Frustrated parents and some city officials are seeking to undo 10 years of limited access to advanced math courses in middle schools in San Francisco by putting the matter to voters in the form of a ballot measure.
“Removing access to eighth grade Algebra 1 was an experiment. ... and it failed,” the SF Guardians, a group founded by parents to recall members of the school board and now focused on math policies, wrote on its website. “It’s time to bring algebra back.”
In a controversial decision, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) board of directors passed a so-called detracking initiative in February 2014 that removed Algebra I from middle school curriculums, with officials writing on the district’s website that such a move was needed to level the playing field for all students.
“The SFUSD math course sequence ensures a solid middle-grades foundation that not only supports all students to successfully meet the [University of California] requirement, but also prepares them for college mathematics,” the district’s math department’s website reads. “Having one core sequence provides focus and coherence as schools and teachers implement the [Common Core standards] and supports equity by creating a path for all students to experience rigorous mathematics.”
While the district declared the move a success as early as 2018, pointing to higher enrollment rates for black and brown students, a series of academic studies suggested that students benefit from the advanced opportunities that were removed.
“Our findings suggest that a comprehensive tracking program that establishes a separate classroom in every school for the top‐performing students could significantly boost the performance of the most talented students in even the poorest neighborhoods, at little or no cost to other students or the District’s budget,” researchers from the University of California–Berkeley concluded in a report published in the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2014—the same year that the board removed access to advanced math courses.
Now five San Francisco supervisors—Joel Engardio, Ahsha Safaí, Myrna Melgar, Catherine Stefani, and Matt Dorsey—have signed on to a ballot initiative designed to pressure the district to change its curriculum policies and reintroduce algebra into middle school curriculums.
“We make everyone wait until ninth grade because some kids aren’t ready for algebra sooner,” Mr. Engardio posted on Sep. 25 on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Let’s better prepare all students instead of holding back kids who love math.”
The measure, to be determined by voters in San Francisco during the March 5, 2024, primary election, declares the county’s and city’s intentions to urge the school district to make algebra classes available to students by eighth grade.
“By delaying algebra, math-loving kids in San Francisco are punished because they won’t be able to take calculus coursework by high school graduation—and this hurts college options,” Mr. Engardio wrote.
If the initiative is approved, the district will be asked to develop comprehensive math curriculums for elementary and middle school students that facilitate advanced progress for students who are excelling in coursework.
Currently, all students are forced to take the same courses in middle school, while prior to 2014, the district allowed for a variety of paths based on students’ academic abilities.
The policy is preventing advanced students from accessing advanced placement calculus and statistics courses while in high school, according to supporters of the ballot initiative.
The stated goal of the initiative is to create a “student-centered” approach in which those who need more instruction are provided with support and those who are advancing more quickly than average have opportunities to explore their academic potential.
“It is crucial for educators and guidance personnel to advise pupils and parents on the importance of accurate mathematics placement and its impact on future college eligibility,” the proposal reads.
The school district didn’t respond to requests for comment by press time.
