Interesting blast from the past!
Critics of the American education system note how we teach SO many topics each year while not going into great depth of any. Higher performing countries teach less topics per year and do not need to repeat them over several years as we do here in the U.S. At Gideon, we focus on just one topic at a time and require mastery before moving on. Adding ones is mastered in before moving on adding twos. This way all children can move at their own pace and get any extra practice needed.
Lori Higgins from the Detroit Free Press writes:
Howell kindergarten teacher Tina Everard presented lawmakers earlier this year with a document that outlines how rigorous the kindergarten curriculum has become. In it, she included report cards – one dating back to the 1963-64 school year – that illustrates her overall point.
The 1963 report card is from the Taylor School District and outlines just a few math concepts students needed to master. Another, from the 2011-12 school year in her school district, shows how much more is expected of kindergarten students, including a half-page of math skills that touch on some kindergarten-level algebra and geometry concepts.
A Taylor Township School District report card from 1963
A Howell Public Schools report card from 2011-2012
