(no subject)

[theweaselking]

North Carolina students throw flag, penalise school system with ten-yard penalty and loss of down after their (correct) answer to a math question is marked incorrect.

The question is this: An American football team has the ball on a first down. Over the next 6 plays, they lose 6 yards, gain 3 yards, lose 2 yards, gain 7 yards, gain 12 yards, and gain 4 yards. What's their average gain per play?

And, of course, the correct answers are either "This is a trick question. That situation is not possible in American football" or "-7/3 yards, since there was a turnover at play #4 and the other two are 'gains' for the opposing team". The answer the school board wanted was "3 yards", which is not correct no matter how you phrase it.

Comments

[harald387.livejournal.com]

I would submit that it's entirely possible that the wording of the question does not require those to have been consecutive plays by the team, and that to any student not being a smartass, the answer is still 3 yards.

Test answers are not about being correct. They are about telling the person marking the test what they want to hear. This is generally less true in math than in, say, English, but it can apply.

-K

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Personally, I would accept all three answers as equally correct, since they all demonstrate the kind of thinking 7th grade should require. It's still a stupid question.

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

You might submit it, but you'd be wrong, since it says "over the next 6 plays" (emphasis added). That "next" implies consecutive plays.
If test answers aren't about being correct, then we're not educating, we're indoctrinating. Wilkommen auf der Vaderlund.

[harald387.livejournal.com]

Since the wording in the post is not, in fact, necessarily the wording of the test question - since that wording isn't noted in the article cited - we have no way of knowing. Unless, of course, theweaselking has sources he hasn't cited and that I can't find.

-K

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

The second part of my comment still applies.

[harald387.livejournal.com]

Any education system consists, at least in part and frequently in large part, of determining what the teacher wants to hear, and demonstrating that you understand that.

Not necessarily that you agree with it - but frankly, I -would- mark a student incorrect who said 'This is a trick question, that isn't possible in American football.'

They'd get a correct mark for saying 'The question is wrong, that isn't possible in American football, and the answer you're looking for is 3.'

-K