Bedford High School
Reflections & 小心
9/29/18
Equivalence is something students need practice with in all grades. The MCAS 2.0 problems related to this topic have been difficult for our students in middle school . By the time they get to 11th and 12th grades there still is confusion about and
. Students assume that both equations are equivalent. I know this is a fine point and beyond the math standards for 10th grade.
Here are some MCAS 2018 “equivalence” examples from this year’s MCAS.
5th Grade: Our Lane School students on #5 scored 87% correct and on #4 scored 56% correct, a full 12 points above the state average.
6th Grade: 67% of our students answered this one correctly, which was 7% above the state average.
6th Grade: 28% correct and we were below the state average by 6 points.
7th Grade: 54% correct on this one, 6 points above the state average. Notice MCAS isn’t concerned with the answer, but an equivalent expression.
7th Grade: 31% of our students got this one correct. The MCAS is stepping up its game for sure.
8th Grade: 73% of our students got this one correct.
10th Grade: 81% correct for BHS students vs. 63% correct for the state.
10th Grade: 85% correct vs. 70% for the state.
I love the resources at Philips Exeter.
Here’s a random equivalence problem I found using radicals. Could your students handle? 8th Grade?
Onward…
PMM