Back in 2013, new regulations were passed that made changes to what the high school graduation requirements would be for the students. This brought up some concern and the concern was most evident from the business community. The new requirements brought five different ways so that a student could graduate high school. Only one of those ways made higher math courses a focus and for all other students the higher math classes become optional.
Concerns about graduation requirement changes highlight importance of math.
This change concerned many because of the belief that if the classes aren’t mandatory, then they won’t be taken. Originally when the changes were made to the requirements to graduate there wasn’t enough data to show that this might not have been the best course of study but that isn’t the case anymore. There seems to be a correlation to the types of courses taken in high school and the likelihood of completing college.
Students who took any Advanced Placement math were three times more likely to complete college than those who took just Algebra II. So the more rigorous math courses our students take, the better their chances get.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- The ability to work through the Algebra II, the Precalculus in high school prepares young adults with skills to succeed.
- Texas passage of House Bill 5 in 2013, lowering the math requirement, lowers chance of success in college and life. The E3 Alliance study confirms the Texas business concerns about limiting the math requirement.
- Pass Algebra II, a one in five chance getting a higher education versus pass pre-calculus, one in two.
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