State School Board may require Utah seniors to take math

Senior slacker time may soon be a thing of the past as the State Board of Education is seriously discussing a rule requiring that 12th-graders take a math class.

The board could vote on the proposal, along with myriad other math education improvement ideas, in January.

State education office staff also is planning to rewrite the current rule that requires students take three math credits in high school. They don't want to change the number of credits but just make the rule less confusing. The revision could be implemented by spring.

Generally, high school students take Algebra 1, geometry and Algebra 2. Some seniors take calculus or other higher-level math to prepare for college. Other seniors, having met their credit requirement early, take a break from math for one or more years.

State curriculum officials say a gap in students' math learning can result in their struggling either in college math classes or in lack of preparation for technological or trade professions. "If kids go without math for one or two years, it's very difficult to be ready for higher ed," said board vice president Dixie Allen of Vernal.

Lynne Greenwood, state curriculum director, points out, "It doesn't have to be a calculus class."

Senior math class options could include; capstone math project class; non-advanced placement statistics; or a lower-level math class for better retention, college preparation or to help the student pass the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test.

Besides a senior math class rule, state curriculum officials have dozens of other suggestions to improve math education for students in all grades.

One goal is to examine how to boost math learning for children who are scoring low on math exams, including "at-risk students," generally English Language Learners, minorities and those living in poverty.

Another plan is to use more "formative testing," in which teachers track student learning periodically throughout the year — even weekly for struggling students. This is compared with the current "autopsy" end-of-level exams taken in the spring when it's too late for teachers to offer remediation.

Another goal is for universities to encourage elementary education students to beef up their math understanding, enabling them to instruct the subject better.

The state math goals are a yearlong effort of a committee including representatives of public education, business and industry, higher education and state government.