Should Algebra 2 Be Required Essay

So schools do not fall behind on these requirements, some states such as Vermont and California are compelled to spend up to triple the amount of time on reading and math subjects. The requirements are constantly being raised by other top schools, making it difficult for lower-preforming schools to compete. According to a survey done by the Center on Education Policy, 71 percent of the nation’s 15,000 school districts have severely reduced teaching history, music, foreign language, and other subjects to increase study on reading and math (Dillon).

Algebra is not an easy subject for many people. It is full of letters, numbers, and rules mixed together to represent real life problems that are hard to swallow for anyone who doesn’t look at the world from the perspective of a mathematician. In his essay, “Wrong Answer: A Case Against Algebra II”, Nicholson Baker addresses this problem and explains why he thinks Algebra II should not be seen as a staple in the education of High school students.

In the recent report released from Missouri’s Department of Higher Education, the needs of college algebra may be dwindling. The report states that many students who graduate high school and go into college with a decided career path may not benefit from the uses of college algebra, but rather varying forms of math more suited to their career choices. The report discuss how many times students who are forced to take courses such as college algebra, may be a barrier to their future success when other courses could be more aligned to fulfill the mathematical needs and theories that college algebra supplies. The article states that many degree choices are not linked to math or science and should not necessarily be required to take these college

His report solely looked at math achievement. His reasoning was that high school math is one of the strongest predictors of college success and because testing data is widely available and objective. Lee looked at three different sets of national data across education, to examine college readiness benchmarks again two-year and four-year colleges admission and graduation. This is a summary of each of those data sets:

In an Op-Ed by Andrew Hacker “Is Algebra Necessary,” he explains why math is a difficult over glorified subject, that must be removed from high schools and universities. However, Through the power of education, the language of numbers helps us make important decision and preform everyday tasks (learner.org). Math, for many is a challenging subject, but as technology advances, classrooms tailor lessons for students who prefer to engage hands on. Therefore, numbers, symbols and letters are not only for the classroom, but also the real world. I believe math is an important subject, removing it from high schools and universities is not the answer, instead it is necessary to implement technology because math will always be used.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was first implemented in 2010, nine years after I graduated from high school. Although I wasn’t personally affected by the new academic standards, it has a direct impact on the current and future generation of leaders, innovators, and world changers including my future children. The initial purpose of the Common Core Standards is to set high-quality learning goals designed to prepare students to be college and career ready. Given the current controversies surrounding CCSS, studies have shown that although the intent was to benefit students in the long-run it may actually be hindering their mathematical and reading skills. To further explore the arguments behind the Common Core initiative, I will

Anyone who has ever taken the ACT or the SAT knows how stressful and difficult the tests are. Students are forever judged because of the scores the receive by colleges and peers. The ACT/SAT are standardized tests that are meant to calculate what students have learned in previous years of high school. Colleges then use this score to determine whether a student will succeed in college. Specific problems with this process include the fact that high schoolers are extremely busy and may have other things on their minds, the tests require brutal test prep, the test can cause stress and anxiety, and the tests do not accurately gage a student’s college success. For these main reasons, students should not be required to take the ACT/SAT to get into college.

Disturbingly, “nearly one-fifth of high school students and over 50 percent of middle school students are enrolled in math classes whose teachers neither majored or minored in math” (Drew, 2011, p.9). In 2000, 31 percent of high

I was a junior at Brentwood High School, who arrived to the United states from Peru a couple of months ago, and after complaining for three months, Christine Burrows, my guidance counselor, decided to change my Algebra class by a “higher” level math.

Education plays an important role in every person’s future. Not only does it enhance a person’s intellect, but it allows them to discover what they want to become. For the past years, high school students were having trouble graduating and when Texas ranked the lowest in the population that received a high school diploma, the state decided to minimize the amount of exams students had to pass. Although Texas students became successful in graduating, this way of graduating harms the student because they were unable to understand the basics in their education. The reduction of End-of-course exams from fifteen to five and later to three motivate students, but also teaches them that they don’t need to work hard.

Since a public school district’s success is determined by state and national assessment, officials in school systems across the country have sought to make changes to effectively address the academic deficits of students. A push in education over the past couple decades has been the race to Calculus and the belief that this path is necessary for a student to succeed in advanced math courses in college. Although there has been a dramatic increase in the number of students in high school Calculus, enrollment in Calculus 2 at college has remained relatively unchanged for the last two decades (Bressoud, 2004; 2009). Many students who have taken Calculus in high school are arriving unprepared for Calculus in college (Bressoud, 2007).

Algebra I is a class taken by 9th and 10th grade students as a requirement towards graduation. Because the depth of knowledge required for the course, some of the9th grade students may be required to take Foundations of Algebra in order to acquire some of the necessary skills needed to master the objectives in Algebra I. therefore by the end of their sophomore year, all students will have taken Algebra I.

The Texas government was so against adopting the Federal Common Core Standards that in 2014 during a session, the “legislature passed a law prohibiting the state or local districts from using Common Core standards.” (Dallas News) “Many teachers fear change, or have an aversion to it, because of its moral implications. Some teachers worry that the newest rendition of the system “will not work or make matters worse”. However, many teachers realize these changes are necessary because research constantly shows many first- year college students are unprepared for undergraduate work…” (Burkes). Texas has their own school standard education policy implemented, TEKS, or the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. And “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it….” Sort of the mentality Texans have about bringing the Common Core Standards into Texas’ schools. Texans counter argue with the pro- Common Core groups that even though the Common Core Standards aren’t

According to livescience less than a quarter of workers actually need complex math. If less than a quarter of workers actually use their educational background, which brings up the question on why do students have to learn these unique

Most students in my algebra II class, in high school, disliked math substantially. Math was only required to be taken for two years and if you were going to attend college, Algebra II was a requirement. When their two years were up, I could say that about half the students did not continue math. Many students in my Pre-Cal class always had a thing about asking the teacher when they were ever going to solve a problem like that in the “real world”. I noticed that the ones who had lower standards for example, they were set on going to the junior college or going straight to working, did not continue math after two years in high school. The students who were set on going to a four year university continued on with math. The students with lower standards did not care to go above and beyond. This had me thinking. If some students felt that math was useless in the “real world”, why are we required to take it? In my opinion I feel that students should be required to take a math class as a GE requirement, but it should be math that is applied to the “real world”. Those who need math in their career can continue their math studies even further.