Finals Results

The results of the Algebra 2 Honors final:

10 | 0
9 | 6
8 | 0 1 1 4 4
7 | 1 1 1 4 4 6 6 8
6 | 1 1 5 6 9
5 | 4
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |

For a final exam, that's fairly solid. Students did worst on the most recent material, which makes sense, because they haven't had enough time to let it really sink in. Next week, we are going to need to review factoring and dealing with the various forms of parabolas. Then we'll learn to complete the square and prove the quadratic formula.

Every student in the class ended up passing with a C- or better (a new first for me!), so that is something we will definitely celebrate next week.

The biggest success: the boys who shook my hand, looked me in the eye, and thanked me for helping them get prepared, both after the review sessions and after getting their tests back. Usually the girls are pretty vocal about their appreciation; the boys tend to wave, put on their iPods/cell phones, and rush out the door (not to generalize, but...) So I kind of smiled on the inside when these boys conveyed their awkward gratitude - it was a milestone along their paths to maturity and they didn't even know it.

Functional Success

Break out the champagne! Here are the results to the Functions and Relations unit test:

10| 3
9| 0 1 2 3 3 7 7 8 8
8| 0 0 4 8
7| 0 1 7 8 9 9
6| 8
5|
4| 8 8
3|
2|
1|

I'm really happy that they did so well. It's good to have some real successes - both for me and for the students. Of course, now I worry that the test was too easy! I'm posting it at ILoveMath if anyone wants to look at it or use parts of it (or you can email me for a copy). I would love to hear any comments on it, because I redid the whole unit this year, and I strayed quite a bit from the state standards.

November Surprise

Something happened this weekend that I don't think has ever happened in any class in the past 6 years: every student in my 3rd period Algebra 2 regular class passed the unit test. This has happened occasionally on smaller quizzes, but never on a unit test. If you have read enough of my posts to understand what DCP students are like, you'll realize that this is something of a minor miracle. This test was on systems of equations and inequalities, including a word problem and a 3x3 system of equations (with either no solution or an infinite number of solutions). The test wasn't killer, but it definitely wasn't a cakewalk.

I don't usually post about my Algebra 2 regular classes because I don't plan those lessons (we share preps to reduce workload and to ensure that all students learn the same concepts and are assessed the same way). To be honest, because I don't plan the curriculum, I don't spend as much time as I should reflecting on the progress of those classes. But I have some really great kids in those classes too (I got really lucky this year - I have almost no, shall we say, "negative personalities").

Anyway, I told my class the good news today, and I was dead right about the first words that would erupt from the crowd. Say it with me: "Do we get a pizza party?"