The Glade 4.0

Oh, I realize that possibility exists. I just find it less likely than the alternatives.

But my previous supposition was wrong, so it's something of a moot point. Turns out the test was the Florida FCAT 2.0 EOC (end-of-course) assessment for Algebra I. It's a mix of 4-answer multiple choice and open-ended fill-in-the-response questions. As such, I can't really evaluate his score. The only published results they have for this test are T-scores. Without access to the raw score average and standard deviation, I can't tell how he stacks up to their demographic scores.

That said, I found their "bechmarks" for the test, which includes sample questions (not in multiple-choice format):

http://www.floridastandards.org/Standards/FLStandardSearch.aspx

Search for Mathematics, Grade 912, Algebra. I'll let you judge for yourself whether it's a reasonable that he could have not known the answer to any of the questions, as claimed. I'm just going to toss out some of the easier ones for consideration:


(note that the student is given a sheet with unit conversion rates)



I'm not going to defend the entire test or standardized tests in general, but if you can't at least solve these types of basic problems, you are mathematically illiterate.

_________________
Sail forth! steer for the deep waters only!
Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me;
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go,
And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

I will agree with that, yes.

_________________
Buckle your pants or they might fall down.

Haha.

I agree 100%, and in my book, this comment makes all of the debate in this thread irrelevant.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

(note that the student is given a sheet with unit conversion rates)

This is precisely the problem so many students struggle with when they take physics and chemistry. Mull that over for a moment. A significant number of people fresh from a college-level math course having trouble performing such unit conversions. Consider the implications that has for a number of adults who have lived ten years or more thinking they were "done with math."

_________________
Buckle your pants or they might fall down.

For example two, you are assuming that the flow into the sink remains equal to the water leaked out, which is not a typical situation.

Otherwise an answer could be "0.1 gallons per day, for the first day, and 0 after that".

No. It is leaking 20 milliliters of water per second. That's all you need to know.

Whether or not it's a typical situation is irrelevant, and conditions should be assumed not to change.

A description of "is leaking 20 milliliters of water" does not mean "is and always will be leaking 20 milliliters of water", especially because the latter is unrealistic, and a duration of time was not specified.

There is a huge difference between a current rate and an average rate throughout a period.

It's a standardized test. There's no point arguing with the scantron, and there's no point arguing with the test giver.

_________________

It's like this one:

A plane flies at 500 mph. How far does it go per day?

Lex -- a per day measure of velocity is a valid unit of measurement for instantaneous velocity, even if the object in question does not continue moving at that velocity for the entire duration of the day.

Assuming your commute is less than two hours, do you drive at twice the speed limit with a prepared argument for the cop that will pull you over "It's okay, officer. That 65 mile per hour speed limit doesn't apply to me since I'm only making a thirty-five minute trip"?

Similarly with measuring the drip rate in gallons/day.

_________________
"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades