Algebra

After reading Rev. Bryan Griem's response in the Oct. 14 In Theory question, “Should yoga class should have been banned from church,” I suggest that the News-Press allow him to appear in a new feature column entitled, “In Theory - the Comedy.” Upon finishing reading his response I couldn't stop laughing. His conclusion that Christians should not practice yoga because they might get “yoked” was hilarious. Jon Stewart couldn't have done better. I suppose he would also suggest not running a marathon, since its origin is with the polytheist Greeks, nor the study of algebra, because it was invented by a Muslim.

Judy Seckler DOWNTOWN -- The Glendale Unified School District will be looking at its yearly Golden State Examinations report, which reveals greater student participation and improved scores over a five-year period. The first exams, given in 1987, offered only first-year algebra and geometry. Now, students can take exams in 12 subjects. The exams, given in the late spring, measure specific subject content, school board member Chuck Sambar said. The exam shows that a student learned what they were supposed to in an individual course.

Is it any surprise that nearly 20% of the Class of 2004 has not reached state math requirements? Mr. Hovesepian, of Hoover High School, has a right to be concerned about the way math is being taught and its effectiveness. Ms. McKee says, "we want students exposed to meaningful math, not just the basics." Therein lies the problem. The Glendale school system is not spending enough time teaching the basics in grades 1-4. Algebra, geometry, statistics and ratios are being introduced as early as first and second grades.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- The superintendent of Glendale schools has something to smile about. After months of waiting for a test publisher, Jim Brown can move forward in his work as co-chairman of the panel working on a high school exit exam for California students. Though test publishers were reluctant to take on the development of a version of the high-stakes exam set to be field tested this spring, state Department of Education officials announced Monday that Palo Alto-based American Institutes for Research had been selected for the task.

Judy Seckler DOWNTOWN -- In response to a new state law requiring high school students to pass an exam to receive their diplomas, the Glendale school board will have its first update today regarding the test. The law will go into effect in fall 2000 with the ninth graders, Deputy Supt. of Educational Services Don Empey said. Empey added that ninth-grade students could volunteer to take the exam in the spring. However, the test is mandatory in the 10th grade.

Gary Moskowitz Statistics and probability questions are no match for 10-year-old Peter Chu. On Saturday, the Monte Vista Elementary School fourth-grader participated in the Glendale Unified School District's annual Math Field Day at Keppel Elementary School. After finishing his last math test of the day, Peter walked outside the classroom and said, "Yeah, I did good. "Some questions were pretty easy," Peter said. "But I tried my best. Multiplying fractions is hard, mentally, but math is definitely my favorite subject.

Gary Moskowitz To David Fortune, "raising the bar" of education in California is not necessarily good for all students. Fortune, a Glendale resident, was one of about 140 people who attended the K-12 Education Summit and Teacher Appreciation Reception on Friday at the Castaway restaurant in Burbank. "Frankly, I'm disappointed," said Fortune, 69. "It's not realistic to have all kids take algebra and geometry. It will dumb down your classes. I think high expectations can improve things, but unrealistic ones don't, and they encourage kids to drop out. We need more technical programs for kids."

A display in front of a Rosemont Middle School classroom reads, "Graphing a linear inequality. Graph the inequality as if it were an equation. y=mx+b." Students listen intently as teacher Kimberly Goffredo reviews last Friday's homework. At first glance this may look like an average math class, but a closer look reveals a surprising difference — none of these students are bored or daydreaming. In fact, many of them are actually smiling. This is Rosemont's Introduction to Algebra summer class for new seventh graders.

SyrianaDo high gas prices make you angry? Do you vote, listen to talk radio, like discussing politics or read the newspaper? Of course you read the paper, or you wouldn't be reading my amazing critique. If you answer yes to any of my questions, I highly recommend seeing the political drama, "Syriana." If my questions don't excite you, at least show some personal responsibility and register to vote. "Syriana" is a fictional drama that tells the story of the USA's reliance on oil from Middle Eastern countries.

GLENDALE — Spending three hours talking about math and graphing calculators may be some people's worst nightmare. But not for the math teachers of the Glendale, Los Angeles and Burbank unified school districts and Glendale Community College. At the group's collaborative workshop, they did just that and focused on the use of technologically advanced tools to better prepare their students for college-level education. "We're trying to smooth the transition from high school to college," said Carol Paxton, a math instructor from Glendale Community College.