District Revamps Math Curriculum

A new summer-school program, starting in 2001, will be offered to help Garden Grove Unified School District students complete algebra before high school graduation. Ultimately, district officials want all students to complete algebra by the ninth grade.

The revisions to the math curriculum are aimed at having students meet higher university admission requirements and state standards.

Jane Jones, director of instruction for grades seven to 12, presented updates to board members Tuesday night on some of the ongoing and possible changes underway for the district’s math program.

Jones said teachers, who are now given lists of specific math skills each grade level must meet, will decide which textbooks to buy in April.

Board members expressed support for requiring three years of math for high school graduation. Currently, the district requires two years, in addition to fulfilling a year of algebra.

But trustees voiced concerns over how having more rigorous requirements will affect students’ ability to take elective classes.

A possible solution may be to offer fine-arts classes that start earlier in the day, she said.

Jones, who expects to hire more math teachers, called these changes “a step in the right direction.”

“It makes it real clear, for teachers, what they’re supposed to teach,” she said.