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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Just curious:  Do VA, MD and DC public schools require Algebra II as the minimum for HS graduation?  If that’s the case, it’s too much.  California requires Algebra I as the minimum for HS graduation, but that requirement is under review by the state education officials. That requirement was imposed decades ago and reflects institutional racism. [b] They are thinking about getting rid of that requirement[/b].  In some respects they have a point:  why require algebra I when your career goal is to be a hair stylist?  Arithmetic should be required for HS graduation though. [/quote]
very bad idea.

I grew up in CA, went to (not great) public school in LAUSD.

Algebra should be the absolute minimum.  Algebraic equations are used in every day life.  I remember a cashier not being able to calculate the cost of something that was based on the price per some unit of measurement.  It was a simple algebraic problem, and the cashier really struggled.  Or, in another situation when the cashier couldn't figure out how to count the change without a calculator.

I am so glad we left CA public schools.[/quote]

I went to public schools in Southern CA as well.  Torrance USD in the 1980’s to be exact.  At the time, the math sequence in HS was Algebra I -> Geometry -> Algebra II -> Trigonometry (semester) -> Precalculus (semester) -> AP Calculus.  At the time there was no distinction between AP Calculus AB and BC.  For a HS kid who wants to start AP Calculus in the senior year, he/she would take 2 math courses, Geometry and Algebra II, usually in the sophomore year, simultaneously.

I remember that when I took Algebra I in 9th grade, some classmates were upperclassmen.  I don’t recall any seniors taking Algebra I though.

The reasons CA education officials are considering eliminating the Algebra I requirement for HS—some of those are practical, but some are philosophical and policy-based.  They consider math as an inherently racist subject.  It’s about systemic racism and the need for racial equity.  There’s some gender equity issue too as some stats show that girls are not as good at math as boys.

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