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Randall Austill Diana Watkins Comp 2 TR 10:30 3 February 2014 Are High School Math and Science Expectations as High as They Should be? Most high schools of today in the United States require only algebra 1, algebra 2, and geometry for math and for science really just physical science and biology which are not hard at all. Teachers of high schools and even junior high schools are only required to teach the information that is needed to know for the standardized testing. Standardized testing is a very low required test in order to go to the next rank of math or science including english and history. If teachers were required to teach more than just what is needed to know for the test than students would be more prepared for college and not have as many issues as they have today. A large number of students that enter college that have graduated from a United States High School are not ready for college at all. United States High school math requirements are only up to algebra 2 which is relatively low because most teach trigonometry as well as statistics and many other math courses that go beyond algebra 2. Those math classes dont really help get the average student get prepared for college. Most students say whenever going into college and taking their college algebra course that they were not taught at least half of the stuff that they use in the class. High Schools only require taking and passing physical science and biology which are very simple classes since they only teach what is needed for standardized testing. Physical science only really teaches the general basics of science itself. It teaches about how to use microscopes, molecules, compounds, etc. Physical science will help you get prepared for the biology course that is required and the general things that is needed to know in order to do a lab.

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Biology however will teach some of the general aspects of living organisms (humans, animals, and plants). Biology teachers will teach Organization and Development, Matter and Energy Transformation, Interdependence, Heredity and Reproduction, and Evolution and Diversity. Those will all be taught at the high school level and stuff but only cover just enough of it so the student can pass the standardized testing to move on to the next grade or course. Most of the things that are taught in the high school biology class will learn in college biology, high school does not teach it in too much detail so it is not much help for whenever going into college. Students will understand the general concepts of science and use measurements as well as observation tools such as magnifying glasses. Students in high school will start to understand some of the mathematical and physical attributes in science such as the equation for fahrenheit which is degrees in Celsius times 9/5 + 32 and that will equal degrees in fahrenheit. A lot of students will not remember what all was taught to them in high school because of it not being exciting and getting the students involved all that much. Standardized testing is a big thing in high schools of the united states. Some of the standardized tests that are required to pass are English 1, and 2, Physical Science and Biology, History from freshman year in high school until junior year, Algebra 1 and 2 as well as Geometry. Due to the standardized testing teachers feel like that is all that they should teach and need to teach to their students. Students dont tend to learn much in high school due to how limited of teaching the teachers do because the teachers are wanting the kids to pass the standardized test in order to continue to the next grade and eventually graduate.

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Standardized testing is damaging the united states education. Due to standardized testing a lot of students are not being taught what is truly needed to help them out in college when given certain assignments because the student might know how to solve it one way but the professor wants it done a different way. Testing limits the availability of learning for the students because they will only learn truly what is necessary to pass the test to make their school look great as well as the teachers so they keep their jobs and that is what will determine the student whether or not they can move on to the next level and eventually attend college or not. All students that take the standardized test are all graded on the same scale not according to what the person is strong in or anything like that. Standardized testing is not a fair way to measure someones expertise What is tested does count, but much of what counts cannot be tested (Student Learning, Student Achievement Report Task Force), some people could be powerful and good at both science and math while horrible at literature and history. Students get accepted into the high school and graduate high school all depending on if they pass these standardized tests whether it is with a high score or the lowest score possible to pass. Students should not be evaluated through a test whether they are good at the subject or not. Some students are smart in a subject but would have to show through an experiment of some kind as suppose to being tested on paper. Most students are feeling under pressure when they are testing so it makes them hesitant to answer and end up giving the incorrect answer when they know the correct one the whole entire time.