2. Algebra 1 Taking in PAUSD by 8th Grade
100% Jordan Score
550
JLS Score
90%
Terman Score
80% State Score 500
70% Advanced
Scaled Score
60% 450
% Takers
50%
39%
40% 400
30% 26% Proficient
20% 350
10% 16% Basic
0% 300
1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011
School Year
3. 2004
% of Algebra Taking by Grade 8 vs. Algebra 1 Achievement
California School-Level Data
Below Basic Basic Proficient Advanced
100%
80%
Percent of Algebra Takers by Grade 8
60%
40%
20%
0%
250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600
School Grade 8 Algebra Scaled Student Score
4. 2012
% of Algebra Taking by Grade 8 vs. Algebra 1 Achievement
California School-Level Data
Below Basic Basic Proficient Advanced
100%
80%
Percent of Algebra Takers by Grade 8
60%
40%
20%
0%
250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600
School Grade 8 Algebra Scaled Student Score
5. 2004 vs. 2012
% of Algebra Taking by Grade 8 vs. Algebra 1 Achievement
California School-Level Data
Below Basic Basic Proficient Advanced
100%
2012
2004
80%
Percent of Algebra Takers by Grade 8
60%
40%
20%
0%
250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600
School Grade 8 Algebra Scaled Student Score
6. Growth in Proficient & Advanced
Among Different Groups In California
2003-2012
Note: Cohort size changed by less than 5%
80,000
73051
70,000
63493
60,000 55258
50690
50,000
43190
39926
40,000 37470
34032 34880
30810
28480
30,000
24092
20,000
11730 10236 9753
10088
10,000 6572 6442 5841 3487
2518
1679 1014 1485
0
Low SES Af-Am Latino White Low SES Af-Am Latino White Low SES Af-Am Latino White
Algebra 1 by Grade 8 Algebra 2 by Grade 11 Geometry by Grade 11
7. What the Current Framework Draft
Suggests (1 of 3)
• 1. Decisions to accelerate students into the Common Core
State Standards for higher mathematics before ninth grade
should not be rushed. Placing students into an accelerated
pathway too early should be avoided at all costs. It is not
recommended to compact the standards before grade seven
to ensure that students are developmentally ready for
accelerated content. In this document, compaction begins in
seventh grade for both the traditional and integrated
sequences.
8. What the Current Framework Draft
Suggests (2 of 3)
• 2. Decisions to accelerate students into higher mathematics
before ninth grade must require solid evidence of mastery of
prerequisite CCSSM. “Mathematics is by nature hierarchical.
Every step is a preparation for the next one. Learning it
properly requires thorough grounding at each step and
skimming over any topics will only weaken one’s ability to
tackle more complex material down the road” (Wu, 2012).
Serious efforts must be made to consider solid evidence of a
student’s conceptual understanding, knowledge of procedural
skills, fluency, and ability to apply mathematics before moving
a student into an accelerated pathway.
9. What the Current Framework Draft
Suggests (3 of 3)
• 3. Compacted courses should include the same Common Core State
Standards as the non-compacted courses.
“Learning the mathematics prescribed by CCSSM requires that all
students, including those most accomplished in mathematics, rise to the
challenge by spending the time to learn each topic with diligence and
dedication. Skimming over existing materials in order to rush ahead to
more advanced topics will no longer be considered good practice”
(Wu, 2012). When considering accelerated pathways, it is recommended
to compact three years of material into two years, rather than
compacting two years into one. The rationale is that mathematical
concepts are likely to be omitted when trying to squeeze two years of
material into one. This is to be avoided, as the standards have been
carefully developed to define clear learning progressions through the
major mathematical domains. Moreover, the compacted courses should
not sacrifice attention to the Mathematical Practices Standards.
10. Doesn’t this remind us of the days 10 years ago, when
schools and districts prevented EL students from being
Reclassified as Fluent English Proficient (R-FEP) and
placed barriers in front of them? That was despite the
fact that over 150,000 of those EL students in 2004
scored above native English speakers.
That was the bilingual lobby in action, trying to protect
the extra money it got from federal and state sources
for those kids.
Now we have the Defenders of the Common Core
protecting the indefensible, while trying to keep
talented kids down.
11. The Academic Content Standards Commission deliberated on
this issue in 2010 and recognized the need to offer two options
in grade 8 rather than dumbing down our current
expectations. This was done by a broad consensus of the
Commission.
Instead, we have now abandoned those high expectation and
decided to place barriers in front of many talented and bored
students. Exhortations that “every standard counts” and that
placing students too early should be avoided “at all costs” are
nothing but code-words for placing obstacles on the way of
aspiring students. Why not, instead, avoid “at all cost” keeping
students in boring and meandering classes?
12. This is a recent testimony of the immediate past president of
the North California chapter of the California Mathematics
Council (CMC), on the issue of offering Algebra choice to our
8th grade students.
I … really appreciate having only one course at eighth grade. There are
a lot of districts out there who, I know, have been putting off
professional development, moving forward implementing the
standards, because there hasn’t been a clearly defined pathway in
eighth grade and so now I think we can finally move forward.
And, also, by eliminating a lot of the additions we can now work with
other states and take advantage of resources that are already out
there.
Gretchen Muller, Jan. 2013
One would imagine that CMC would fight for the right of
students to learn challenging mathematics.
One would be wrong.
13. In summary
• More that 165,000 students every year, 1/3 of the
cohort, successfully prove they can master Algebra 1
by grade 8; this is triple that of 10 years ago
• Because of that, three times as many students
successfully complete Geometry and Algebra 2
than ten years ago
• Minorities were the prime beneficiaries of this effort
• Many schools do even better than that
• Yet California prefers to dumb down its expectations
rather than build on this incredible success
