NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Emmanuel Garcia, 13, plans to take as many advanced math courses as he can once he goes to high school. To that end, Emmanuel, a student at Oakdale Middle School in Rogers, is taking Algebra I in eighth grade instead of waiting until ninth grade or later like many of his peers.
“I like a challenge,” said Emmanuel, who plans to work hard while he’s young so he can relax later in life. “I don’t like to be bored.”
Students are taking algebra early to fit more advanced math classes into their school careers, according to a policy brief released Thursday from the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas.
Some local educators said algebra for younger students is a good idea, if the students are properly qualified to handle the courses. But they are leery of the idea of having all students take Algebra I in eighth grade. Having eighth-graders take Algebra I is an increasingly popular idea, but problematic, according to the policy brief.
“Math reasoning, which is required for higher math, occurs at different developmental stages for different people,” said Darrell Watts, principal at Central Junior High School in Springdale. “To assume a whole grade level is ready for something doesn’t make sense.”
About one-third of the state’s 35,845 Algebra I students are in eighth grade or lower, according to the brief.
The state requires students to take four years of high school math. The traditional track started with algebra in ninth grade, but taking algebra earlier allows students to take more Advanced Placement courses in high school.
That’s the plan for Kirsten White, 14, an Oakdale student enrolled in algebra. She plans to take some college courses her senior year.
Ron Hensley, who teaches Algebra I at Oakdale, said students have to have some intellectual maturity and a solid work ethic to succeed in algebra. Many eighth-graders aren’t ready, he said.
Hensley, who has taught algebra for 10 years at four schools in three states, said the debate over when students should take algebra is nothing new. In the end, any changes probably won’t amount to more than changing the names of courses.
“It’s the same wheel that’s been spinning for years and years,” he said.
James Goodwin, principal at Oakdale, said there are probably plenty of students who have been successful without early algebra.
Watts said he is happy with the current system at Springdale schools, which has students being funneled into Algebra I in eighth grade or even seventh grade depending on their math scores, teacher recommendations and parents’ preference. Watts said his school this year has six sections of eighth-grade algebra with up to 25 students each — one of the highest enrollment years ever.
His school also has two sections of eighth-grade geometry. Most or all of those students took algebra in seventh grade, he said.
The brief suggests college- and career-readiness out of high school might be better achieved by adjustments to the entire math curriculum, not just when students take algebra.
Caleb Rose, a research associate with the Office for Education Policy, said benefits come from getting students to succeed in Algebra I, not just from putting them in the class.
Web Watch
Office for Education Policy
http://www.uark.edu/ua/oep/