Dancis: Do not rush students into Algebra in Grade 8

Is PISA [Program for International Student Assessment] valid? The question rarely asked. Answer: NO!


It's Finland Beware – NOT Beware of Finland. Finnish engineering students have difficulty with fractions and simple algebraic expressions.
"What does [how students answered the questions on] the International PISA Math Test Really Tell Us?" is the title of my article," which appeared in American Association of School Administrators Journal of Scholarship and Practice. See Pages 31-42 at
http://www.aasa.org/uploadedFiles/Publications/Journals/AASA_Journal_of_Scholarship_and_Practice/JPS-Winter2014-FINAL.pdf

What does PISA Math Really tell us? Students need instruction in multi-step Arithmetic word problems. 


What does PISA Math not tell us? Students need instruction in Arithmetic and Algebraic calculations. Students need the opportunity to develop "number sense".


For these reasons, do not rush students into Algebra in Grade 8.

Jerome Dancis, PhD