In contrast, in Glendale schools, about 23% of eighth-graders took Algebra I in the same year, but 95% of those students passed the state’s subject test.
The difference was whether the focus was on getting students to take the class or getting students to really learn the concepts, Gould said.
The new requirement could also create problems down the line for high school students, who would effectively have to take both Geometry and Algebra II in high school, Gould said.
Algebra II is a difficult course that some students have real trouble with, she said.
The new eighth-grade math requirement is slated to take effect in three years.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” said Ted Bunch, a Burbank Unified School District board of education member who taught eighth grade for 26 years.
Some students aren’t ready for Algebra I in eighth grade, and making them take the class anyway won’t solve that, he said.
“If you push a student into something before they’re quite ready for it, then that’s a problem,” he said.
The better way to teach is to determine what students need and work from there, he said.
Glendale Unified School District board of education president Joylene Wagner said she was surprised by how quickly such a major policy decision was made.
“It’s just one more hurdle that we need to scramble for,” she said.
