Algebra to return to San Francisco middle schools this fall
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San Francisco middle schools will teach Algebra I again this fall — though concerns about implementation continue amid a shortage of qualified teachers.
Why it matters: The 6-1 vote by the San Francisco Unified School District board Tuesday followed a decadelong battle over eighth graders' access to higher-level math courses and a larger debate over academic opportunity and equity in math performance.
Context: SFUSD previously taught eighth-grade algebra. But in 2014, the board voted to wait until high school to try to address racial gaps that had emerged as some students moved quicker to advanced math classes.
- Studies have shown that inequities including socioeconomic status, language differences and implicit bias often impede Black and Latino students' educational pursuits and result in lower rates of enrollment in higher-level classes.
Yes, but: Stanford researchers found last year that large racial and ethnic gaps in advanced math enrollment persisted even after the policy change.
Driving the news: Roughly a third of SFUSD middle schools this fall will begin offering the course to eighth graders at about a third of its 13 middle schools as well as six of its K-8 schools, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- Students at other campuses will have access to the course via online classes or summer school while their schools take three years to make the transition.
- Those eighth graders will otherwise have to wait until high school to take the course.
Reality check: Some board members appeared skeptical of the district's ability to roll out the new Algebra I policy, especially for students with higher needs.
- "We have schools that don't even have credentialed math teachers," Supervisor Alida Fisher said at Tuesday's board meeting.
- "How are we going to pull this off?"
What they're saying: The three-year transition is in part meant to ensure the district can address the shortage of qualified teachers, according to Superintendent Matt Wayne.
- "We're going to be having middle school teachers who haven't taught algebra in 10 years teaching algebra," he noted at the meeting.
What to watch: District officials plan to evaluate the best way to enroll students throughout the district in a pilot at the first schools this fall.
- The first approach would be to enroll all eighth graders.
- The second would prioritize students' interest or readiness.
- The third would give students the option of taking Algebra I on top of current eighth-grade math curricula.