The Olympian

State proposal could require algebra II

By Venice Buhain | The Olympian • Published January 10, 2008

A draft proposal by the state Board of Education would require most high school students to learn algebra II, starting with the Class of 2013, but it would have allowances for some students.

The draft will be ready by the board's meeting in March, and a decision will be made in May, the board decided Thursday.

Washington is one of the few states that require less than three years of high school math, board executive director Edie Harding said. Washington requires two high school math credits, and a credit typically takes an academic year to complete.

Last year, the Legislature passed a requirement that graduating seniors take and pass three credits of high school math, and left it to the State Board of Education to form what the minimum grade level of math would be required for graduation.

Algebra II is the third year of math for many high school students. Some districts use the integrated math program, which combines elements of algebra and geometry over a three-year course.

The state board's proposal would require students to reach a class that covers algebra II concepts by the time they graduate, but exceptions could be made for students who have a career path planned by their school counselor and approved by their parents.

According to the proposal, a student's third math credit would have to include the concepts taught in algebra II, but it might be offered through a different type of program that could take more than a year to complete.

Under the proposal, students who reach and complete algebra II before 11th grade also will have fulfilled the requirement because they will have completed high school math in middle school.

"This is not about the amount of time that a high school student sits in a class," board member Steven Floyd said.

The board will take comment between March and May.