Last July, the California state Board of Education voted to require Algebra 1 testing for all eighth-graders beginning in 2011. Currently, Algebra I is a requirement to graduate from high school. Proponents believe the algebra mandate will raise student achievement while critics maintain this policy will set kids up for failure and contribute to increased drop-out rates.
According to Claremont Graduate University education professor and former school superintendent Barbara DeHart, “Recent studies have found that ninth-graders are dropping out of school because of pressures related to NCLB. The push for eighth-grade algebra proficiency is a big part of that pressure.”
With just half of California’s eighth-graders taking full algebra at this time, only about 23 percent score as proficient or above on standardized tests. The success rate is even lower for minority and poor students.
While some eighth-graders are ready for the algebra curriculum, thousands lack the solid foundation needed for algebraic problem solving. According to a Brown Center on Education Policy report [pdf], “One hundred twenty thousand students are misplaced in their eighth-grade math classes.” Students who don’t know how to multiply and divide are not learning algebra while, at the same time, well-prepared kids are being held back.
In a RAND study titled Mathematical Proficiency for All Students [pdf] a panel of researchers, mathematicians, and educators explain that,”Without proficiency in algebra, students cannot access a full range of educational and career options, and they have limited chances of success. Failure to learn algebra is widespread, and the consequences of this failure are that far too many students are disenfranchised.” The report recommends further research on how policy decisions can shape student learning and improve equity.
Algebra 1 should be taught to all students, but only once they have the basic skills required for algebraic proficiency. Before mandating that all students take Algebra 1 at a younger age, the Board of Education has a clear responsibility to provide every student with the basic foundation needed to succeed.
