Subject: Re: 8th grade final
From: John M. Flanigan (johnf@hawaii.edu)
Date: Sun Apr 30 2000 - 22:49:56 EDT
Bret, you've suggested a really good question. It's patently obvious that
the open door makes it more likely that students with less commitment will
enroll, but does that also lower the effort of others who, in a more
rigidly-selected population, would be high-effort students? I find that
even though most of my students do not exert enough effort, there are
still some who do.
It would certainly be useful to know if the influence of poor students
does harm to the good ones. (I'm being careful here: I know for certain
that such harm is done in actively-cooperative efforts, such as sports,
drama, business task forces. It's very tempting to expect that it would
hold true in a class.)
John M. Flanigan <johnf@hawaii.edu> The equation is the final arbiter.
Assistant Professor, Mathematics --Werner Heisenberg
Kapi'olani Community College The scoreboard is the final arbiter.
4303 Diamond Head Road --Bill Walton
Honolulu HI 96816 History is the final arbiter.
(808) 734-9371 --Edward Gibbon
On Sun, 30 Apr 2000, Bret Taylor wrote:
> I definitely think having an open door policy makes it much harder to get
> high effort from a large percentage of students.
>
> At 09:10 AM 4/30/00 -1000, John M. Flanigan wrote:
> >My sign reads: "High Standards, High Retention, Open Door: Pick Two", but
> >I think some of my non-math colleagues don't like it very much.
> >
> >I remember a similar 8th grade exam printed in my home town newspaper some
> >years ago. I kept a copy somewhere. I'll try to find it and add to this.
> >
> >John M. Flanigan <johnf@hawaii.edu> The equation is the final arbiter.
> >Assistant Professor, Mathematics --Werner Heisenberg
> >Kapi'olani Community College The scoreboard is the final arbiter.
> >4303 Diamond Head Road --Bill Walton
> >Honolulu HI 96816 History is the final arbiter.
> >(808) 734-9371 --Edward Gibbon
> >
> >On Sun, 30 Apr 2000, Bret Taylor wrote:
> >
> >> Thanks.
> >>
> >> Standards, success, low student effort - Choose any two.
> >>
> >> Which two do you think Kansas chose in 1895? Which two do we choose today?
> >>
> >>
> >> At 11:43 AM 4/30/00 EDT, Davidatp@aol.com wrote:
> >> >I thought this was interesting. Any comments?
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Could You Have Passed the 8th Grade in 1895?
> >> > > Probably Not...Take a Look:
> >> > >
> >> > > This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 from Salina, Kansas. It
> >> > > was taken from the original document on file at the Smoky Valley
> >> > > Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, Kansas and reprinted
> >> > > by the Salina Journal.
> >> > >
> >> > > 8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, Kansas - 1895
> >> > >
> >> > > Grammar (Time, one hour)
> >> > >
> >> > > 1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
> >> > > 2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no
> >> > modifications.
> >> > > 3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
> >> > > 4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb?
> >> > > Give Principal Parts of do, lie, lay and run.
> >> > > 5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
> >> > > 6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
> >> > > 7-10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you
> >> > > understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
> >> > >
> >> > > Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
> >> > >
> >> > > 1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
> >> > > 2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide.
> >> > > How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
> >> > > 3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50 cts.
> >> > > per bu,
> >> > > deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
> >> > > 4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary
> >> > > levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have
> >> > > $104 for incidentals?
> >> > > 5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
> >> > > 6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7
> percent.
> >> > > 7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at
> >> > $.20
> >> > > per inch?
> >> > > 8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
> >> > > 9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance
> >> > > around which is 640 rods?
> >> > > 10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
> >> > >
> >> > > U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
> >> > >
> >> > > 1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
> >> > > 2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
> >> > > 3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
> >> > > 4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
> >> > > 5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
> >> > > 6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
> >> > > 7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln,
> >> > > Penn, and Howe?
> >> > > 8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800,
> >> > > 1849, and 1865?
> >> > >
> >> > > Orthography (Time, one hour)
> >> > >
> >> > > 1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic orthography,
> >> > > etymology, syllabication?
> >> > > 2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
> >> > > 3. What are the following, and give examples of each:
> >> > > Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
> >> > > 4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.
> >> > > 5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e'.
> >> > > Name two exceptions under each rule.
> >> > > 6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling.
> >> > > Illustrate each.
> >> > > 7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word:
> >> > > Bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, super.
> >> > > 8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and
> >> > > name the sign that indicates the sound:
> >> > > Card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
> >> > > 9. Use the following correctly in sentences, Cite, site, sight,
> >> > > fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
> >> > > 10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation
> >> > > by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
> >> > >
> >> > > Geography (Time, one hour)
> >> > >
> >> > > 1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
> >> > > 2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
> >> > > 3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
> >> > > 4. Describe the mountains of N.A.
> >> > > 5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver,
> >> > > Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez,
> >> > > Aspinwall and Orinoco.
> >> > > 6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
> >> > > 7. Name all the republics of Europe and give capital of each.
> >> > > 8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same
> >> > > latitude?
> >> > > 9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to
> >> > > the sources of rivers.
> >> > > 10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give inclination of the earth.
> >> > >
> >> > > --------------------------------------------------
> >> > >
> >> > > Imagine a college student who went to public school trying to pass this
> >> > > test, even if the few outdated questions were modernized. Imagine their
> >> > > professors even being able to pass the 8th Grade. Can Americans,
> >> > > student and professor alike, get back up to the 8th Grade level of
> 1895?
> >> > >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >****************************************************************************
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> >> >****************************************************************************
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >> Bret Taylor Lake-Sumter Community College Leesburg, FL John 3:30
> >>
> >> It matters not the subject taught, nor all the books on all the shelves.
> >> What matters more, yes, most of all, is what the teachers are themselves.
> >> John Wooden, UCLA
> >>
> >>
> >> ****************************************************************************
> >> * To post to the list: email mathedcc@archives.math.utk.edu *
> >> * To unsubscribe, send mail to: mathedcc-unsubscribe@archives.math.utk.edu *
> >> * Archives at http://archives.math.utk.edu/hypermail/mathedcc/ *
> >> ****************************************************************************
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> Bret Taylor Lake-Sumter Community College Leesburg, FL John 3:30
>
> It matters not the subject taught, nor all the books on all the shelves.
> What matters more, yes, most of all, is what the teachers are themselves.
> John Wooden, UCLA
>
>
> ****************************************************************************
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> * To unsubscribe, send mail to: mathedcc-unsubscribe@archives.math.utk.edu *
> * Archives at http://archives.math.utk.edu/hypermail/mathedcc/ *
> ****************************************************************************
>
>
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