O’Connell does the math: 8th-grade Algebra 1 will cost $3.1 billion
Published: August 15, 2008
There are strings attached to the state Board of Education’s unexpected vote last month to require all eighth-graders to take Algebra 1—and there's a $3.1 billion price tag at the end of one of those strings, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell pointed out this week.
That’s the initial cost of the preparations that need to begin now to comply with the new mandate when it takes effect in 2011, O’Connell calculated. Annual, ongoing costs will also run into the billions for an untested program that has little education research behind it and serious implications for students and the state’s teacher supply. O’Connell’s figures also complicate state budget negotiations, as lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger continue to grapple with a $15.2 billion gap between revenue and spending needs more than six weeks into the fiscal year.
“Since the governor’s Algebra 1 requirement takes effect in just three years, we must make the investments in our school system now in order to meet this extremely tight timetable for public education,” O’Connell, joined by CSBA Assistant Executive Director Holly Jacobson and other education leaders, said during a press conference in Sacramento Tuesday.
“If [Schwarzenegger] is not willing to provide the full funding necessary to support our students and teachers in reaching this mandate, then it is incumbent on him to instruct the State Board to reconsider the Algebra I requirement for all eighth-graders,” O’Connell said.
“We need to prepare now, despite our concerns about the policy,” the state superintendent continued. Asked what would happen if funding for eighth-grade Algebra 1 were not provided, beginning with the now-overdue 2008-09 state budget, O’Connell replied, “That’s the train wreck. That’s where you really are setting up our schools and our students for failure.”
Jacobson fielded a reporter’s question about whether the dozen or so education leaders who joined O’Connell at the California Department of Education press conference agreed with O’Connell’s call to either fully fund the mandate or reconsider it.
“Absolutely, yes,” Jacobson said, as others nodded in agreement.
‘Bad policy’
“It’s important that the governor be held accountable not just for the policy decisions he makes, but for the money required,” Jacobson elaborated afterward. “If he fails to do so, it will have a tremendous impact on students.”
Success in Algebra 1 is already a requirement for high school graduation, Jacobson noted, and students take it when they have mastered the mathematic foundations that will prepare them for Algebra I. As a result, some students are successful in Algebra I at the seventh grade, and others might take the course throughout their high school years. To simply declare that all eighth-graders are prepared to be successful in Algebra I “sets many students up for failure,” said Jacobson, CSBA’s assistant executive director for Policy Analysis and Continuing Education.
“It could have repercussions for the rest of their lives,” Jacobson warned.
The Algebra 1 Success Initiative that O’Connell unveiled at the press conference would help to fend off the worst effects for some students, Jacobson said. Still, she remains opposed to the eighth-grade Algebra 1 requirement—a policy adopted by SBE July 9, just 24 hours after Schwarzenegger proposed it. The recommendation, submitted for SBE’s discussion of the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program’s mathematics blueprint, took O’Connell—and much of the state’s education community—by surprise.
“We still fundamentally believe that it’s bad policy,” Jacobson said. Education researchers say many students’ cognitive development has not advanced sufficiently by eighth-grade to enable them to master the abstract reasoning and mental processes required for Algebra 1.
As CSBA President Paul H. Chatman wrote in an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times,
“Sadly, many kids are on the path to dropping out of high school by the end of junior high. If they fail Algebra I in the eighth grade, they surely will be more inclined to withdraw. California must continue to provide support and advocate for the resources our middle-school students need. A mandated "one size fits all" approach to Algebra I proficiency just doesn't make sense.”
Content standards
California’s mathematics content standards do allow for the teaching of Algebra 1 in eighth grade—but only for those students who are ready for it. Alternatives include a slower-paced, two year Algebra 1 course and algebra readiness courses.
“If a student is not prepared to study algebra by the end of grade seven, it is not recommended to enroll him/her in an Algebra I course,” one advisory on CDE’s Web site states. “It is imperative for students in grade eight or in high school to master pre-algebraic skills and concepts before they enroll in a course that meets or exceeds the rigor of the Algebra I SBE-adopted content standards.”
“One purpose of a seventh-grade assessment is to determine the extent to which students are mastering prealgebraic concepts and procedures. Another purpose is to identify those students who lack the foundational skills needed to succeed in eighth-grade algebra and who need further instruction and time to master those skills,” another CDE advisory says, recommending a specific algebra readiness program in the 2006 Mathematics Framework for those students who are not prepared.
O’Connell’s plan
O’Connell’s Algebra 1 Success Initiative includes a student preparation component involving increased instructional time for middle school students, smaller class sizes for seventh- and eighth-grade math and other strategies.
Teacher recruitment, professional development and retention, and instructional materials also figure prominently in the plan, which aims in part to meet federal standards for highly qualified teachers—a particular problem with math and science courses.
“This is by no means an exhaustive list of what is required, but all of these components are crucial to set in motion right now if the mandate is to be met,” O’Connell said.
“We can not demand that students meet this challenge without making the substantial changes to our entire system that will help students be successful in Algebra I in eighth grade,” O’Connell said. “I would have preferred a broader conversation about the best way to invest in our schools and reform our system to ensure our students graduate with the skills necessary to succeed in the competitive global economy. But, given the State Board’s decision, I believe it is imperative we focus on ensuring our students are now given the resources they need to successfully reach this mandate.
CSBA’s Jacobson agreed in her comments after the press conference.
“If $3.1 billion were to be made available for strengthening education, this would not be how we would choose to use it,” Jacobson said.
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