All Things Point to 5th Grade Math
By Quetzal Mama • February 17, 2016
2016 Copyright
Roxanne Ocampo
If your student wants to be a doctor, chemical
engineer, computer scientist, technology guru, app creator, rocket scientist, marine
biologist, or neurosurgeon then listen to this truth: All things point to 5th grade
math.
Going to a Saturday robot-building workshop
won’t get your student into STEM. Listening to an
inspirational speaker talk about becoming a doctor won’t get your student into STEM. Hashtagging clever words about getting more
Latin@s in STEM won’t get your student into STEM.
Our kids are not failing to get into STEM
because of their lack of interest. Or
that we lack community champions touting STEM.
Or that parents are neglecting to encourage their kids to pursue STEM. Or that teachers are not infusing STEM into
lesson plans. Or that STEM is not prominently
shared on social media.
Our kids are not getting into STEM because
our focus is misdirected. We need to shift
our attention to 5th grade math.
5th grade math is the catalyst
for all STEM related majors. 5th
grade math is where most of our Latino, Native American, and African-American
students get weeded out of STEM programs.
5th grade math is more closely related to your high school
senior’s class schedule than any other subject.
5th grade math is more closely related to your kid getting
into a STEM program in college than any other factor.
Unfortunately, this news is not on most
parent’s radar.
Below is an illustration of how math courses are correlated to admission in a STEM program for most competitive colleges:
Below is an illustration of how math courses are correlated to admission in a STEM program for most competitive colleges:
This is the profile for students seeking
admission to a more selective college pursuing a STEM major. But, even if your student pursues a
California Community College transfer route, or enrolls in the local California
State University, math is still going
to be a big factor. There is no escaping
the math requirement. It doesn’t matter
if your student declares an environmental engineering major or pre-medicine. Math trumps all.
If math is so important for STEM majors,
how come our students are not aware of why and how this matters so much? Because they are not thinking about it in 5th
grade. To understand the appropriate grade-level
math track, here is an illustration representing two different mathematics
pathways for middle school and high school students – one is a traditional
schedule and the other is accelerated:
So what can you do to ensure your
student is on the right track in mathematics for a STEM major?
First, make sure your 5th
grader is earning strong grades in Common Core Math. If they require tutoring, get them tutoring! Even if your student is not earning all A’s
in math in 5th grade, don’t discount their potential. Focus on learning and re-learning math
fundamentals before moving into an accelerated program.
Second, if your student has top scores in
5th grade math and shows a strong interest and ability in this area,
consider having her/him tested for an accelerated schedule that begins in
middle school. We did this for our son
Emilio in the summer before he began 6th grade. The combination of his standardized test
scores and the exam for an accelerated program was enough to earn him a spot in
a very small cohort of students. He is
still on that track today, and is scheduled to start Geometry as a Freshman in
High School.
Lastly, keep careful watch of your student’s
class schedule to ensure s/he is assigned the right math courses to
finish senior year of high school in one of the two tracks illustrated above. Remember, the track in blue is the
standard for selective colleges.
However, following this track creates an exceptional profile for students
seeking admission to non-selective state colleges. In fact, a student with this type of math
profile has extraordinary odds of receiving generous merit based scholarships
at non highly selective colleges.
Bottom line: math is king.
Your student’s trajectory to the right math curriculum starts in the
5th grade. While it’s not
impossible for a student to earn admission to a STEM program in college without
following one of these tracks, the odds are extremely rare. In a nutshell, let’s backward design this:
To become a neurosurgeon, research
scientist, or software engineer, a college degree is required.
To earn the college degree in a related
STEM field, prerequisite math courses are required.
To get into the college as a STEM major, prerequisite
math courses are required in high school.
To get into the right math courses in high
school, prerequisite math courses must be completed in middle school.
To get into the right middle school math courses,
students must be on track to transition from 5th grade math to middle
school math.
Math begins in 5th grade.
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