A move by the State Board of Education last week to require all eighth graders to take and be tested on Algebra 1, regardless of readiness, is being called detrimental to student achievement.
ACSA strongly opposes the SBE decisions, which sends a mixed message to students, parents and educators by requiring students to master algebra in middle school without any state plan or funding mechanism to ensure students have the proper textbooks and teachers have the necessary training to implement the requirement.
“ACSA is extremely disappointed that the State Board of Education voted to approve an eighth grade algebra requirement for all local schools at the same time the state is facing an historic budget shortfall, forcing schools to cut programs and services for students in kindergarten through adult education,” said ACSA Executive Director Bob Wells.
ACSA supports high standards for all students and believes the resources California provides for schools have to match the expectations set for them.
“Our goal is to ensure that our schools are provided the resources they need to ensure all students master algebra, teachers have access to the necessary training, all students receive the proper textbooks to master algebra, and programs and services for students who need extra help are in place in every middle school,” Wells said.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell questioned the entire process for the SBE to reach its action, which was heavily promoted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“The governor announced his position and gave direction to the members of the State Board late (July 8th) – less than 24 hours before a publicly noticed State Board meeting,” O'Connell said. “The board has been publicly considering a solution for alignment of an eighth grade mathematics test for more than three months. During that time, the governor had ample time to communicate an opinion that we would have been able to notice, consider, discuss, and debate in open forum.”
Schwarzenegger's proposal, supported by Secretary for Education Dave Long, pushed hard for the SBE to do away with the general math test and designate the Algebra 1 California Standards Test as the sole measure of eighth-grade achievement for federal accountability purposes.
More than 25 school districts submitted testimony or attended the July 9 SBE meeting to protest the Algebra 1 move. ACSA leaders Linda Kaminski, assistant superintendent in Upland USD, and Marc Sontag, Irvine USD curriculum coordinator, testified live that the new requirement was not necessarily best for individual students.
“I feel strongly as an educator that a blanket rule to put all eighth grade students in Algebra 1 is the wrong way to go, since it does not allow us to implement instructional programs based on student need,” Kaminski told the board.
ACSA Legislative Advocate Sherry Skelly Griffith told the SBE that mandating course placement is the authority of local governing boards, and that current state statute requires Algebra 1 has a high school graduation requirement, not an eighth-grade requirement.
“The goal of all students in Algebra 1 is laudable, and it’s happening all across the state, but prudence to ensure all students fully grasp math concepts before forcing them into the next course drives educators first and foremost,” Griffith said.
"ACSA cannot support a three-year compliance agreement that mandates every student take the Algebra 1 CST because it ties the hands of educators who know best what is right for each student, "Griffith said.
ACSA will continue to work with O’Connell and association partners in the Education Coalition to educate the governor, lawmakers and the State Board about realistic resources, flexibility and time required to implement the algebra requirement.
“I agree with the governor in that we can be proud that our accountability model and algebra graduation requirement have pushed for more rigor in our system, and have indeed led to significantly greater numbers of students taking algebra,” O'Connell said. “I truly believe that with enough support, all students can succeed in algebra in the eighth grade.
“If the governor had consulted an eighth grade teacher, principal, or district superintendent or reviewed data about eighth grade achievement in math, what he would have heard and seen is that while the number of students taking algebra has greatly increased, proficiency has not. Our system simply has more work to do to put in place the necessary tools to ensure every child is ready to participate and succeed in algebra.”