"If you want to lift yourself up, lift someone else up"
Booker T. Washington
This month's Recommended Reading studies why students in different countries have different levels of academic achievement as measured by the PISA test. The new SAT may be a way of addressing this issue as the redesign will not have a mandated essay and the calculator will be disallowed for part of the exam. Math Confidence Photo of the Month is a new feature meant to share ideas and inspire learning and teaching.
The Smartest Kids in the World
Finland is known for long winters and a good educational system. This book uses the results of the Progamme for International Student Assessment PISA tests which measures education across countries. How the smartest students get smart can be summed up by the Appendix "How to Spot a World Class Education": watch and talk to students, listen to parents, ignore shiny objects, ask the principal the hard questions.
The new SAT was announced on March 5 which will be more related to high school coursework according to the College Board: "The exam will focus in depth on three essential areas of math: Problem Solving and Data Analysis, the Heart of Algebra, and Passport to Advanced Math. " Access to opportunity will be supported by a partnership with Khan Academy which will provide free SAT test prep materials to level the playing field for students who cannot afford test prep classes or tutoring. There will be sample items available on April 16 which I will be using to retake the SAT in 2016 after a 7 year break (the last hiatus was 29 years!).
