Thursday, July 1, 2010

Common Core Math Standards: All about Algebra 1

When I attended the public schools in Davis, college-track students took Algebra I in 9th grade. Today, as was the case back then, the A-G requirements for UC and CSU require at least 3 years of high school level mathematics. Very few students took Algebra I in 8th grade; as I recall there were three classes of Algebra I for the 9th graders and one small class of Algebra I for 8th grade.

Today, of course, a very different reality faces our students. Because the State Board of Education created an accountability motivation for schools to enroll their students in Algebra I in 8th grade, remarkable growth occurred. Today, well over half of 8th graders in California enroll in Algebra I. At the same time, some of the most sobering statistics in public education paint a reality about the state's experience with Algebra I across the grades that most of us would not wish on anyone. Consider:

  • The "typical" entering freshman at the University of California has completed 4.6 years of high school math; this means that for these students 8th grade Algebra 1 would be their default course
  • Those students who enter the University of California having completed the bare minimum of three years of high school math (through Algebra II) constitutes between 3-4 percent
  • The California Department of Education and State Board of Education administer about 60 California Standards Tests each year. Of these, the Algebra I CST has the lowest percentage of proficient students of all the CSTs.
  • According to a 2008 EdSource report, California's Algebra I student performance looks like this:

Of students who took Algebra I in 2006–07, 38% of 8th graders scored advanced or proficient on the CST, compared with 17% of 9th graders and 8% of 10th graders.

Proficiency on Algebra I CST by grade level, 2006-07

Proficiency on Algebra I CST by Student Course-taking, 2006-07

Data: California Department of Education (CDE)
EdSource 2/08