NOT THE SHARPEST KNIVES IN THE DRAWER: Those Who Can’t (Do Math) Teach
According to the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 73 percent of the 600+ candidates who took the state elementary school teacher’s licensing exam this year failed the math section, reports WPRI (Channel 12-Providence, RI):
The teacher’s licensing exam tested potential teachers on their knowledge of elementary school mathematics. This included geometry, statistics, and probability.
Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester was not surprised by the results. He told the Boston Globe that these results indicate many students are not receiving an adequate math education.
To get an idea of how tough the licensing exam is, here is the first question from the practice test:
In the number 2010, the value represented by the digit 1 is what fraction of the value represented by the digit 2?
A. 1/2000
B. 1/200
C. 1/20
D. 1/2
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