> the United States especially lags behind in teaching mathematics to its most advanced students.
When I was in 8th grade at the best private day school I could find that would bus me (just under an hour away, but I lived in the sticks and accepted that), I was one of the few kids in "advanced math and science." This was 1 year accelerated, nothing special: we just went to class with the 9th graders. I was taught "Math A" out of this bad boy: http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Review-Lawrence-S-Leff/dp/0764122...
In my first year of the 1.5-year-long Math A, I was never once introduced to the quadratic formula. We were taught to factor quadratic equations by guessing the roots. Not kidding. The Math A test guaranteed integer roots, so... we learned to factor quadratic equations by guessing roots. I actually wrote a TI-83+ program to solve quadratic equations by guessing the roots (somewhat intelligently).
I still look back on that in astonishment - that's all you had to know for algebra 1! Integer roots and guessing! I'm sure schools in new york state - and schools in my region - taught the quadratic formula... but by the book, they didn't have to.
Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to be able to go to high school in connecticut where I could get a decent education. So my story ended up just dandy. Not sure about the rest of NYS.
When I was in 8th grade at the best private day school I could find that would bus me (just under an hour away, but I lived in the sticks and accepted that), I was one of the few kids in "advanced math and science." This was 1 year accelerated, nothing special: we just went to class with the 9th graders. I was taught "Math A" out of this bad boy: http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Review-Lawrence-S-Leff/dp/0764122...
In my first year of the 1.5-year-long Math A, I was never once introduced to the quadratic formula. We were taught to factor quadratic equations by guessing the roots. Not kidding. The Math A test guaranteed integer roots, so... we learned to factor quadratic equations by guessing roots. I actually wrote a TI-83+ program to solve quadratic equations by guessing the roots (somewhat intelligently).
I still look back on that in astonishment - that's all you had to know for algebra 1! Integer roots and guessing! I'm sure schools in new york state - and schools in my region - taught the quadratic formula... but by the book, they didn't have to.
Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to be able to go to high school in connecticut where I could get a decent education. So my story ended up just dandy. Not sure about the rest of NYS.