Gazette: More algebra on tap for Montgomery students

Expansion of math goals part of six-year strategic education plan

by Andrew Ujifusa, Staff Writer

...As part of its long-term plan, the Montgomery County Board of Education last month approved a list of 19 academic goals that will have Superintendent Joshua P. Starr focused on Advanced Placement and SAT scores.
The targets, some of which extend to 2015, also include cutting the high school ineligibility rate for extracurricular activities based on grades... 

...However, the significant changes occur in math. The goals for algebra studies were listed as “to be determined” last year. But in this year’s six-year strategic plan, the school system wants 59 percent of students to finish Algebra 2 in their junior year of high school with at least a C; the school system wants 71 percent of students to complete Algebra 1 in the eighth grade with at least a C.
Students in Algebra 1, which for eighth-graders is an accelerated course, perform data analysis and study probability. Algebra 2 emphasizes polynomial functions and mathematical functions as they relate to ellipses and parabolas...