Important Information!

I don't believe that Algebra II should be required for high school graduation, but it is extremely important that parents and students know the implications for future success. 

Let's be open and honest and inform the public!

 

 Requiring Algebra II in High School Gains Momentum Nationwide

Washington Post

One [study] conducted by U.S. Department of Education researcher Clifford Adelman found that students who took Algebra II and at least one more math course attained “momentum” toward receiving a bachelor’s degree.

Side Note:  This "one study" was an extremely detailed analysis of about 13,000 students from highschool through degree completion or work placement.  You can find it here:

 

Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor's Degree Attainment 

by Clifford Adelman
Senior Research Analyst, U.S. Department of Education

Under Selected Findings:  Of ALL pre-college curricula, the highest level of mathematics one studies in secondary school has the strongest continuing influence on bachelor's degree completion. Finishing a course beyond the level of Algebra 2 (for example, trigonometry or pre-calculus) more than doubles the odds that a student who enters postsecondary education will complete a bachelor's degree. [pp. 16-18]

 

Here's a 2002 report from Carnevale and Desrochers, but it may not be the one referred to in the Washington Post article above.

Standards for What?  The Economic Roots of K-12 Reform

Anthony P. Carnevale and Donna M. Desrochers

[p. 55]  Workers in the Best-Paying Jobs Have Typically Completed Algebra II

 

[p. 56] In the current education curriculum, these higher-level courses are the means by which people learn higher-level reasoning skills. Throwing out the current curriculum without a superior alternative in place would be like throwing out the baby with the bath water.

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