Texas’ math standards are “clearly inferior” to recently developed national Core Standards but the state’s English/language arts standards are considered better than Core Standards according to a report authored by the inestimable Sheila Byrd Carmichael, released last month by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
Though vastly greater percentages of Texas Class of 2010 graduates are completing courses in statistics, algebra II and pre-calculus, the contents of those courses are again being called into question by credible sources.
When the State Board of Education adopted new math standards in 2005, educators recommended—and the board adopted—primarily cosmetic changes in format, organization and grammar. This was a missed opportunity, as the Austin Chamber noted at the time. With available, quality Core Curriculum standards available, written by noted scholars (including Austin’s own Kaye Forgione), the State Board of Education should now act quickly to adopt those national standards and ensure Texas’ math standards are on par with those in China, India and Europe, much less with the average for the rest of the country.
Competitiveness will also likely require Texas to again include the expectation in the Recommended Program that students complete a math course beyond algebra II, not the watered-down Math Modeling course. The Charles A. Dana Center has created a hands-on course, with appropriate rigor and content, called the Advanced Mathematical Decision Making, which can provide additional options. But if future graduates are to invest for a home and their own retirement, manage their own health accounts, and have the math capability to start their own business–especially if they are not going to college–they need exposure to at least statistics.
