The Two Million Minutes Blog

Arithmetic Portion of the 8th Grade Final Exam - 1895 Salina, Kansas

To pass 8th grade in 1895, Kansas kids had to answer these arithmetic questions. Could a high school senior answer these today?

Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50 cts. per bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?

4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?

5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. of coal at $6.00 per ton.

6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.

7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $.20 per inch?

8. Find the bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.

9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance around which is 640 rods?

10.Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

Helpful Definitions:

1 U.S. bushel = 2,150.42 cubic inches

Rod is a unit of length equal to 5.5 yards

Bank Discount - The interest on a loan computed in advance and deducted at the time the loan is made.

Acre = 160 square rods, 4,840 square yards, or 43,560 square feet.

Levy = tax

Tare - the weight of the empty container

Newt Gingrich Recommends Two Million Minutes in a Major Speech

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gave the keynote speech at the Republican House-Senate Dinner June 8, 2009 and specifically recommended Two Million Minutes to the 2,500 audience members.

New Elementary School Teachers Flunk Math Basics in Massachusetts - Yikes!

From US News & World Report - May 22, 2009

"Almost three quarters of aspiring elementary-school teachers in Massachusetts have failed a new math section of the state's licensing exam—the first time teaching candidates' knowledge of the subject has been assessed on a separate test. Administered in March, the new assessment—which includes questions on geometry, statistics, and probability—is the result of efforts to raise standards in a subject in which, until now, teachers were not necessarily required to excel.

"Mitchell Chester, the state's commissioner of elementary and secondary education, says the new assessment makes Massachusetts the first state to approve a math-specific test for elementary licensure, as opposed to a multiple-subject exam yielding a single composite score, as is common in most states.

"In light of the high failure rate—only about 27 percent of the 600 teaching candidates who took the test passed it—and the state's critical shortage of special education teachers, a temporary measure has been enacted that allows those who just missed the mark on the math section to still obtain teaching licenses. The teachers then have five years to retake and pass the test."

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These are college students graduating from schools of education. They are only 4 years out of high school themselves. Could the schools of education actually erased knowledge of basic high school math during the process of teaching them to be teachers? What else did the education schools delete from the brains of these aspiring teachers? How long has this been happening and just never measured?

Purdue University Rachets Up Math Requirements

First State University in IN to Require More Math Than
Required For High School Degree

West Lafayette, IN, May 30 » High school students who want to attend Purdue University soon will need to take four years of math courses.

Purdue University President France Córdova announced Friday that the 2011 incoming freshmen will be required to have completed four years of high school math, instead of the three years currently accepted as a minimum.

"This is very, very important for academic success in this university," Córdova said during Friday's board of trustees meeting. "We know from all of our students, no matter what discipline they are in, if they have four years of math, their critical-thinking skills are much improved."

The change makes Purdue the first state school to require students to apply with a degree greater than Core 40, one of three diploma tracks available for Indiana high school graduates this year.

COMPTON NOTES: This requirement may have been precipitated by the  incoming class this year. Reports are that of the 6,800 incoming freshman, 2,000 required remedial high school math.