California Passes Eighth-Grade Algebra Standard

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will be the first state to require that eighth-graders be tested for algebra following a July vote by the state board of education to implement the policy.

The board voted 8-1 in favor of the policy, which will begin in 2011, despite objections from Jack O’Connell, the state’s top public education administrator.

“I have strong reservations about requiring all eighth grade students to take Algebra 1 within three years without also offering any additional changes, support or resources for our public school system,” O’Connell wrote in a statement.

Less than half of eighth-graders in the state take general mathematics. Of that group, only 23 percent is proficient with or advanced beyond seventh-grade math standards, according to O’Connell. He also cited achievement gaps with minority students.

“To suggest that we simply enroll these struggling students in Algebra 1 without any additional support or instruction would be, I believe, highly irresponsible,” O’Connell wrote.

However, Board President Ted Mitchell says the new policy creates one standard for all of the state’s students and does not separate by race, location or other demographics.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also countered O’Connell with a letter submitted to Mitchell the day the board, which was appointed by Schwarzenegger, approved the policy.

“I am asking the state board to do away with the below-grade-level general mathematics test and designate the state’s existing Algebra 1 exam as California’s test to measure eight-grade mathematics for federal accountability purposes,” Schwarzenegger wrote. “To do otherwise would lower our expectations and continue to divide our children between those we believe in and those we leave behind.”

Algebra is the gateway to critical thinking, pivotal for success in science, engineering and technology, according to Schwarzenegger.

“How many times must California hear the warning that if we do not invest in our human capital — in K-12 math and science — we will be unable to maintain our leadership in a global economy?,” he wrote.