How+do+math+and+science+affect+a+student's+achievement?

“Education.” //CQ Researcher by CQ Press//. Accessed November 21, 2013. []. This article discusses the changed made to curriculum after the No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top acts. More rigorous math programs were put into place in order to raise student achievement levels on tests, and it resulted with commendable progress. It also goes over the objections that teachers have to these acts and the complications that come with it (teacher evaluations, school choice, standardized testing, etc.) The changes that were made to the math programs and curriculum did increase proficiency levels, though. I think that this article really does a good job summing up the school reform and all the changes that have been put into place. It describes each one briefly with respects to the public as well as the teachers who experience the full effect of them. Since we have been talking about the NCLB and Race to the Top in class, it is good to read about it from a different perspective. This article makes it seem like a positive change that has helped the proficiency rates and offered kids and schools with a lot more help to improve their education.
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**Source 2: Education Full Text** “Cognitive Processes and Math Performance: a Study with Children at Third Grade of Basic Education - Springer.” Accessed November 21, 2013. [].

This article talks about a study done of children that involved testing third grade students with cognitive and mathematical measures. This study helped them to relate math skills with selective attention, working memory, and the g-factor. It shows that there is correlation between math and cognitive factors. It says that working memory serves a huge role in math and that mathematics can help to strengthen different parts of memory, making it easier to recall things from long term memory. this article basically talks about how the students were never timed on finishing their tasks, the goal was for them to understand what they were learning, and this helped them a lot more. I think that this article and the study it talks about should a lot about the importance of math in real life. Many people don't always see how math can help them if it isn't what they want to do with their lives, but this shows that doing math problems can actually help you in math other ways besides in math class. Because the article talks about all the correlations and the studies on younger students, it definitely seems to me that math should be taken seriously and continued to be taught so that children understand the concepts rather than just blowing through them.
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“Will New Math, Science Standards End State’s Relationship with KU on Tests?” // CJOnline.com //. Accessed November 21, 2013. [].
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This article talks about how Kansas is thinking of changing it's standardized testing. They say that this would allow for students to have more efficient testing periods with open work answers so their learning is supported. They also say that this will not affect the number of jobs offered and that no jobs will be lost as a result of the changes in test format. They want Kansas University to distribute these tests and report the results to see how math education can be measured in a different way. I think that these new tests sound like a good idea because many students struggle with the current forms of standardized testing because of the format. Allowing students to have open answers will help them to show what work they do know and where they went wrong rather than just having them pick one answer from a list in front of them. These tests can help teachers to know what they need to help the students with more and what they already know. It is also good because the article says that this won't affect the teacher's jobs in Kansas, which is a common worry when new testing is put into effect.
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Williams, D. (2013, November 17). Inner-city mentoring initiative aims to boost student achievement. The Buffalo News. Accessed November 18, 2013. []
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This article talks all about the new mentoring programs that are being put into effect in Buffalo. They have a bunch of volunteers, including many minorities, that help kids for free. They are individual tutors in multiple subjects, including math and science, that help to raise the achievement levels of students and provide them with free education and extra help opportunities. Many students take advantage of this from grade school to high school and it also helps to boost self esteem according to the article. I think this article really shows how getting help in different subject areas where kids need it can make a huge difference on their achievement. For instance, if science programs were set up to offer extra tutoring to kids who needed it, their achievement in that subject would definitely improve. This would also help on standardized tests because students would be learning and understand more material.
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Pinder, Patrice Juliet. “Exploring and Understanding Maryland’s Math and Science Teachers’ Perspectives on Nclb and Increase Testing: Employing a Phenomenological Inquiry Approach.” // Education // 133, no. 3 (Spring 2013): 298–302.
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**Summary**This article talks about math and science teachers' opinions on the No Child Left Behind act. They all came from an urban area and three out of four of them shared the same opinion. The article shows that most teachers do not think that all the testing helps students at all and that because of it, the real needs on the students were not being met. The teachers said that they felt the need to "teach to the test" rather than helping the students to develop an actual understanding of the material.**Reaction**I think that this article helps to show that even from a teachers perspective, students aren't getting the proper education that they should be, especially when it comes to math and science. These teachers understand that they aren't always able to help the students understand the material because of all the standardized testing that they have to worry about. It shows that the academic achievement of students is lower than it should be, and with more focus on math and science they students would be able to learn more and better their education.

**Overall Reaction To Research**Overall, from my research I have concluded that math and science can contribute a lot to a student's achievement if they get the necessary attention in those subjects. Many of the articles that I read talk about the new education reforms and how they affect the way that students are being taught. Since so many teachers now have to worry a lot about standardized testing, they end up not teaching material so that students can fully understand it. This relates a lot to what we have learned and talked about in class because the teachers in these articles share the same opinions as we express often in class. They think that students would be much better off in an environment where they are not "taught to the test" so that they don't always have to be stressed and focused on doing well on tests, and rather they can focus on learning the material. My research also taught me that working to develop math and science skills can help students in many other ways when it comes to memory. I believe that these articles have demonstrated that more focus on math and science would help a student to have a higher achievement level overall.