[Boatanchors] Math?

[Jim Wilhite]

Check with your local colleges about the percentage of entering 
students that require remediation in math, reading and English 
courses.  Having taught on the community college level with open 
enrollment, I assure you the number is overwhelming.

Many of the college drop outs occur because they enter to take the 
courses in their major only to be told after entrance exams they 
must do a  year of basic high school courses.  Only about 20% of 
high school graduates can read to the 9th grade level and do 
advanced math.  Those are our doctors, scientists, etc.

Jim/W5JO



Original Message ----- 



> Bob,
>
> I guess my daughter won't be a HS grad, since she is doing
> this level math, maybe even more, working with negative
> fractions, in the 7th grade.
>
> I am not sure the point re the IT staff at the Pentagon, if it
> is contractor vs USG employee, or contractor vs military.
>
> The problem with a military staff is the constant rotation, which
> dilutes the corporate memory of an operation.  On the other
> hand, using contractors vs USG employees saves on benefit and
> retirement costs to the USG.
>
> Are there HS grads who can't do that math?  Probably.  Are
> all HS grads incapable of doing that equation.  Hardly likely.
>
> The same for the Army's report on HS grads having a 6th grade
> reading level and officers with an 8th grade reading level. 
> Having
> spent a few years as a senior NCO in the Army Reserve and
> working with both enlisted and officer folks in both my Reserve
> status and in connection with my current job location, I'd have to
> say the folks in my arena certainly have much higher reading
> levels.
>
> Do all US Army officers show an 8th grade reading level?
> I seriously doubt it.  Do some?  Perhaps, but I suspect not
> many of them make it past O-3.
>
>
> 73
> Sheldon
>
>
>
> rbethman wrote:
>> Bob,
>>
>> I'm NOT sure that you REALLY want to know!
>>
>> That goes for ALL the textbooks.  HS Grads CANNOT add 2 1/2 + 3 
>> 1/4.
>> Uncle Sam has a program called BSEP, Basic Skills Education 
>> Program,
>> that they use to "try" to get them up to par.
>>
>> The U.S. Army shows H.S. Grads have approx. a 6th grade reading 
>> level.
>> Officers going to advanced courses have tutors, and show an 
>> approx. 8th
>> grade reading level - yet they have college degrees. <Groan>
>>
>> I used to work as an IT contractor at the Pentagon.  The entire 
>> IT
>> staff, save ONE government employee, that ran the entire Backbone 
>> E-Mail
>> system WERE Contractors!
>>
>> Bob - N0DGN
>>
>> Bob Peters wrote:
>>
>>
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