<p>Texas is a big market and that’s why textbook publishers care about us so much. </p>
<p>eastcoastcrazy- In Michigan, the requirement is 4 credits of math to include Geometry, Algebra I and Algebra II. It is also specified that a math course must be taken during the senior year so a kid can’t even take an applied math course while taking Algebra I in another year. This started with the high school class of 2011. The class of 2016 is the first to have a two credit foreign language requirement. </p>
<p>Current requirements:
4 credits math- Geometry, Algebra I, Algebra II and a math class their senior year
4 credits English- must be at least one credit each year of high school
3 credits science- must include Biology and Chemistry or Physics
3 credits social studies- must include .5 credit Civics, .5 credits Econ, 1 credit US History & Geography, 1 credit World History & Geography
1 credit Phys Ed & Health
1 credit Visual, applied or performing arts
2 credits foreign language.
One course must include an online learning experience </p>
<p>The voc programs have worked to make sure their programs include enough math to count as an applied math. </p>
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<p>What if the student is advanced in math and has exhausted the high school’s advanced math offerings by junior year and cannot reasonably get to (or afford) a nearby college to take additional math senior year? Is s/he then unable to graduate high school?</p>
<p>I guess they take business or applied math just to fulfill the credit. If they do dual enrollment with the community college, the school district has to pay for that course. I’m sure there are areas where getting to the community college is a problem. But, they know this going in, so there’s no motivation to max out the high school’s options early, I suppose. </p>
<p>What possible reason is there for specifying that certain classes have to be taken senior year? What if a kid thinks they are going to be able to enroll in cc but then the schedule is changed and they can’t do that? They can’t get their diploma? It sounds like the people who are writing these graduation requirements have no idea about what goes on in schools. What about kids in a school that usually offers calculus, but the enrollment drops below the minimum required to offer the class and they cancel it?</p>
<p>^Apparently there are allowances for modifications to a Personal Curriculum in Michigan. It’s not as if there is no flexibility to the requirements whatsoever.</p>
<p>Indiana requires Alg 1, Alg II and Geometry to graduate. I do not agree with all students taking Alg II to graduate high school. My guess is this requirement has may have also led to some watering down of Alg II.</p>
<p>Full disclosure. Live in Texas but not from here. S1 is NMSF (likely NMF) he got 800 on math 2 subject test. I had algebra 1 and geometry . I hold a BS. Many degrees do not require much if any Math much less algebra 2 or calculus. If the college does not require it why should h’s? I have heard of no 4 year degree program that does not require at least 2 English courses. Mostkids interested in sciences will take those courses to improve themselves for college. No need for it to be a minimum requirement for all students.</p>
<p>I thought the Chemistry or Physics science requirement could be pretty tough for some kids but our district created a class called Chemistry in the Community which is a super H2Oed down class so kids can pass the chemistry requirement. </p>
<p>Same here, Barnard and ChemCom was a joke.</p>
<p>That’s what I am saying about practical math. The thing about algebra2, is, it’s a pretty standardized curriculum, and there have been longstanding standardized tests (eg. Regents) for the content. This makes it a lot harder to water down. If students are not getting a high school diploma that will support college-level achievement, then I’m not convinced it makes sense to get an academic-type diploma at all. Better for a kid to get a trades certification than severely watered-down academics which don’t prepare them for college or for a job with any real academic requirements.</p>
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<p>Evergreen State (for the BA degree) has a completely open curriculum, with no requirements beyond 180 quarter credits of college courses and submitting an academic statement: <a href=“http://www.evergreen.edu/advising/degrees.htm”>http://www.evergreen.edu/advising/degrees.htm</a></p>
<p>There are other schools where English composition requirements are met by designated writing intensive courses in various departments, rather than specific English department courses.</p>
<p>In any case, the English composition requirements are based on the idea that students should know how to write. The lack of math requirements may indicate that the schools believe that students do not need to know math. However, statistics (based on math, of course) is very useful general knowledge, and commonly used in the social studies subjects. Perhaps that is why many colleges have algebra 2 as an entrance requirement, since that is often the prerequisite for the least-math-intensive introductory statistics course.</p>
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What happens when that kid later finds he/she wants to go to college after all? Not only does he not have the required coursework, but may not even have the required HS diploma. It seems like this would make it more difficult for the non-traditional student to make such a transition.</p>
<p>If the student gets highly watered down courses, they won’t be prepared for college-level work. I think they would be better off in vocational courses which I think would require a higher level of commitment and accountability. Either way they will end up in remedial classes if they return to college, but the vocational student may have a decent job, a real choice, rather than ending up as a walmart cashier.</p>
<p>sylvan, then he/she gets his/her GED and starts at a community college. I know several people who have taken that course. </p>
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<p>Depending on the vocational trades those courses are targeting, the level of education may be such that the given student may be able to jump right into taking regular college-level classes with a few possible remedial courses, if applicable at a community to shore up any weak areas. </p>
<p>One serious issue is that the GED requirements I recalled from the '90s or similarly watered down HS curricula was such that it left its holder ill-equipped for higher ed and many vocational jobs…especially high skilled ones. </p>
<p>What “GED requirements” are you talking about? </p>
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I totally hate this solution. The student who perhaps did fine in the other subjects is then forced to study and retest that stuff as well. </p>
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<p>Math requirements didn’t go beyond extremely basic algebra I and geometry. </p>
<p>Basically, it only covered the first two years of the regular NYS high school curriculum. </p>
<p>The level of academic coverage was such that even the US Army had a maximum low percentage quota of recruits with GEDs…and only if they scored exceedingly high on the armed forces standardized test. They preferred regular high school graduates and GED holders who wanted to no longer be competing for the limited slots under the GED quota were advised to take a semester or two of community college credits to be regarded as equivalent to regular HS grads. </p>
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<p>Back when we (and even more so, our parents) were in high school, there were high school diplomas that were not academic. But except at specialized vocational/technical high schools, which may not be available to everyone, these diplomas don’t seem to exist anymore. </p>
<p>One of my friends from high school, who was not academically talented, never passed a math course beyond Algebra 1. But she was able to graduate from high school and get a job (with a credit union) that required a high school diploma but did not require any specific math courses. A similar girl today would not be able to graduate from high school in most states. </p>