State Dumping of Algebra Requirement for 8th-Graders Raises Civil Rights Issues

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

In pursuit of increased math proficiency, the state Board of Education has dumped a 15-year-old requirement that students take Algebra 1 in the eighth grade.

The state joins all the other states in adopting a standard included in what’s known as the Common Core Curriculum. State legislation passed last year pretty much ordained that Algebra 1 would become an option, rather than a requirement, after years of controversy.

Around two-thirds of eighth-grade students took Algebra last year, a number that is certain to decline. Success in the class is considered a major predictor of college success and is a marker for students on a college path. Most colleges and universities require at least three years of math, culminating in high-level classes like Calculus.

Algebra 1 has a high failure rate with a disproportionate number of minority students not making the grade. More than 60% failed to pass Algebra on the California Standards Test (CST). The fear among many is that these students will be taught early on to regard themselves as non-college material and fail to pursue more challenging courses.

Minorities have racked up some impressive gains in Algebra 1 enrollment and testing during the past nine years, according to school board member Trish Williams. The former executive director of EdSource noted for her former organization that African-American and Latino CST success doubled to 36% and 42%, respectively, as enrollment in the class soared. 

But the still woeful initial failure rate raises fears that kids are being rushed into the class too soon. Many who fail are forced to repeat the class, and four out of five of those students end up flunking the CST again. The hope is that by delaying the class a year, coupled with revamped standards in later years, students will avoid an ego bashing and still have time to complete college requirements.

Civil rights groups have expressed concern about minority students getting a late start on math classes and, when they are not questioning the motivation, question whether good intentions are enough of a justification.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area released a report last month called “Held Back” on problems with math misplacement in local schools. The report questioned the criteria used in determining who takes Algebra 1 in the eighth-grade and argued that minority students in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties were being short-changed.

“No matter what the underlying motivation, if minority students are being systematically disadvantaged with no adequate justification, the law provides a remedy,” the report said.

–Ken Broder

 

To Learn More

It’s Final: State Board Shifts Policy on Eighth Grade Algebra (by John Fensterwald, EdSource)

California Abandons Algebra Requirement for Eighth-Graders (by Sharon Noguchi, San Jose Mercury News)

California Adopts Modified Math Standards to Restore Local Decision Making (California Department of Education)

Held Back: Addressing Misplacement of 9th Grade Students in Bay Area School Math Classes (Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area) (pdf)

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