Op Eds

Dear Editor:

Steven is a sophomore in high school and he doesn't like math.
He's enrolled in Geometry because his district decided that in order for
students to pass the WASL, they should be taking Geometry by the sophomore
year. He completes all his required work, struggling at times, but never giving
up, and by the end of the year, is able to pass the WASL. At this point, he has
met his math requirements for graduation, as his district requires two years of
math and successful completion of the WASL. But Steven isn't done yet.

He wants to attend a four-year college in Washington, so he
continues on in math despite his struggles and displeasure with the subject. As
a junior he completes Algebra II with a C and takes the SAT to qualify himself
for college. His grades and test score are going to be just high enough to get
him into college. Not the school of his choice, but at this point, he's just
happy to be done with math.

This is where Steven faces a critical decision, one in which
schools have notoriously been deficient in helping students. If Steven opts to
drop math for his senior year, then when he takes his math placement test
(which as a junior he doesn't even know is coming) for college, he will have
been out of math for over a year. Even more, with Algebra the highest course he
has completed, his best hope is to test into PreCalculus, the first math course
that counts as a college-level (non-remedial) math course. However, having
barely scraped by in Algebra, and after being out of math for a year, his
skills are not strong enough to get him into PreCalculus, and so he must repeat
Algebra in college, earning no college credit, and slowing down his progress
toward a degree.

How could this scenario have played out differently? It starts
during Steven's junior year. If, instead of being allowed to drop math as a
senior, he were encouraged to continue on in math, taking PreCalculus as a
senior, let's see what might have happened. For starters, he would likely
struggle in PreCalculus. However, in the care of a teacher who understands the
value of taking math as a senior, keeping his skills fresh and learning
higher-order thinking skills in the process, Steven will be able to take that
placement test for college, and place into PreCalculus or even Calculus, which
is one course higher. In taking this path, Steven does more than make himself
college-eligible. He makes himself college-ready - ready to succeed at doing
college-level work, and ready to begin making progress toward a degree from the
first day he sets foot on campus.

Senate Bill 5755 looks to hold schools and districts accountable
for their preparation of students in math and English beyond simply preparing
them to take and pass the WASL, thereby earning the right to a diploma. Without
this bill, students run the risk of being forgotten after their tenth grade
year. We need to move our students from high school graduation eligible, beyond
college eligible, to college ready, and this bill take an important first step.
In this state, money speaks volumes, and by requiring districts to pay for the
remedial courses their graduates require, the state is demonstrating the
importance of appropriate preparation for all students, including the college
bound. There IS life after the WASL, and SB 5755 ensures that students will be
prepared for that life.

Sincerely,

Tom Robinson
National Board Certified Teacher, AYA-Math