2009 December 28
Dear Alice Fu,
In Science for 2009 December 18 page 1637, your discussion of
the NAEP report lists Strengths and Limitations. Both NAEP and you
failed to discuss a major limitation in US education, namely, the
teaching of inch-pound units of measure. Teaching two sets of units,
inch-pound and metric, leaves many, possibly most, students confused.
Many bright students know this is nonsense and simply give up on
science and move to social studies (humanities).
It is said the students in the US are one whole year behind
students in the rest of the world (37th ?) because of the teaching
related to two sets of units; teaching of fractions, teaching
conversion.
Inch-pound units need not be taught or tested for. Students can
and will learn these units in daily life. Schools need not teach them.
It is important to note that the lowest grade that NAEP
evaluates is grade 4. NAEP must make sure that lower grades do not
use fractions or inch-pound units.
I find the NAEP text is deficient in not giving content for
students to study. I am disappointed that there are so few formulas.
It looks to me like the NAEP text is written by educators, not by
scientists.
Thank you for your work on this report.
Robert H. Bushnell PhD PE
