Time is running out for Erica Garcia.
The San Benito High School junior can barely understand
division, fractions and multiple-digit multiplication, yet she has
to pass algebra before she can graduate high school.
Time is running out for Erica Garcia.
The San Benito High School junior can barely understand division, fractions and multiple-digit multiplication, yet she has to pass algebra before she can graduate high school.
A state law passed in 2000 requires all high school students, starting with this year’s seniors, to complete algebra to graduate, including special education students, English Language Learners and students attending continuation high schools.
“I can’t do division or fractions, so this is hard,” Garcia said about her algebra class that she is currently flunking. This year is Garcia’s third attempt at the math class.
Lawmakers wanted the requirement because too many high school graduates lacked a solid foundation in math needed to make it in the work place or college.
According to California State Standards, students should be taking algebra in eighth grade, but most students enroll in algebra their freshman year, said Dennis DeWall, a math teacher at SBHS.
There are two reasons students have problems with algebra – they are either lazy and unmotivated or don’t have a foundation in math basics when they arrive at high school, DeWall said.
“(Their) basic math skills are extremely poor,” he said. “I have some students who do not know basic multiplication with single digits – like seven times eight. Then, we don’t even get to algebra concepts.”
When asked about the requirement, three of DeWall’s students – juniors Ashley Gordillo, Ashley Metivier and Garcia – cried foul. They said it was unfair and they don’t foresee using anything they learn in algebra at jobs or in college.
“It’s not fair. (Algebra’s) just hard. Math’s not easy for everybody,” Garcia said. “I think all you need to know is your general math. I know that it’s not that we’re lazy or that we don’t do our work.”
Teachers and students agree that knowing how to solve equations like “2x+13=35” are too abstract. Teachers favor teaching algebra in common-sense terms, such as showing students how to balance a checkbook or how long it would take an injured shoulder to heal at certain rate of recovery.
Some SBHS teachers want to see a consumer-type class for students who will go to work or start families after high school. The class would teach them how to balance a budget, shop smart, etc.
Gordillo said requiring algebra to graduate gives certain people the upperhand – students who don’t have a problem with math, usually those going on the college.
But some applaud the requirement because it forces everyone, regardless of academic potential or handicap, to at least perform at the same level when it comes to math.
While some educators across the state were worried about the impact of the California High School Exit Exam, they pushed the algebra requirement to the side. Other schools, like SBHS, realized it was coming down the pipeline. In August, SBHS counselors made “sure that everyone’s in Algebra I” who needed to graduate this June, said Mary Conklin, senior counselor. In the end, most students will buckle down and pass algebra, Conklin said.
But when teachers see students struggling in subjects like algebra, some said they feel students are being passed to higher grades each year even though they haven’t mastered basic skills – refereed to as social promotion. This catches up with students when they reach high school and have to pass algebra and the exit exam.
“Some students are just unprepared to be in high school,” DeWall said. “Social promotion kills students. It really hurts them. It’s not fair to hold students accountable in high school when you haven’t in the past because of social promotion.”
