An education committee recommended Tuesday that the land stop docking the test scores of districts that don't offer Algebra I in 8th course. The recommendation by the Public Schools Accountability Act Advisory Committee would contrary a decade-old practice and could get to the State Board of Education as early as next month.

Jenny Singh, administrator with CDE's academic accountability unit, explains the 8th grade math recommendation (click to enlarge).

Jenny Singh, administrator with CDE's bookish accountability unit, explains the 8th grade math recommendation (click to enlarge).

The Informational Committee is charged with suggesting changes to the country'due south schoolhouse accountability organization, the Bookish Performance Alphabetize or API. It will soon be transformed as a result of the switch from state tests to tests aligned to the new Common Core standards, as well as the passage of Senate Bill 1458, which requires that career and college readiness measures and loftier school graduation rates exist included, along with standardized test results, in the API.

On Tuesday, though, the committee dispensed with the controversial penalties and incentives surrounding 8th form math.

The State Board already has already adopted Common Core's pre-algebra form  as the new default curriculum for 8th form and stripped California's Algebra I standards from 8th grade. Near students will likely have the full Common Core Algebra I in 9th form. And so dropping the penalties for offering non-Algebra math would exist consistent with the Lath's intent and would mark the terminal move away from the policy of encouraging algebra-for-all in eighth grade.

Under the current accountability arrangement, students who take General Math instead of Algebra I in 8th grade are knocked down ane functioning level in their standardized math exam score, which then lowers their school'due south API score. A student who scores adept is dropped to basic, while a student who scores bones is knocked down to below basic – and then on. Students who take General Math in 9th form are lowered 2 levels.

Bill Honig, who chairs a commission advising the State School Board on Common Core, explains that the new 8th grade Common Core math will be more rigorous than General Math offered now to students not taking Algebra. To his left is State School Board member Trish Williams (click to enlarge).

Beak Honig, who chairs a committee advising the State Schoolhouse Board on Common Core, explains that the new eighth grade Common Core math will be more rigorous than Full general Math offered now to students not taking Algebra. To his left is Land Schoolhouse Board member Trish Williams.

A previous State Lath adopted the scoring disincentives a decade ago to prod districts, specially those with predominately minority students, to offer Algebra I in heart school to encourage more than students to pursue higher math and scientific discipline courses required for admission to 4-year state universities. And information technology worked – at least in part. Over the by nine years, overall enrollment in Algebra I in 8th class increased 41 percent, while the enrollments more than doubled for African American students and tripled for Hispanics. Proficiency rates slightly more doubled, to 34 percentage for African Americans and 42 pct for Hispanic students.

But that nonetheless left 60 percent of minority students less than proficient on their Algebra I standardized test. Studies by EdSource and recent research by WestEd concluded that too many 8th graders were beingness forced into Algebra I unprepared. Of those required to repeat information technology in high schoolhouse, the odds that a student would pass the CST a 2d time were less than 20 percent.

While "a noble and important cause and intention, the most recent written report showed in that location were a lot of bug with misplacement, with students hardly getting by Algebra I non to mention Algebra Two," said State Lath fellow member Trish Williams, the board's liaison to the advisory committee.

No longer lowering test scores for schools that offer General Math in 8th grade will cause overall API numbers to rise 2 points statewide and an average of 10 points for 7th and 8th grade API scores. However, a state Department of Education analysis projects that 40 percent of schools with 8th grade would not be affected (click to enlarge).

No longer lowering examination scores for schools that offer General Math in eighth grade volition cause overall API numbers to rise 2 points statewide and an average of 10 points for 7th and 8th grades. However, a state Department of Education analysis projects that 40 percent of schools with 8th grade would not be afflicted (click to enlarge).

Supporters of the current system predict a sharp drop in Algebra enrollment in 8th  grade nether Common Core. Certainly, without the sanctions, schools will feel less pressure level. A state Department of Education analysis projects that, with penalties removed, the average base of operations API score in 7th and 8th grades will automatically rising x points, from 792 to 802. While 40 pct of schools will meet no impact, thirty per centum will see their scores rising one to five points, and 16 pct will see a five to ten point gain.

Just Pecker Honig, a former state superintendent of public teaching and chairman of the commission advising the Land Board on Common Cadre implementation, said the goal is to be neutral and to identify students in the course they're ready to take. The eighth grade Common Core math will be far more rigorous than Full general Math, he said, and Algebra will comprise one third of the content. He indicated that the State Lath might consider rewarding students who do pass Mutual Core Algebra I in 8th form. Just the guess will be functioning in the course, not simply enrollment in it­ – an important stardom, he said.

The new assessments testing Common Core math standards are two years away. Until then, the current math tests, based on California math standards, will exist given. Nonetheless, the Country Lath will likely eliminate the Full general Math penalties now, in order to encourage districts to begin phasing in Mutual Core 8th  grade math.

Roger Yoho, cess and accountability manager for Corona-Norco Unified, emphasized the importance of that in his testimony. "I have principals proverb to me, 'We want to get into Mutual Core, just we are still held accountable for the API.' My reaction is to practice what's best for kids, just nosotros still have to worry virtually API scores for a agglomeration of reasons."

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