Trend-starting Texas drops algebra II mandate

[SheilaT]

120. That is a very important point.

If I could be dictator of the entire school system, I'd cut up all coursework, especially starting at the junior high level, into six week long modules. You'd be required to complete the right kind of modules to add up to appropriate graduation requirements. Some, like history and literature modules, could be quite independent of any kind of sequencing. Others, like math, science, foreign language, would of course need to be completed in sequence.

The value of my modules would be that if a student isn't doing well at any point along the math, science, or foreign language sequence, they can just repeat that module. Obviously, my system requires that pretty much all modules be taught each six week period, which might be a bit problematical for some smaller schools, but there would be ways to figure this out. It has long struck me as absolutely nuts that if you flunk say Algebra I you have to take the entire year over, even if you simply fell apart at some point and then were lost for the rest of the year. Of course, the right kind of tutoring might solve this problem for many students, but often tutoring isn't readily available.

There is a problem with the lockstep approach, you're right. It's a solvable problem -- my solution may well be far from the best -- but the changes needed would be very hard to implement because there is so much inertia in the system.