EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)—Seven of the 15 schools in El Paso ISD that have middle school classes will require all 8th-grade students to take Algebra 1 before high school. This significant change is a crucial step towards making it mandatory for all fifteen schools the following school year, underscoring the importance of this initiative.
“It’s critically important for us to build a strong college career and military readiness pipeline to our high schools. Typically, math is a gatekeeping course, so we want to make sure that we open that door of opportunity for our students, get them well trained and well prepared at the middle school level. So that when they hit high school, they’re prepared for some of the rigor they’ll face in science and math,” said EPISD Superintendent Diana Sayavedra, emphasizing the positive impact this initiative will have on students’ future academic and career paths, instilling a sense of optimism in the audience.
Saavedra said they’re launching the initiative with only half of the schools this year to assess how students and teachers adjust to the change.
“I think that one of the reasons why we pilot prior to scaling a program like that, is to build the infrastructure, make sure that we work out any kinks or any thing that we might not have anticipated. So that when we expand to scale at all middle school campuses, we have a robust, high quality program and we can really meet the needs of all of our students,” Sayavedra said, assuring the audience of the thorough planning and consideration that has gone into this initiative. The expansion is expected to take place [specific timeline for the expansion].
You can find the schools that are part of the pilot program for the 2024-2025 school year below:
Brown Middle School
Canyon Hills Middle School
Charles Middle School
Guillen Middle School
Tinajero PK-8
Bobby Joe Hill PK-8
Wiggs Middle School
Ross Moore, president of the El Paso American Federation of Teachers, said the district is launching this initiative without properly preparing students and teachers for the transition.
“As you get an initiative, you time it, you plan it. (Consider) ‘Okay, if we do this, what will be the effects? What are we going to have to take off our teachers’ plates if we put this on them? You don’t just throw an idea out there and hope it sticks,”‘ said Moore.
He worries that not all students will be prepared to take the advanced math course, so teachers will not be able to adjust to each student’s needs.
“Teachers need to be able to differentiate (students’ readiness), and that means whether to slow things down, speed things up, or reteach,” Moore said.
He also rejects the idea that all students should be forced to take advanced math, as only some are seeking a career or livelihood that demands those courses.
“Why do I need three years of math to be a lawyer? Why do I need three years of math to be a journalist?… Why buttonhole a kid into it? Particularly if they don’t like it? They go into something they don’t like, that they don’t understand, where the teacher is not allowed to teach, but rather just run these computers. That’s going to end up messy, and that’s going to hurt the kid and their desire to learn.”
Despite the challenges, Saavedra expressed her confidence in the adaptability of students, assuring that they can rise to the occasion and ‘meet the expectation’ set for them.
Emphasizing the importance of setting high expectations, Saavedra noted that it is a crucial step in enhancing the quality of instruction and the learning experiences for our students, inspiring us to strive for excellence.
In 2023, the Texas Legislature passed a law requiring all school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to develop an advanced mathematics program that will prepare middle school students for Algebra 1 in 8th grade.
The new legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 2124, has a significant impact on students. According to the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) website, it requires schools to automatically enroll all 6th-grade students in an advanced math course if they placed in the top 40% on the 5th-grade State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) mathematics exam.
“Going above and beyond what the state requires? I don’t think you guys have an idea of how many mandates the state puts on the district,” Moore said. Why jump on another one (initiative)? (Teachers) are putting in an average of 50-55 hours per week with what the district has on their plate now…I have members who are going to four different campuses in one day.”
Moore’s concerns underscore the need for a balanced approach to implementing the advanced mathematics program. He worries that the current focus on ‘looking good’ and achieving marks, such as having 100% of students in Algebra, may come at the expense of students and teachers.
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