State Board to take more time examining math requirements

In other news from the State Board of Education meeting, which took place Nov. 1-2, the Board has decided to extend their timeline for recommendations on what level of skills should be required in Washington’s third credit of high school math.

During the last session, the legislature required that the SBE “revise high school graduation requirements to include a minimum of three credits of mathematics and prescribe the mathematics content in the three required credits.” The Board was supposed to do this work by Dec. 1, 2007. They have decided to postpone their recommendations until January, in order to continue outreach and gather more public comment.

For faithful readers of our blog, you already know that the State Superintendent's Office is in the midst of revising the state's math standards through the 11th-grade. These revisions are due to the legislature in late January. I sit on the State Board's math subcommittee and the mismatch between these two timelines was a big topic of conversation at the meeting. I'm sure it was also a factor in the State Board's decision to delay their vote on math.

We’re glad the Board has decided to take their time and examine what math education in Washington should truly look like to meet the challenges of tomorrow. That said, we also hope the Board does not lose momentum on making this important decision.

What do you think the third credit of high school math should look like?