Merced Sun Star

Our View: Require algebra in the eighth grade

July 14, 2008

The whining over whether to require all California eighth-graders to take algebra I within three years obscures the real issue: California needs to improve math education so students are ready to be successful in eighth-grade math.

The state's goal has been that all eighth-graders will take algebra I -- and that course is a requirement for high school graduation. But the state has fallen far short of that goal. Only 15 middle schools out of 1,142 in California currently have all eighth-graders taking algebra I.

Several districts in Merced County already offer some type of algebra to students during the eighth grade.

Merced City School District, the county's largest elementary district, offers algebra at all three of its middle schools. Rural Plainsburg Union Elementary School District Superintendent Vernon Snodderly states on the district's Web site that "all eighth-graders are taught algebra using the latest textbooks."

California's eighth-graders continue to rank among the lowest in the nation in math achievement. (They ranked 44th in 2007.)

It's not enough to offer students the algebra I course. We have to do the groundwork for them to succeed. Instead of decrying the state Board of Education's decision Wednesday to turn the state's goal for eighth-grade Algebra I into reality by making it a requirement, Californians should roll up their sleeves, fix the problems and remove the obstacles to mathematics success.

The largest problem is increasing the number of math teachers. Of the 52 percent of California eighth-graders currently taking algebra I, many have teachers who do not have math credentials. And the 219,000 eighth-graders who aren't currently taking algebra I also will need qualified math teachers -- about 8,000 of them.

State officials have known about shortages of math teachers for years. They also have known that the ongoing training for teachers in the field -- aimed at deepening their knowledge and boosting their teaching skills -- is inadequate.

But complacency has prevailed. The board's decision provides the impetus finally to do something about it.

As Margaret Gaston of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning has said, "This is an opportunity to focus attention on a persistent problem."

California needs to boost the capacity of the teacher work force to meet this demand. The first step is to ensure that the eighth-grade algebra I teachers have single-subject math credentials. Another is to boost teacher-training funds for middle schools.

The state also must reverse the decline in funding for math subject-matter training, which was cut in half from 2005-2006 to 2007-2008.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said emphatically that turning the goal of eighth-grade algebra I into reality "will require an intense commitment and increased investment in the resources for schools and the professional development of our teacher corps."

Further, he said, "I am committed to prioritizing and expanding the resources necessary." He concluded that we "cannot be paralyzed by our current budget situation -- we must prepare for the future ... set the goal and rise to the challenge, whatever it takes."

It will take a lot, and not just from the governor. Today's fifth-graders will have to take algebra I in eighth grade. California has three years to boot up. Let's get on with it.

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