When I went to Florida Community College at Jacksonville, which is now Florida State College, I had to take intermediate algebra which is a remedial class. The thing is when I went to school the highest math I took was general math II as a junior. I didn’t take any math at all as a senior. Now in my GM classes some algebra concepts were explored, enough so that I wasn’t that far behind when I got to college.
Fast forward to 2012 where every kid now has to take algebra II and according to the JPEF 59% of our students have to take remedial classes, of which the vast majority are math, at Florida State College. What is the difference between now and then? One word, rigor. When I took math I did the home work and passed the tests or I failed, now home work is an option and you really have to work hard to fail.
Duval County by ratcheting up the graduation requirements has destroyed rigor. Teachers are told all the time to watch how many kids fail their class or subtlety cajoled into passing kids and then because of it when they graduate they are ill prepared for anything.
But hey at least the county can say, we have the highest graduation requirements around. It doesn’t matter that for many students they have had the opposite of the intended effect and are actually a detriment.
Friends, we need a legitimate algebra I class, not algebra II and we don’t need district leadership that gets caught up in bravado while kids fall through the cracks.
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