I helped out in a math class for seniors who need to pass this class to graduate. It's called EMP, short for Evidence of Math Proficiency (I think). It used to be that the students would learn all year, and then try to pass a single test at the end of the year, but there wasn't a great success rate for that. Last year, they tried putting together a math portfolio with work throughout the year, and they had a 94% success rate. Unfortunately, the state decided it cost too much to evaluate the portfolios, so now the students have tests throughout the year, but the test directly follows the teaching of the material. Yesterday's lesson was on scientific notation and Mrs. G led the students through the methodology of converting numbers into and out of scientific notation. I was helping some of the students during the working time, just verifying they understood the concepts.
After class, I asked Mrs. G if I could come back later in the day to help with her 2nd EMP class. She said "yes, but don't look at the work or offer help to the students in these 2 left rows, as they may become violent; just work with students on the right side of the class." I hadn't thought offering help could provoke such a strong reaction - now I know to be careful!
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