  More difficult applications are just more difficult.  They don't lead to a greater "deep" understanding of the mathematical concepts.

2)  The kids who are currently in middle school and in high school are not being given any bridge between the old curriculum and the new.

3)  See next post for an example of #2.

Purpose of this Blog

To all of you parents out there:  the Common Core Math can be a great improvement.  However, the execution is flawed.

Many others have noted:
1)  lack of teacher training
2)  textbooks that aren't really common core, but merely have it stamped on the cover
3)  student frustration
4)  lots of errors in the books and the supplemental material