Preparing for 8th Grade, " Slope Continued" (02/04/08)

The debate is still on as to whether I can modify my students' test by writing in "slope" by "m" and "coefficient" by "b." My perspective is that, if my students understand what these two things are and can find them using tables, graphs, and equations, they should not be punished for not having had as much exposure to the letter form. It's my fault that they haven't seen "m" and "b" more often. If they can truly understand what "slope" and "y-intercept" are, and know how to find them in multiple settings, then I am not so worried about whether they know "m" and "b." We modify assignments, tests, and quizzes for so many kids, and this is just another type of modification.When considering this, I debated whether making the changes would affect the test results drastically enough that they wouldn't be comparable to the results for other students. I also spoke to an eighth-grade math teacher to hear that perspective. She pretty much agreed with me, and saw this book as a stepping-stone to her class next year.