YOU DO THE MATH

By Bob Bruesch

Algebra in the 8th Grade

Who would have ever thought that Algebra, the bane of every high school freshman for a century, would be in the headlines?? But, there it was last week: "State School Board to Make Algebra an Eighth Grade Requirement". At Governor Schwarzenegger behest, his hand-picked State Board of Education has declared that every eighth grade student shall pass Algebra I by 2011 + that's in three years, my friends! People from all walks of life, from teachers to technicians, from priests to parents, all expelled an incredulous "What's he thinking?""

Let's try to back away from the hyperbole of the moment and examine the suggestion dispassionately for a moment. First, the idea is not new. Most European and Asian countries already have this requirement for entering secondary school. Of course, their school system set up is quite different from ours, and secondary school is only for the upper few students who pass the entrance tests + the rest go to trade schools. Even in this country, nearly a hundred years ago, the eighth grade curriculum of many urban schools included Algebra.

Secondly, let's not fall into the trap that isolates math skills from reading skills, from writing skills, from science skills ...all learning skills, though often using different parts of the brain, are interconnected. That is to say, Algebra teaches young children how to think out a problem + how to find an unknown, logically. Who's to say that a logical process of thought isn't important in all areas of education and of life? I used to teach young students that analogies were "word fractions", ratios in algebraic equations + and they are. So are similes and metaphors + all those things that our English Lit teachers throw at students to confuse them.

So, our argument against the State Board's dictum should not be that Algebra should not be a requirement of eighth grade graduation. Rather, we should be questioning its timing and its implementation. With schools already struggling to reach their No Child Left Behind goals, an additional requirement such as this one would take monumental efforts to attain. State math textbooks for middle schools may emphasize Algebra skills, but they certainly are not Algebra books. Why not wait until the next math textbook adoption (in six years) to begin the requirement. This gives schools a grace period to develop curricular programs that help students master pre-Algebra skills and allows them to continue their march toward overall proficiency in all academic areas under No Child Left behind. Also, adequate funding must be provided so that schools can purchase adequate technology so that all students can benefit from computer assisted learning.

So, I say, "Eighth grade Algebra requirement? Bring it on!" but let's do it right! Phase it in, fund it properly and provide schools with the technical hardware that assists students in learning these important life skills.