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Some Willow Glen High School seniors may be able to don the cap and gown in June without fulfilling their algebra I graduation requirement.
San Jose Unified School District officials have submitted a petition to the California State Board of Education to waive the algebra requirement for 23 students throughout the district. According to San Jose Unified School District director of curriculum Joana French, the students who need the waiver are mainly in special education or critical alternative programs.
According to the assistant principal of instruction, Terri Freedman, Willow Glen High School has 16 special-education students currently enrolled in algebra. Principal Elaine Farace said she hopes the waiver will be applied to any of these students—in special education or critical alternative programs—at risk of failing algebra, although at press time, she didn't know how many students would need the waiver to graduate.
"This is the only year the state of California will accept this waiver," French said.
San Jose Unified School District governing board member and Willow Glen resident Carol Myers says she is hesitant to accept this "quick fix" because she sees the same problem arising for next year's graduating seniors. She said that in future years, more options should be considered, such as intense tutorials for special-education students or the development of an incremental-progress program.
"It may be necessary to come up with another set of special-education standards," she said. "We may need to take some special-education students who are struggling year after year to pass algebra out of the general testing pool."
Before the 200405 school year commences, French said, letters will be sent to Willow Glen High School parents, informing them of the mandatory algebra requirement for graduation. She said students will be given full opportunity next year to fulfill this math prerequisite to graduate.
The decision about whether to waive algebra for students in the 2004 graduating class—12,728 throughout California—will be made during a May 13 California State Board of Education meeting.
Although French believes the board will recommend passage of the waiver, should it fail, 22 students would not meet the graduation requirements for the class of 2004.
The California Department of Education's current education code requires all graduating seniors to complete three years of math.
For more information, contact San Jose Unified School District director of curriculum Joana French at 408.535.6348.
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