Time to get rid of Algebra II?

IMHO, it is a Facebook meme worth discussing. Is it time to kill Algebra II for most high school students?

When you think about it, Algebra II spends the first part of the year in review of Algebra I, itself usually repeating Pre-Algebra or Basic Algebra for most students. For many, Algebra II is the end of the line in math education. Trig is the most common next step.

Now consider, what part of Algebra II do most people use? Does graphing parabolas and other concenrtric shapes ever happen after the course ends? What if we got rid of it and replaced it with a sort of basic quantitative course? Make such a course a mix of probability and statistics, calculating compound interest and rate of return, tax math, and other practical applications. Idea would be keep the same "math level" but the students would be learning more practical things instead of solving with graphs in abstract terms.

What say you?

Quote: AZDuffman

IMHO, it is a Facebook meme worth discussing.

I failed algebra in 9th grade because
I read James Bond books thru the
whole class. I hate algebra. There's
an algebra II? That should be labeled
a hate crime..

Quote: Evenbob

I failed algebra in 9th grade because
I read James Bond books thru the
whole class. I hate algebra. There's
an algebra II? That should be labeled
a hate crime..

It took me forever to "get" algebra. Just too abstract and no teacher ever, not even once, could tell you a practical application for it. I will tell the story again, I once had a tele-center hell job and an algebra teacher called. Nice lady. We were making small talk and I mentioned how nobody could tell me how I would use it then one day noticed I was. She asks how. After all that she says, "say that all again but talk slower so I can write it down, I need this for my class!"

I still remember an Algebra II word problem that to this day makes no sense to me.

They should call Trigonometry "Triangles" and eliminate the fear the word conjures up. Of course algebra they throw in is what can make it hard, algebra can make anything hard.

To answer your question, algebra II should only be for select students as indeed 'review of Algebra I' is all Algebra II was for me due to remedial students clogging everything up. I really needed a good, productive class and didn't get it. Your replacement ideas sound good to me.

When using even common names such as "algebra", calculus" and "trigonometry", you would have to supply an example for me to even know what the hell you were even talking about.

Is calculus finding "x"?
Wasn't Modus Tollens in the Bible?

Quote: AZDuffman

I mentioned how nobody could tell me how I would use it then one day noticed I was. She asks how.
.

How were you using it. It was so
rare an event she wrote it down.

As an electrician I used algebra once a week on average to calculate wire sizes and breaker sizes for equipment I was connecting that I often knew only the wattage and the voltage. Ohms law wasn't just something learned by electricians it had to be actively used and understood.

The basis of 3 phase power can only be understood using Trigonometry although field calculations were possible with work around formulae.

I never heard of an algebra II class. I went right onto geometry after algebra. Those were the days.

Quote: AZDuffman

IMHO, it is a Facebook meme worth discussing. Is it time to kill Algebra II for most high school students?

When you think about it, Algebra II spends the first part of the year in review of Algebra I, itself usually repeating Pre-Algebra or Basic Algebra for most students. For many, Algebra II is the end of the line in math education. Trig is the most common next step.

Now consider, what part of Algebra II do most people use? Does graphing parabolas and other concenrtric shapes ever happen after the course ends? What if we got rid of it and replaced it with a sort of basic quantitative course? Make such a course a mix of probability and statistics, calculating compound interest and rate of return, tax math, and other practical applications. Idea would be keep the same "math level" but the students would be learning more practical things instead of solving with graphs in abstract terms.

What say you?

We also had business math. Which I also took. And I took the algebra classes. What I don't understand is, if a class feels remedial to you, then you should be able to test out of it, without having to endure it.

Quote: rxwine

We also had business math. Which I also took. And I took the algebra classes. What I don't understand is, if a class feels remedial to you, then you should be able to test out of it, without having to endure it.

We had "Consumer Math" which was for the kids who could not handle Algebra. It was just there to get the then two years of required math and get them out. What I am suggesting is more of a pre-college business quant kind of math with practical applications mixed in.

Quote: Wizard

I never heard of an algebra II class. I went right onto geometry after algebra. Those were the days.

In my school Algebra II followed Geometry. My Algebra II teacher wanted to flip flop that at the student's choice so there wasn't that year off to forget as Geometry was kind of math but not math, a detour, less calculation more logic.