In a new article for the ComMuniCator, the quarterly journal of the California Mathematics Council, Just Equations founder and executive director Pamela Burdman explores the updates and implications of changes to high school mathematics requirements from the University of California, particularly for Algebra II and the future of data science and statistics courses.
Recently, after more than fifteen months of debate, the University of California clarified the new status of high school mathematics courses:
These updates are significant, given the increasing importance of data fluency and statistical literacy across academic and career fields. The clarifications are important because of the confusing and controversial process that led up to them.
Uncertainty has led some high schools to pause or terminate offerings such as data science, even as California’s new Mathematics Framework seeks to strengthen instruction in data literacy and data science. The recent clarifications make it clear that data science and other non-algebra-intensive courses have a green light as part of a high school mathematics sequence, even though they will not replace the Algebra II requirement.
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