Worried by low test results, math teachers at San Benito High
School are proposing a two-year Algebra I course for students
struggling with the basic concepts in hopes of keeping them
interested and focused on what they are learning.
Hollister – Worried by low test results, math teachers at San Benito High School are proposing a two-year Algebra I course for students struggling with the basic concepts in hopes of keeping them interested and focused on what they are learning.
“What we found is that while there are many that do very well, there are some students that need to go at a slower pace,” said Debbie Fisher, chair of the math department at the high school.
Students entering the high school sometimes start out in pre-algebra while others go straight into geometry – the state standard for ninth graders. But those who have weak math skills, often lose interest in the class material and fall further behind every year, said Fisher.
What she and others are proposing is a slow-paced class that would break down the concepts of algebra – from linear and quadratic equations to polynomials – and spend more time on each one. The class would use a different book and a different teaching style, which Fisher and others in the department hope can help kids intimidated by math.
Seventy-six percent of sophomores enrolled in algebra at the high school and 61 percent of those in freshman tested below the basic level, according to 2003-2004 California Standardized Test results. The test is one component of California’s accountability system for schools and districts and used in calculating the Academic Performance Index that evaluates school progress.
Students are tested at the level depending on what class they are in, meaning that a sophomore in algebra gets a different test than a sophomore in geometry.
Teachers are focusing the changes on algebra classes because they say the standards for the curriculum are intense and they don’t have time to slow down and repeat sections unclear to students, said Dennis DeWall, an algebra teacher at San Benito High School.
“Often we are forced to bypass the kids who don’t understand concepts because we have to keep going,” said DeWall. “This would prevent kids from falling behind.”
To help students, the school also offers computer programs that help kids brush up on math skills and as well as after-school tutoring. But if they still do poorly on tests and are not grasping basic concepts, they are moved to a lower-level class. Each math class is worth ten credits and 25 math credits are required, including geometry, in order to graduate.
DeWall dismissed concerns that the class would be viewed as an easy out for students, saying that homework would still be assigned every day. However, the two-year program takes into account that not all students at the school are bound for a four-year college, which would require them to graduate from Algebra II at the very least, said DeWall.
The ultimate benefit of the proposed change, which the department plans to take before the school board in March, is better test scores and better comprehension, said Fisher, who has been teaching at the school for six years.
“If you are putting them in the wrong class and testing them at the wrong level, you can’t help but get poor scores,” she said. “The key issue is placing students in a class where they can be successful.”
