Inclusive Math Opportunities
Dante Daniel (10-3)
Photo courtesy of Dante Daniel (10-3)
For many years at Masterman, there were two traditional paths for math: the regular math path, in which students take Pre-Algebra in 7th grade; and the advanced math path, where students skip Pre-Algebra and take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. A student’s placement was determined by a test students took at the end of sixth grade, among other factors. While this system worked for several years, it was flawed.
Some students who took the regular path found that they wanted to switch to the advanced math path in order to take AP math courses in 11th grade like Calculus AB or BC. But due to the rigidity of the system, only a handful of students were able to change. As a result, some students would be stuck fully satisfied with for the rest of high school.
Fortunately, tradition doesn’t always last, and a change finally happened during the 2021-2022 school year. Several students voiced their desire to advance to higher math courses, and the Math Department acknowledged them. They advocated for summer classes that would allow regular path students to catch up to advanced math students. The idea was that regular path 9th graders would take Algebra 2 over the summer to qualify for Precalculus the following school year, and regular path 10th graders would take precalculus over the summer to qualify for an AP Calculus class the following year. After collaborating with Dr. Payne and doing some brainstorming, the Math Department finally created a plan.
Students who want to take this opportunity fill in a Google Form to enter the roster list. Then, the parents or guardians of all the eligible students on the roster fill in a form of consent. From there, students take an online asynchronous Algebra 2 course or Precalculus course over the summer. To advance to the next course, students have to earn a B or higher on online assessments. According to the official flier, the math courses would take between 100-180 hours total; about 1-2 hours of daily studying to complete it.
This plan devised by the Math Department did have its fair share of challenges as well. The main challenge was establishing the opportunity. All parties involved - the Math Department, Dr. Payne, and Mr. Roache (the teacher responsible for rostering) had to be on the same page about all parts of the process. Another challenge was securing access to the math courses. The Math Department had to find a good place for students to take the courses, and after a while, they landed on Edgenuity. If Edgenuity had not been available, plan B would have been Think Well.
One other challenge arose after students were given the google forms. Turns out, many students were considering this opportunity, and teachers soon realized that the roster for the summer opportunities was too tight for all the students that wanted to do it! The way they dealt with this challenge was by kindly asking students to carefully reflect on why they wanted to do this opportunity, and asking students to be absolutely sure of their choice. If some students weren’t completely sure, then they wouldn’t be offered the opportunity, since both courses require a great deal of independent studying and commitment that the unsure student might not give.
According to Mrs. Siu, a Math Department Facilitator, the students she is recommending this opportunity to, are students who do well in independent study, and simply want to learn more math within their four years of high school. Her general advice in regards to the opportunity is, “regardless of students’ choice to take this summer opportunity or not, as long as students take Calculus in high school, they can have a wonderful math or science career in life.” Essentially, this summer opportunity does not determine your professional future, it only determines your high school future.
While this opportunity is wonderful for students who choose it, it is only going to happen this year. Starting next year, 9th graders will be allowed to choose what math path they want to go on. They won’t need this opportunity because they will already have the opportunity in 9th grade to choose!
This story is the perfect example of the importance of people advocating for themselves. All of this arose from a group of students voicing their concerns! It shows that the voices of the students do matter, and numerous other amazing changes here at Masterman and elsewhere are possible, if students use their voice to advocate for themselves and others.