Something is terribly wrong with California math education if 13-year-olds aren't ready to tackle Algebra I. Kids from Asia to Europe to Africa take algebra and geometry in the middle school years, and they do just fine. There's no reason why California kids can't match them.
Since 1998, California has had the goal that all eighth-graders should take Algebra I. And the state has made progress. Of 491,000 eighth-graders, 248,000 (50.5 percent) take Algebra I. Another 38,000 (7.8 percent) take geometry or Algebra II.
But that leaves 205,000 eighth-graders who are spending their time repeating the same low-level arithmetic over and over. They're dumped into "general math," never moving beyond the fifth- or sixth-grade level. And the curriculum is deadly boring: Here's a type of problem; here's how you solve it; here is a set of problems to solve. Next topic. All sense of discovery, excitement and challenge is lost. And the learning is shallow. No wonder kids zone out.
So to get the state to the next level, the State Board of Education, following a recommendation by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has changed the Algebra I goal to a mandate. All of today's fifth-graders will have to take Algebra I in eighth grade.
That puts the focus in the right place: Fifth, sixth and seventh grade. If kids get the right thinking and reasoning skills in the earlier grades, they'll do just fine in eighth grade.
Algebra, contrary to popular belief, is not a set of rules for solving equations. It's about discovering patterns, and that is its power in teaching thinking skills that go far beyond mathematics.
To see the difference, here's one elementary example:
289 + 847 = ___ + 848. The arithmetic way of solving this would be to add 289 and 847, getting a total of 1,136. You can then get the answer by subtracting 848 from 1,136. But another way is to look for patterns, "algebrafying" the problem. On one side, 848 is one more than 847 on the other side. So the answer has to be one less than 289.
The state needs to do a better job of integrating algebraic reasoning long before eighth grade. Let's do what it takes, starting with fifth grade, to retool what's happening in math classes. That means working with teachers to build new confidence and competence in math.
To be sure, the state also will have to increase the pool of teachers qualified to teach Algebra I. Many who are teaching eighth-grade general math will have to return to school and take a certain number of units to get their math single-subject credential. (Alternatively, they can get a supplemental credential by passing either the foundational or advanced math California Subject Examination for Teachers.)
And the state will certainly have to find new ways to draw more young people to math teaching. It will also have to make it easier for midcareer professionals and retirees to get a math teaching credential.
The new Algebra I mandate is getting conversations going on all those topics. Schools and districts are crafting solutions. The University of California and California State University systems have teams working on the issue. Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell has put out his recommendations. Schwarzenegger is about to release his ideas.
This isn't just about eighth grade. It's about increasing the richness of the experience in the fifth, sixth and seventh grades, where math education is standing still for far too many kids.