District mulling change to algebra course

Allentown High School teachers say eight-graders are entering high school unprepared for advanced math studies (Nov. 24)

By: Lauren Burgoon
   UPPER FREEHOLD — Parents anxious over the availability of Algebra I for eighth-graders will have to wait until at least January to hear recommendations for the course’s future.
   The district’s Curriculum Committee, a group of teachers and administrators, is weighing options on changing the course after concerns arose from Allentown High School teachers that eighth-graders are entering high school unprepared for advanced math studies.
   A group of parents, many with students in this year’s Algebra I course, are urging the committee and Board of Education not to cancel the course altogether in the face of those concerns.
   The committee’s recommendations could include keeping Algebra I as is, eliminating it in favor of a more basic math class, revamping lower-level classes or tweaking Algebra I to incorporate more concepts found on standardized tests. The committee’s plan will be presented to the public at a special meeting, likely to take place in January. The district will announce a date in the coming weeks.
   Administrators began looking at Algebra I’s future earlier this year. Standardized test scores played a part but were not the only reason, Assistant Superintendent and curriculum coordinator Maybeth Conway said Nov. 17.
   Eighth-graders annually take the state Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (GEPA) exam, which measures math, language and science skills. Though the number of students scoring in the top percentiles in math declined 10 percent from the 2002-03 to 2003-04 school years, Upper Freehold students last year did outperform other eighth-graders in schools of similar size and socio-economic status and even surpassed state averages for advanced and passing scores.
   But beyond test scores, teachers are questioning the effectiveness of the middle school’s math program, Ms. Conway said.
   "When the students get to high school, their math foundation isn’t as strong and some do not have a fundamental understanding of basic math," she said. "If the foundation isn’t firm, they could have problems throughout high school and beyond."
   The problems are not seen in every student, she said, but in enough that the middle school math program could be in for some changes.
   "There is very little chance we will keep it as it because we’re not happy with it," Ms. Conway said.
   While that doesn’t mean Upper Freehold will necessarily scrap Algebra I in favor of a class that would provide a broader math foundation, some parents fear the district will do exactly that.
   A group of about 10 parents is lobbying the district to keep Algebra I, typically a class for the upper echelon of eighth-graders. The parents are not opposed to changing the Algebra I curriculum to help students perform better on the GEPA — they just want their children to learn algebraic concepts in middle school.
   The parents fear canceling Algebra I at the middle school could have a ripple effect throughout students’ lives. Eighth-grade Algebra I students who perform well on a final test do not have to repeat the course at AHS, allowing them to take upper level classes and reach calculus. Students who do not take algebra in middle school have to double up on math courses one year in high school to reach calculus, which can be difficult because of AHS’ block scheduling.
   Yet, according to the parents, students hoping to major in a science or technology field in college will have a difficult time gaining admission to programs without high school calculus.
   Parent Cindy Jonas said Upper Freehold students could be at a disadvantage later in life if middle school algebra is eliminated because international students are pushed to take the higher levels of math and sciences. Those people graduate with more advanced coursework than Americans, she told the school board at its Nov. 16 meeting.
   "I work as an engineer and a lot of the people we are competing for jobs with are not educated in the United States … The people getting jobs and taking them literally away from me are not being held back — they’re being pushed forward," she said.
   Consideration to changing middle school math is not an attempt to hold back the district’s students, school board President Jeanette Bressi responded.
   "We’re not looking to set back the math program, we’re looking to drive it forward," she said.
   Middle school principal and former math teacher Miriam Peluso also defended the district’s review of the math program saying the current system is flawed and can be corrected to better prepare students for high school math.
   Complicating the situation is Millstone, which does offer middle school algebra before its students come to AHS. Some Upper Freehold parents fear that a decision to eliminate the course here would put Millstone students on a faster track than Allentown and Upper Freehold students, creating a division and uneven opportunities at AHS. Millstone students would always be a year ahead at AHS, the parents said.
   Administrators asked for parents’ patience until the Curriculum Committee, whose meetings are not open to the public, has done its work and the recommendations for Algebra I are presented.
   The bottom line, Ms. Conway said, is "looking at all of our options to provide the best possible math program for our students."