SF Parents Demand Return of Algebra 1 to 8th-Grade Curriculum
SF Parents Call for Ballot Measure to Bring Back Algebra 1 for 8th-Graders
In a letter sent on July 12, the Friends of Lowell Foundation, a group of parents, urged the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to include a ballot measure in the 2024 election that would make Algebra 1 available again for 8th-grade students.
However, their wishes were not met when, on the same day, the California State Board of Education approved a new math framework that did not align with the parents’ concerns.
Rex Ridgeway, PTSA president of Abraham Lincoln High School and the author of the letter, expressed his disappointment, stating, “It’s a shame that our school kids in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) cannot access calculus due to the decision to move Algebra 1 to the ninth grade. This setback has pushed everything back for our students.”
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Mr. Ridgeway recalled the efforts made by hundreds of parents and residents who protested against SFUSD’s decision to remove Algebra 1 from the 8th grade back in 2014. Unfortunately, their concerns were disregarded.
In the letter, Mr. Ridgeway emphasized, “This terrible decision creates significant obstacles for our students who aspire to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).”
Early data presented by SFUSD showed a temporary decrease in Algebra 1 failure rates and an increase in the enrollment of students, particularly Black and Latino students, in higher-level math courses. However, the shift in the course sequence did not address the racial disparities in math education as promised by SFUSD. Research conducted by Stanford University Graduate School of Education revealed that “large ethnoracial gaps in advanced math course-taking remained” even after the change.
Under the previous course sequence, 13.8 percent of Latino students and 3.9 percent of African American students completed Algebra 2 by the end of 10th grade. However, these numbers have dropped to 6.2 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively, under the new course sequence, according to education watchdog Families for San Francisco.
Completion of Algebra 2 in the 10th grade is an important milestone as it determines whether students can pursue more advanced mathematics courses instead of the SFUSD-specific “compression” course. Mr. Ridgeway expressed concern for students who have the ability to excel in math but lack the knowledge and resources to navigate the system.
The Stanford research also revealed that SFUSD’s equity-focused mathematics reform initially led to a 15 percent decline in participation in Advanced Placement (AP) math, particularly among Asian/Pacific-Islander students and in AP Calculus. However, the reductions were mitigated by the growing participation in acceleration options, which come with additional costs and require extra effort from students.
Mr. Ridgeway shared the success story of his granddaughter, Josie, who attended summer classes in algebra before entering Lincoln High School as a 9th grader. As a result, she was able to take Algebra 1 and geometry in the same year, followed by Algebra 2 in the 10th grade. Josie even took a pre-calculus UC Berkeley accredited course and was prepared to take calculus before graduating. However, these additional classes cost Mr. Ridgeway over $1,800.
As an African American student, Josie Ridgeway represents one of the district’s few success stories.
SFUSD Superintendent Matt Wayne acknowledged the shortcomings of the current math approach during a mathematics workshop meeting on May 25, stating, “Based on our data, our current approach to math in SFUSD is not working. We’re not meeting our goals, especially for black and brown students, and we have not significantly increased access to higher-level math.”
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