http://www.city-journal.org/2012/cjc0914bezw.htmlZE�EV WURMAN AND BILL EVERS
Out of the Equation
California courts educational failure if it does away with eighth-grade algebra.
City Journal
14 September 2012
A bill sitting on Governor Jerry Brown�s desk would upend 15 years of achievement in mathematics by California students. Sponsored by Oakland Democratic senator Loni Hancock, Senate Bill 1200 would consign the Golden State�s eighth-grade students to a weakened, one-size-fits-all, pre-algebra curriculum prescribed by the Common Core national standards. No longer would qualified California eighth-graders have the opportunity to take Algebra I, as do their peers in high-performing countries. SB 1200 is so wrongheaded, in fact, that it would prohibit schools from offering any options in mathematics, even to high school students. The bill insists that only �one set of standards� be offered at �each grade level� across the entire K�12 span.
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Is this true? It sounds wacky even for California.
