California’s Algebra 1 mandate on hold 

Spring 2009

California’s goal of moving toward algebra for all came to a head last year when the State Board of Education mandated that all eighth-graders take the Algebra 1 test as a way of satisfying federal requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act.

The vote took place without much warning at a board meeting in July. At the time, the California Department of Education and other interested parties expected the SBE to approve adding items to the eighth-grade general math test that would assess students’ knowledge of grade-level algebra standards—an option approved by the U.S. Department of Education. Instead, the board acted on an agenda item that did not adequately inform the public that it was contemplating such a fundamental change in state policy.

Alarmed that the public had not had sufficient opportunity to discuss the impact of such a wholesale algebra mandate and questioning whether the SBE had the authority to impose such a requirement, the California School Boards Association’s Education Legal Alliance and the Association of California School Administrators—later joined by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and the California Teachers Association—filed a lawsuit to stop the SBE from taking action to implement the mandate before the issue could be heard at trial.

A Sacramento Superior Court judge granted a preliminary injunction in December, ruling the SBE had violated the state’s open meeting law and that it did not have the authority to change the state’s content standards, which do not currently require eighth-grade students to take Algebra 1. The SBE has indicated it will appeal the court’s finding that it did not have the authority to issue the mandate, but the injunction remains in effect until and unless the state can persuade a court to take its side.

At this point, with the Obama administration yet to weigh in on the issue of California’s compliance with NCLB in the matter of the eighth-grade math test, schools will have to wait and see what will happen with the algebra mandate. One thing is certain—the issue isn’t likely to go away any time soon. Educational leaders at the national, state and local levels generally agree that it’s desirable to help students master advanced math concepts at an earlier age; the challenge is in making sure that students placed in Algebra 1 are prepared for it. Most experts agree that placing students in Algebra 1 inappropriately could have negative and long-lasting impacts on their ability to be successful in math, including and beyond Algebra 1, in the future.

—Kristi Garrett