District to scale back ambitious algebra push

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2003 | 11:09 a.m.

The Clark County School District will scale back an ambitious initiative to have every student enrolled in algebra by the eighth grade, as administrators acknowledge they may have sought to accomplish too much too fast.

Beginning next fall the district will offer a two-part algebra course that would begin in the eighth grade and finish the following year, district officials said.

"Instead of ramming kids through and having many of them flunk, we're going to offer more flexibility in the pace of the learning," Clark County School Superintendent Carlos Garcia said this morning. "We're thinking smarter about how to ensure that all our students master the concepts and move on to high school with the skills they need."

Garcia's algebra initiative was drafted in response to low scores posted by students on the statewide proficiency exam, said Agustin Orci, deputy superintendent of instruction for the district. About 20 percent of the exam -- which students must pass in order to graduate -- involves algebraic concepts, Orci said.

"Passing the math (portion of the proficiency exam) has been one of the biggest stumbling blocks for our kids," Orci said. "The earlier we can start exposing them to higher-level math the more likely they are to succeed when it comes time for the exams."

The premise of the original plan -- to provide every student with early exposure to algebra and increase their chances of academic success later on -- hasn't changed, said Jhone Ebert, director of math and science curriculum for the Clark County School District. And the two-year curriculum won't be a "watered down" version to make the course easier for less accomplished students, Ebert said.

"The content is exactly the same and our expectations for high student achievement have not changed," Ebert said. "What we are doing is adjusting the pace to ensure all students not only get through the curriculum, but fully understand it."

The change will ease pressure on teachers and students, Lawrence said.

Since Garcia's initiative was announced two years ago enrollment in algebra at the middle school level has climbed from 15 percent to 29 percent last year with 85 percent of students earning a C average or better, according to district figures.

But some teachers have raised concerns, saying many students lack the basic mathematics foundation needed for algebra.

"I don't like seeing kids set up for failure just to satisfy some district quota," said Debbie Lawrence, who teaches math at Becker Middle School in northwest Las Vegas. "They've rammed so many kids into the classes to boost the numbers, but there are a lot of them that just aren't ready for it."

The effect of the initiative on class size has been dramatic -- Lawrence said she began the year teaching 52 students in a room equipped with just 40 desks.

While the class size has since dropped to 40 students, it's still an uphill battle, Lawrence said.

"We have many students coming to us without the math background to grasp the abstract concepts of algebra," Lawrence said. "Many of them are also without the study skills and home support that's so crucial to tackling these kinds of tough subjects."

James Kuzma, principal of Hyde Park Middle School, said breaking up the algebra course was a sensible compromise. More advanced pupils, such as those enrolled in Hyde Park's math and science academy, may still take the full one-year honors algebra class and receive high school credit, Kuzma said.

"You want to encourage children to challenge themselves academically, but at the same time you need to consider the individual learning styles of different students," Kuzma said.

Lawrence also supported dividing the course work.

"I get 40 kids for 45 minutes, and at the pace most of them need to work I would need a year and a half to two years to cover the curriculum," Lawrence said. "It just makes sense to let us teach at a pace where we'll actually have a chance to reach the majority of our students, not just the classroom stars."