The Math Teachers California Lacks

[George Sheridan <learn@jps.net>]

Editorial: Flap over algebra shouldn't hide the real issue
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Whether it's required or not, state must improve students' performance in math
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http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/1075230.html

Published Friday, July 11, 2008
Story appeared in The Sacramento Bee EDITORIALS section, Page B6

The hue and cry over whether to require all California eighth-graders to take
Algebra I within three years obscures the real issue: California needs to improve
math education so that students are ready to be successful in eighth-grade math.

The state's goal has been that all eighth-graders will take Algebra I ? and that
course is a requirement for high school graduation. But the state has fallen far
short of that goal. The fact is that only 15 middle schools out of 1,142 in
California currently have all eighth-graders taking Algebra I.

And while the share of eighth-graders taking Algebra I has greatly improved (from
34 percent in 2003 to 52 percent today), California's eighth-graders continue to
rank among the lowest in the nation in math achievement. (They ranked 44th in
2007.)

It's not enough to offer students the Algebra I course. We have to do the
groundwork for them to succeed.

So instead of decrying the State Board of Education's decision Wednesday to turn
the state's goal for eighth-grade Algebra I into reality by making it a
requirement, Californians should roll up their sleeves, fix the problems and
remove the obstacles to mathematics success.

The largest problem is increasing the number of qualified math teachers. Of the
52 percent of California eighth-graders currently taking Algebra I, many have
teachers who do not have a math credential and so may not have the knowledge to
effectively teach the course. And the 219,000 eighth-graders who aren't currently
taking Algebra I will need qualified math teachers ? about 8,000 of them.

Educators and state officials have known about chronic shortages of math teachers
for many years. They also have known that the ongoing training for teachers in
the field ? aimed at deepening their knowledge and boost their teaching skills ?
is inadequate. But complacency has prevailed. The board's decision provides the
impetus finally to do something about it.

California needs to boost the capacity of the teacher workforce to meet this
demand. The first step is to ensure that eighth-grade Algebra I teachers have a
single-subject math credential. Another is to boost teacher training funds that
are currently targeted primarily at the K-3 level for reading and math. Middle
schools need more of these funds, too.

And the state needs to reverse the decline in funding for math subject matter
training, which was cut in half from 2005-06 to 2007-08 (from $9.4 million to
$4.3 million). The state also needs to restore Algebra Summer Institutes for
teachers and to re-examine K-7 math teaching.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said emphatically that turning the goal of
eighth-grade Algebra I into reality "will require an intense commitment and
increased investment in the resources for schools and the professional
development of our teacher corps." Further, he said, "I am committed to
prioritizing and expanding the resources necessary." He concluded that we "cannot
be paralyzed by our current budget situation ? we must prepare for the future ...
set the goal and rise to the challenge, whatever it takes."

It will take a lot, and not just from the governor. Today's fifth-graders will
have to take Algebra I in eighth grade. California has three years to boot up.
Let's get on with it.

*

George Sheridan