Algebra for All 8th Graders: Leaders Choose Sides

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently tipped the scales after months of battle over whether the state's algebra test should become an 8th grade requirement within three years. It will, as a result of a vote on Wednesday, July 11, by the state Board of Education.

Schwarzenegger weighed in less than 24 hours before the key vote, which angered opponents of the move, who lacked much time to respond.

Civic leaders and educators on both sides sides of the debate have weighed in.

-- Howard Blume

The governor's staff was first to sum up commentary supporting the new requirement. Here's the release: [The release has been edited to remove redundancy and comments that were made prior to the day of the state board's vote]:

What They’re Saying… About The Governor’s Support Of Algebra I In 8th Grade

Algebra I Test Recognized As An “Essential” Element To California’s Education Achievements

Tulare County Board Chairman Connie Conway: “Math proficiency is an essential skill for success. California needs to make every effort to prepare our youth for their role as future leaders. Preparing eighth graders for algebra coincides with the high standards the state began implementing in the late 1990s.”

President And Chief Executive Officer Of BayBio Matthew M. Gardner: “Algebra is the gateway to critical thinking, pivotal for success in science, engineering and technology.” 

California Council On Science And Technology Executive Director Susan Hackwood: "The state has been moving towards a goal of preparing every eighth grade student in algebra for some time. Acknowledging that this is the standard to which California's students should be held is the right thing to do."

California Council On Science And Technology Board Chair Karl Pister: "Making algebra the standard for eighth grade students was a strong step towards enhancing the rigor of our school standards.” 

Kern County Superintendent Of Schools Larry E. Reider: “More students today are taking algebra before they enter high school. Some learn it quickly. Others struggle to master it. Having our students prepared to take and pass the Algebra I test by the time they complete the 8th grade is a worthwhile goal. We must continue to set the highest possible standards for our students.”

EdVoice Founder Reed Hastings: “As a former math teacher and now CEO of Netflix, I know that children who learn Algebra I early have a  real advantage and we want all California children to get that same advantage.  Governor Schwarzenegger has shown courage with his leadership on this issue.”

EdVoice Board Co-Chair Eli Broad: “When faced with a fork in the road, the governor was willing to take the bold step on the path less traveled and lead the state and the nation to a new era of higher math achievement for all students, not just a select few. When people look back and consider the efforts that returned California to its rightful place as a leader in the nation and the world, they will say, ‘and that made all the difference.’” 

California Business Roundtable President Bill Hauck: “One of the paramount goals of the business community is to return California schools to a position of national prominence. The request our governor made today of the State Board of Education is the right message at the right time for the right reasons. California’s business leaders know that a successful public education system based upon high standards and expectations is not only in the best interest of students, parents and teachers, but also important to a strong and vibrant economy.”

Former State Board Of Education President Yvonne Larson: “I applaud the Governor’s leadership in directing the Board to ensure California’s public schools prepare all children for success in Algebra I by the end of grade eight.” 

Edison International Chairman And Chief Executive Officer John E. Bryson: “As a major California employer, SCE understands and appreciates the importance of a well-trained and educated workforce. Governor Schwarzenegger’s call for higher educational standards is to be commended.” 

California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed: “In today’s economy, going to college is more important than ever. A college degree is a ticket to a better job and a better future. It can improve the economic situation of both individuals and their communities. A college graduate’s lifetime earnings are almost double those of a high school graduate. This is why the California State University has made a priority of reaching out to K-12 schools and traditionally underserved communities around our state. We want to make sure that more students are prepared to enter college and prepared to succeed once they get to college. Proficiency in Algebra I and II has been demonstrated as the surest pathway to higher achievement as well as success in college.” 

California Community Colleges Chancellor Diane Woodruff: “Overwhelming research has shown that Algebra is the gateway skill to success in both the workforce and in college.  For this reason, we strongly support the goal of having all students take Algebra I in the 8th grade. We know that this high standard will require an intense commitment and increased investment in the resources for schools and staff development for K-12 teachers.  I agree with the Governor that when we set our goals high, we have a greater likelihood of meeting the goal and substantially improving the quality of education for all students.”

South Bay Association Of Chambers Of Commerce Chair Helen Duncan: “The South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce supports Governor Schwarzenegger in maintaining high mathematic standards by making Algebra I a standard requirement for all 8th Graders. Our major industries, such as the aerospace employers in the South Bay, have always believed in hiring local people for skilled manufacturing jobs.  But they eventually have to recruit people from outside the community due to the lack of people that have adequate arithmetic and science skills necessary for employment in a highly specialized sector. By elevating our skills for the next generation, we increase job opportunities for our local community which benefits the economy of the State of California." 

Fresno Deputy Mayor Jeff Eben: “As a longtime high school educator, I am pleased to support the Governor and his efforts to increase the accountability in Algebra I. To successfully graduate from high school with every opportunity available, it is critical that students have completed Algebra I before their freshman year. By setting the bar high and increasing the accountability, we can expect student achievement to increase. I urge the State Board of Education to support the single standardized Algebra I test as recommended by Governor Schwarzenegger.” 

State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell  and the California Dept. of Education opposed the new requirement, insisting it was a misstep in the effort to uphold high standards and improve student learning. O'Connell's staff also gathered reaction. Here is that release:

(Note: This release touts the inclusion of educators, although Schwarzenegger's allies also included some educators.)

What Educators Are Saying…About The Governor’s Proposal for Algebra I In 8th Grade

Algebra I Requirement for 8th Graders Just Doesn’t Work Say Educators

Just today, Governor Schwarzenegger’s office released a document entitled, “What They’re Saying…About the Governor’s Support of Algebra I in 8th Grade.” We noted a glaring omission among the responders. There was a lack of input from teachers, principals, or district leaders. Therefore, we wanted to supplement the Governor’s document with what educators are saying.

Steven Weinberg, Instructional Facilitator, Frick Middle School: “More than half of our students come to us in the sixth grade Below Basic or Far Below  Basic in Math. Very few of those students are prepared to succeed in Algebra I at the eighth grade level. So being forced to place all students in that class, without regard to their level of preparation, would lead to an increase in the number of students who both fail eighth grade Algebra I and are not ready to succeed in Algebra I in the ninth grade either.”

Kathy Woods, President, California Mathematics Council: “It is intellectually dishonest for the state to ask students to be tested on academic content that they have not studied. The proposed mandate runs counter to all principles of sound policy in education.”

Christopher J. Steinhauser, Long Beach Unified School District Superintendent: “Experience has told us that not all students are ready to take Algebra at the same time, and a one-size-fits-all approach unfairly punishes students, often those who need our help the most.”

Kip Meyer, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Services, Lake Elsinore Unified School District: “Algebra I is the toughest course on a middle school campus. While many students succeed at Algebra I during their 7th and 8th grade school years, this is not the case for all students. Just as we differentiate learning, in general, for all students, we should do the same for Algebra I.”

Jeanie Cash, Assistant Superintendent, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District: “It is an unrealistic expectation that ALL be successful as 8th grade algebra students.”

Dale Lofgren, Director of Pupil Services, El Segundo Unified School District: “It is not a matter of the quality of instruction, or school’s giving in to low standards, or lack of accountability of teachers, schools and the instruction by former grade levels, because some 8th grade students are just not developmentally ready to learn Algebra I. Anyone who doubts this just needs to teach an 8th algebra class to the struggling math students for a day or two.”

John Pendley, Superintendent, Columbia Unified School District: “Some students are ready for Algebra 1 by eighth grade, but my experience is only about 5-10% of the students truly are ready and they struggle a little as well. We can still accommodate that placement without punishing the rest of the students (and the schools).”

Jeff Hearn, Superintendent, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District: “Developmentally, many students are not ready to successfully take on the Algebra I curriculum.”

Dan Fendel, Professor of Mathematics (emeritus), San Francisco State University: “At the present time, many thousands of students are already enrolled prematurely in Algebra I and the failure rate is horrendous. The Governor’s plan would make this situation even worse.”

Janet Knoeppel, Retired Principal, Argus High School: “There are far too many young people who are not mature enough to grasp the abstract concepts in Algebra I as 8th graders. To require them to take a course that may set them up for failure does these youngsters no good and makes both our teachers and our state look like they are failing our students.”

Stephen McCahon, math teacher, Pioneer High School: “There's a big void at the middle-school level. We have a lot of students who take Algebra I in the eighth grade, and then they repeat it in ninth grade. A lot of students aren't ready for that level of math.”

Chuck Weis, Santa Clara County Schools Chief: “You need to lay the groundwork if you're going to make this kind of policy shift. We need to invest in the teaching of mathematics at the lower grade levels.”

Comments

[Stephen Krashen]

The California State Board of Education has decided to ignore the issue of developmentally appropriate instruction.

What's next, Kindergarten Kalculus?

[Andrew Eppink]

It's nice to have high goals but most of the kids won't have had the requisite background for the test. Math and science (and all the rest, really, even the bs social 'sciences' (too much of it anyhow)) require a lot of study and discipline, - and exponentially more for the slower students - something sorely lacking among most students in govt.schools. Our ongoing social implosion is reflected in our schools just as it is in everything else. No one observing our popular 'culture' should be surprised at the dumbing down occurring in schools (and everywhere else). It's a natural outgrowth of our social decline. Returning to God's Law is the only way out of this mess.
But the various libs, the ACLU, their 'judge' allies, the latimes, brainless whacked out leftist pols. etc., etc., ad nauseam, add your example here _____, don't want that, and too many people are dumb enough to be sucked into their sad and pathetic line. It's a catastrophic situation.

[s h a r o n]

The rhetoric and platitudes in the quotes provided in the summary above on the Algebra issue is breathtaking. Or mind-numbing.

Let's try to clarify the stakeholders in these issues, try to identify what stake any given speaker has in making their statements. Overall, by definition, the pundits want to be seen as saying what sounds like "the right thing".

But linking Algebra to "success" is dubious--because this does not define "success" for any particular individual. For some, "success" means making as much money as possible, or at least, getting hired in a job that is not seen as low-level (e.g. burger-flipping).

If students and young people were examined for their "stake" in just about anything, you would find the majority to have a stake in getting away with as much as they can, or in doing as little as possible. This is a learned attitude toward authority. The job of young people is to question authority--so they can enter the world of adulthood with the authority that comes with relevant knowledge. As it is, they enter the world with a certificate, then have to unlearn their passive, make-me-learn attitudes in order to carry out their responsibilities to their employer or chosen career goals.

Most young people have not had the chance to develop a keen sense of logical consequences: Think of the consequences of needing a box to securely contain something. Can you make a box whose four sides meet exactly? If the sides don't meet, it won't make a good box: the box may collapse in on itself, or its contents will fall out, or a closing top cannot be fitted. You don't need a grade on your box, you need to learn what will make your box a better box, a more useful box. Guidance will be helpful in the process of correcting the shortcomings; math will be essential during the construction process. To learn math in connection with a real need and where knowledge and skill are connected to logical consequences does not imply "grades". An environment which gently employs logical consequences cannot support passive learners: Learners must want to learn, cannot take a "make me learn" attitude, because learning doesn't occur under those conditions. Memorization, maybe, quickly-learned and quickly-forgotten abstract facts, perhaps.

Einstein said something to the effect that nothing can be learned unless the learner sought that learning. While the adults are sure that young people will not learn what they need to learn unless the adults make them learn it, this force-feeding has an unfortunate side-effect: It develops a passive stance (students mostly do only what they are told to do, or adopt a "Make me learn" attitude.

The stakeholders in education, rather than being those who seek knowledge from the more knowledgeable around them, are those who have a position to protect: teachers, principles, administrators, on up through the State departments of education and finally the feds. Each level is answerable to the one above it. These are the stakeholders; the students are hapless pawns at the bottom. Then, we expect them to leave with their piece of paper and make a "success" of themselves in the world. I would rather that they leave and work on making a success of the planet.

I had to take Elementary Algebra as an eighth grader at Marlboro School for Girls in the 1950s. My tutors were both engineers: father and brother. My tutoring sessions were at the behest of the stakeholders--particularly father who had a stake in my doing well at Marlboro. Three evenings a week, I ended up in tears, with what felt like a strap around my throat as the stakeholders tried to pull me across the finish line. I hated Algebra, didn't understand it, couldn't answer enough questions in the text and on tests.

Later, after high school graduation and a year a SDSU, I "dropped out." However, over the next few decades, I returned to the community college setting, voluntarily, to try to master Algebra. I was finally able to get through beginning, but never through Intermediate Algebra.

I now have a Ph.D. Occasionally, as a challenge, I work algebra problems from a textbook, and, at age 66, can say that I have made some progress. Significantly,in my daily life, I find frequent use for algebra to determine an unknown in a simple equation. I guess since I don't work in aerospace, I have never encountered a need to know Algebra beyond the beginning level--and certainly have never suffered from not knowing calculus or trigonometry. (Perhaps, calculus may have been useful in designing some clothing, but simpler solutions were always at hand.)

Young persons must learn to attend to their own stake in learning--or in establishing their own program of instruction. As it is, they must wait for the actual stakeholders (educational institution representatives mentioned above, as well as politicians) to finish screaming at each other until someone tells them what to do next.

Is it more important to force Algebra into the already packed agenda of the K-12 march to diploma, or is it more valuable to prepare youth to enter the world of adulthood as critical thinkers who have learned how to learn, to attend to what their natural skills and inclinations are in terms of career choices, and to be more proactive in creating a more humane society and healthier planet? To hope for the latter, they must "graduate" from the "make me learn" or "tell me what to do next" culture of the K-12 education system.

Oh, wait...I forgot. The education system in America is not about nurturing critical, active thinkers: it's about meeting the needs of that system's stakeholders to protect their own jobs or political advantage. As long as the schools can turn in their numbers on the forms with the right number of issued "certificates"/diplomas, who cares what the actual diploma represents?

Try on this scenario: Every K-12 student graduates with a diploma, goes to college and gets a bachelor's or master's degree. EVERY ONE OF THEM. How would we ratchet up the ladder to success under this scenario? Nope. We need those "dropouts" because they represent an effective filter that reproduces the class system we so desperately rely on to tell us who is important.

[Christopher]

Has the governor ever tried to teach algebra to eighth graders? I have, and most cannot think abstractly enough to understand it or to use it effectively to solve problems.

There is a very small percentage of students who do get it and another small percentage of kids who can memorize the patterns well enough to pass a test, But, the vast majority of students have not yet developed the ability to think abstractly.

The real result of this action will be to turn more students off to mathematics. So, there goes many of the future engineers and scientists we need in this country.

Has anyone bothered to take the time to look at the education of the past generations of engineers, scientists, etc. that worked to create much of what we have today? Were they forced to develop so early? Of course not.

So, why are we pushing our kids so hard today? World competition is a very poor reason. The major result of all this is to turn kids off to education.

If you talk to any one of our Nobel prize winners, great industrialists, patent holders, successful business people, etc., you will find that they are great at what they do not because they were forced to learn that which they could not understand. They became great because they were given the freedom and the opportunity to learn what they wanted and needed to learn. Also, you will find that it was self-motivation and self-discipline that led them to work so diligently toward their goals.

We should be more concerned with enabling our kids to learn to love learning and education, to develop wonder and excitement for learning, and to find the desire to change the world. We should work to help students learn self-discipline, self-worth, self-motivation, and the value and power of community.

Then they will do amazing things. They will lead us to heights of achievement not yet dreamed.

Having them do problems 1 - 49 on page 127 will only drive them toward the television set and more video games.

[Steve Wimer]

Teaching Algebra to 8th graders is a viable proposition if students have properly prepared A majority are unprepared, so this stupid law will wreak havoc, especially since most students lack the work habits, attitude, and self-discipline to successfully learn Algebra at that age. Whatever happened to common sense?

[Nelson]

I am one of those people who was mathematically illiterate. Algebra was and is the one subject that I still to this day cannot pass. It concerns me, that making it a requirement for passing on to the 9th grade will hold many students back. It is also a concern that it will stigmatize those for whom the concepts are not acquirable, that it will place them in a category which leads to further degrading treatment and ostracizing by their peers.
I would hope that for those who have trouble with the concepts of Algebra, that there will be remedial and quality help that will advance their education to the degree that is necessary for college and further education.

[Michael Sternberg]

the governor and all his supporters should be forced to take the CST (California Standardized Test) in Algebra and have their results posted for public viewing.

[Doug Obrigawitch]

Many districts across the state have already implemented algebra for all 8th graders. Without exception, they are producing the same results: 80% of their students fail and have to retake algebra. Thus, there is not a district in the state that is successful with this strategy. Conversely, our most successful districts (according to CST scores) DO NOT FOLLOW THIS STRATEGY!
While are we implementing a model that is not working?

[anthony laspada]

ask them to change .1% to a decimal. see if they can figure
their raise or do their income tax. let's teach arithmetic first before we worry about algebra.

[Ed Homer]

Here is what is so important about Algebra being taught,
We need educated gang members who know how to calculate trajectory when making a hit on someone in the hood or how much fuel it will take to out run the cops or how about how to use a scale properly to weigh out the drugs the sell to the upper crust people who educate them.
Or how about knowing how many bullets you got left so the enemy does not get you first because you ran out.

In reality you just do not want kids to be kids instead you want little calculating robots to figure out how to get you some kind of award to hang on your wall and your name in print.
How about we worry about giving all kids the chance of a good basic education that will give them the chance to be the so called free American's that we are supposed to be.
How about we worry about weeding out the teachers who have sex with the kids instead of teaching them educational values?
We see what being an egghead does Bill Gates has never created anything of value he just buys other peoples stuff and remakes it to his own style and then claims it as his own.
It does not take algebra to buy something and change it, just money.
In the end it is your family connections or friends that get you through life of by chance you get lucky but Algebra will make you an accountant or check stand operator in the super market but will not get you degree's that takes a lot more work.

[Bill McConnell]

If given a challenge, most students will rise to the expectation. I know many teachers and educational staff complain that algebra is too rigorous in the eighth grade, but I think we too often say that something is too rigorous and, because of that belief, we believe that our students cannot learn.

Maybe the problem isn't with expecting kids to know algebra by the end of 8th grade. Maybe the problem is that we believe the kids can't do it. How can we be effective educators if we always say, "it's too hard for the children."

The CAHSEE is a prime example. Critics complained it was too hard and too unfair, but most kids have stepped up to the challenge and passed it. It's unfortunate, but educators tend to lower the bar too much out of fear of what kids cannot do, and this action robs our students of a better, higher quality education.

Will making algebra a mandatory requirement make the job of teaching tougher for a lot of teachers? Yes. Will it create a sense of dismay for some classroom teachers when the failure rates are high? Yes. But as time goes by, and the positive results begin to show, this decision will turn out to be a positive one for our society because we will have a populace of critical thinking, academically capable workers rather than a bunch of morons who still count on their fingers.

Before you criticize the decision, think about this: teaching is tough and is full of challenges, but that's why we teach. If you are complacent in your job or always think kids can't or won't learn, then you will be ineffective as a teacher.

Teachers should rise above their own fears and insecurities, their own biases about what kids can and can't do, and be effective teachers who deliver higher standards through tougher curriculum.

Only be providing rigor will students ever learn. Anything else bores them to tears. They want to be challenged, even if they don't know it yet.

[carleneagood]

what's all the big deal. Kids that have problems can get special help from the teacher's. Kid's need to think more and use logic, how will they not know if they never learn?

Carlene

[carleneagoodwin]

Kids need algebra!! Teaches how to think logically!! They can be taught, our son was taught albgbra at 6th grade, he went on later to calculas and etc.

Carlene

[LL314]

If the students can add, substract, multiply and divide fractions, both like and unlike, then maybe they are ready. I have taught algebra 1 and 2 and the students who are weak in algebra are often weak in fractions that fifth graders are supposed to know.

[Bruce Bean]

Teaching algebra in the eighth grade to ALL students is a pie in the sky dream. Sure, there are some students who will be ready, but the majority are not. I teach high school in low socio-economic area. The fact is that the majority of our students come to high school not able to read, write, or do math at grade-level. This law will cause more problems than it will solve.
Also, when are we going to learn that not all students learn the same way or are good at mathematics. We are setting up these students to fail. We will have a greater drop-out rate and students will begin to drop-out earlier.
Politicians need to come to my classroom before they decide to enact such ridiculous laws. They would see how I often spend hours tutoring high school students in basic reading and writing skills.
Arnie and his friends need to stop playing politics with our children and create programs that make learning accessible to all students.

[Latin]

Here's the reality and solution to our nation's anemic education system and economy. The ancient Greek Civilization said it best when they stated that an educated populous is an effective democracy, because they are now critical thinkers rather than lemmings following the orders of politicians, CEOs, bankers, priests, popes, and the President. It is because of this very fact that the group in power (because of wealth and position) has so successfully sabotaged our great American education system since the 1960's. The reality is that this group doesn't want all Americans educated and questioning the federal, state, and local laws passed to further accumulate wealth and power. Can it be a coincidence when we look back at the last 28 years and objectively reflect on the consequences of all the deregualtion that has happened in the commodities markets, savings and loans, stock market, environmental protection agency, federal communication commission, federal drug administration, securities exchange commission, us department of transportation, and federal trade commission that it eerily parallels the explosive profits and salaries corporations, board members, and corporate executive officers pillaged. Remember, deregulation always allows the foxes to guard the hen house. Deregulation destroys the chicken wire that protects us Americans from corporations' need to maximize their profits at our expense (the loss of quality of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness). Every thing that is occurring with our economy has been caused by the very group (Hedge fund managers, commercial banks, investment banks, derivative traders, Secretary of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve, and CEOs) who lobbyied and passed these laws. They made the Kool-Aid, but got so carried away that they took a sip. Their thirst for maximizing profits has created a shamble of banking, securities, derivative, and commodities laws & regulations effecting all sectors of our economy (financing, housing, manufacturing, marketing, Now they are choking on their own deregulatory laws.

Here is the solution to the education system and economic system failings. Within California all education departments, boards, etc must be charged with new goals. The new goals that the regents for the University of California and California State systems is two fold. Firstly, university curriculum for future k12 teachers must be cognitive guided instruction for all subjects (mathematics, science, English, History, etc) based on California's state standards. Secondly, the regents must eliminate general education requirements (two years) and allow incoming freshman students to immediately choose their career path. The reasoning is why force a freshman to repeat in the University what is essentially high school curriculum and to make matters worse why are we forcing our next generation to fail AGAIN in the same subjects they have no passion for? I beg you, regents, to eliminate these two years of general ed and replace them with more classes that augment the students major. This would free up valuable resources (professors, classes, and money) in the community college level. Community (Junior) Colleges would now change their goals of transitionary edcuational institutions to mini-Universities. Community college would soley emphasize in two year career certifications, minors, and licensures by working closely with companies and governments' requirements in current and future labor force skills and abilities. This could partially (in the short-term) solve the outsourcing of American jobs to India, Korea, etc and granting of visas to foreign born technology workers. Junior and Senior High school students will now have a career path if they are not interested in the generalities of a "well-rounded high school curriculum" and can immediately embark towards learning the career specific skills needed in English, mathematics, science, etc within the context of their career thus creating purpose in the eyes of the students.

The next step lies with the California State Board of Education creating specific standards and assessments that demonstrate proficiency. The current standards have giant gaps that you can drive a school bus through. They are not properly aligned from one grade to the next in English grammar/sentence development and verb tense development these holes carry through into the writing process and are most evident in the lack of mastery of the English language when listening to k-12 students in the class and playground. The California State Board of Education has to create state books that directly address our California State standards then print and distribute these curriculum books to all school districts in order to have a consistent, quality curriculum in all schools. Corporate publishers such as Houghton-Mifflin, Harcourt, et al have proved that they are not able to produce a quality text book aligned to our state standards using a cognitive guided instruction to intellectually challenge all learners. Publishers are now fired!!...This firing has the added benefit of ending all the kickbacks publishers spend on bribing local districts to adopt their math, Language Arts, science, or social studies program.

The pieces are now able to come together. In four to five years the first teachers taught in the new pedagogy will enter their classrooms for a new school year with books, material, and manipulatives that relfect the new state standards goals.

This solution is in our nation's best interest for a stronger democracy and economy, however, it runs contrary to the group in power and will be fought against tooth and nail. The wealthy don't want an educational revolution since it would increase competition for their silver-spooned children in Wall Street; it would tip the balance of power toward a new generation of power brokers not from their prestigous academies and prep schools; and create an educated electorate where citizens would discover the autocracy they actually live in.

$ 4 schools = Democracy

[Steve Wimer]

While Bean's argument is strong, one should not overlook the obvious. Taking the soap out of mouths of filthy mouths, social promotion, invitation to illegal immigrants to attend public schools, and an end to physcial discipline, all liberal ideals, have led to the sad state of American education.

[dudeman1961]

"More than half of our students come to us in the sixth grade Below Basic or Far Below Basic in Math"

Then send their asses back a grade or two or...

End these 'social promotion' policies!

[jacke iadanza]

Having taught pre-algebra and algebra to students in 7th-12th grade for 20 years, I can tell the difference in their ability to grasp the concepts depending on several factors:
1. People mature into abstract thinking at different ages. What is painful work at 13 is much easier at 15 or 18 years of age. This is individual and can not be forced.
2. Having good arithmetic skills makes the work in algebra go by easier and quicker. It is difficult to factor x2 + 26x + 169 when you don’t know that 13x13=169. You can do it, but something that ought to take 30 seconds now takes several minutes. Parents can help by making sure that their children get all the extra help they need in elementary school mastering the basics. Anyone can buy or make flashcards.
3. Being prepared for the course. Students are promoted thru the grades 1-8 without regard to how many years of math they have failed. When you have 6th graders working on 2nd grade math, I doubt they will be ready for algebra in 8th grade. It is time for elementary teachers to consider math as important as writing and reading, specifically as important enough to retain students who are not learning the material. You will need extra bungalows on school sites.
4. Family support. If students get the message that education in general and math in particular is not important then their focus will be on other things. I can tell that it makes a huge difference in my students when they see their parents treating me with respect and when, as adults, we work together to help the student succeed.

Don’t get me wrong, I can teach algebra concepts to average 7th grade students. But not at the pace an average 9th grader would study it. What the textbook gives one assignment on in high school, could and should be a week or two of activity based lessons for 7th graders. Set curriculum priorities – not every topic will be covered.

High school math teachers, college professors, and legislators are none of them qualified to decide what is appropriate for middle school students. Before spouting off, they all need to attend workshops on the developmental stages of middle school students, and it would be a real eye-opener to observe effective middle school teachers in various subject areas to see what it takes to entice this age group to learn. The techniques and pacing has to be different than high school.

Private schools do not require this level of rigor from their students. I spent one year at a private school, in one middle school grade there were at least 5 levels of math being taught. I taught algebra to 8th graders – 7 students in the class and I taught pre-algebra to 6th and 7th graders, 8 and 15 students in those classes. So, students are in classes ½ to 1/3 the size of our public school classes, and parents have the extra time and money for any additional tutoring required. I subbed in a class of 6th graders who were working on basic arithmetic skills. The emphasis was on teaching students starting with where they were really at mathematically and taking into consideration their developmental level and what their needs would be. At public schools, I’ve had 10-11th graders transfer in from private school with only some pre-algebra experience. So in L.A. only rich kids graduate from 8th grade or high school without algebra?

The privileges of the rich bring me to another unfair situation for our public school students. If you are a struggling math student why should your success in school be determined by parental income or possibly which state you live in? Besides losing a lot of businesses to other states, how about we start losing families who move to improve education for their children? How many states are making this requirement? Since California ranks as one of the lowest ranking states in terms of student funding, we really should let other states take this kind of plunge and learn from their costly mistakes instead of making our own.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy teaching math, and I enjoyed learning as much of it as I could. I count my blessings that I am in a school where I get to teach students what they need to learn next, where I can individualize instruction, and I can work with much smaller groups. I’m so happy to be in a district that offers struggling students several options for recovering from bad decisions, and several chances to succeed. I’m a good math teacher, but there is no way I want to take on 40 10th graders in a class, never mind 30-40 8th graders. This is inhumane to students and teachers alike and your entire education system is suffering from overcrowded classes.

The people of California have got to support education better. It doesn’t matter how well your own child is doing, or where your own child attends school. You are creating the environment that you will grow old in, and your child will have a family in. The education of the general public will determine your future safety and enjoyment of life.

[jbhunt]

Not all kids are the same. They don’t learn at the same rate or have the same talents; there is no Grand Unified Quantum Theory of Human Intelligence. What all kids need is to be treated with genuine courtesy and respect; with the expectation and understanding that they can and will learn. They need to be challenged. They expect to be treated as individuals, not as a member of statistically constructed cohort as the result of an ill informed, politically motivated directive from some far off bureaucracy. Not all students are ready for algebra in the eighth grade.