All Students Should Have Quality Opportunities to Learn Mathematics

In my 25 years of teaching, I have yet to meet a student who cannot learn mathematics. Not all students entered my high school classroom with the same amount of motivation or the same mathematical background, nor did all students learn at the same rate or use the same strategies. But, ALL students can learn.

I applaud the State Board of Education’s decision to set rigorous mathematics requirements and help keep doors to success open for Michigan students. The State Board of Education’s unanimous approval of a new set of high school graduation requirements includes one credit each of Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II, and one additional credit in math or a math-related subject.

A number of questions have surfaced regarding these new rigorous requirements: Are we setting the bar too high? Will students be able to successfully fulfill these mathematics requirements? Why is it important for students to learn mathematics? Why should all students be asked to earn one credit in geometry and two credits in algebra?

Many school districts and math teachers are discussing ways to ensure that their students will successfully meet these new requirements. Whether it is by encouraging the use of technology in the classroom, providing summer or after-school programs, changing the length of courses (e.g., offering a two-year Algebra II course), focusing on applications and relevance, or strengthening middle school programs, schools must find a way to help students be successful.

Why should students learn mathematics? More specifically, why should students be expected to learn the concepts associated with Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II? Not only is mathematics important academically, but understanding math is a practical life skill.

Practical reasons why students need math include:

• There is more to algebra than solving for “x” and more to geometry than proving a theorem. A working knowledge of algebra and geometry can help consumers choose the best cell phone plan, make wise investment decisions, determine the cost to carpet a room or pour a driveway, and understand the power and limitations of data and statistics.
• Algebra and/or geometry are needed for many fields of study. Biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, engineering, economics, computer science, and many of the social sciences—not to mention the building trades of carpentry (plumbing, electrical, and masonry)—require knowledge of mathematics.
• The high-paying jobs of the future will require that workers have greater math and technical skills. Algebra and geometry are the gateway courses to all higher-level mathematics courses (e.g., trigonometry, calculus).
• Students who do not complete a rigorous high school math curriculum are often required to enroll in remedial math classes in college. Many colleges now include a minimum entrance requirement of three years of college preparatory math while strongly encouraging four years of mathematics.
• Data has shown that students who complete a high level of mathematics courses have the strongest potential to complete a bachelor’s degree in college.*

My advice to students is simple. When you leave high school, you are no longer compared with students from within your school, within Michigan, or within the United States. You will be competing with students and workers from around the world. Students should take advantage of the high school years, take a wide-range of rigorous courses, and work hard to be successful.

It’s true, not every person uses algebra and geometry on a daily basis, but most will need it for college, career, and daily living success. Students who choose not to take higher-level math in high school close the door to colleges that require it, and majors, careers, and activities that rely on it.

Dan Schab is currently serving as Michigan’s Teacher of the Year for 2005–2006. Over his 25-year teaching career, Dan has successfully taught a wide range of classes from 7th grade math to advanced placement calculus. For the last 12 years, Dan has been teaching at Williamston High School in Williamston, Michigan. For more information, contact Dan at schabd@michigan.gov.

* Source: Improving High School Graduation Requirements: Michigan Merit Curriculum Research Says That…, Michigan Department of Education, February 2006, www.michigan.gov/documents/hs_research_doc_149897_7.pdf.

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