Sir, – The only cloud on the horizon for Project Maths is the charge that it is a dumbing down of higher level maths at second level, according to Brian Mooney (Home News, August 14th). However, in the effort to make maths more accessible to a greater number of students, an unintended consequence of the new essay type questions has been to disadvantage some highly competent young mathematicians.
Students for whom maths is their place to shine, but who have specific language difficulties because, for example, they are dyslexic or on the autistic spectrum or where English is not their mother tongue, now find that they are struggling even at Ordinary Level, where previously they would have been looking at top grades in Higher Maths. – Yours, etc,
MARIA WALSH
St Aidan’s Drive,
Goatstown,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – Contrary to Dick Ahlstrom’s article (Front page, August 14th), the decline in the relative number of honours grades in higher level mathematics says absolutely nothing about the efficacy or otherwise of the Project Maths syllabus. It is merely a statistical effect.
If you have a relatively small number of students taking higher level maths, the likelihood is that they will be people with an innate interest in, and an aptitude for, mathematics. If you then incentivise everyone to study maths at a higher level, as has been done by the introduction of bonus points, the chances are that you are encouraging into the subject people who are less interested and less capable. A reduction in honours grades is then unsurprising. Indeed, it would be worrying if the grade distribution remained the same.
The same effect can be seen throughout the education system, notably in third level, where the large increase in participation rates has been accompanied, unquestionably, by a drop in standards. I would suggest that the same effect has even percolated up to fourth level. – Yours, etc,
Dr GREG FOLEY,
School of Biotechnology,
Dublin City University,
Glasnevin, Dublin 9.