Local school district administrators welcomed a judge’s decision to halt the implementation of a state mandate requiring all eighth-graders to take algebra by 2012.

Officials in the Santa Maria-Bonita, Lompoc Unified, Lucia Mar Unified, Guadalupe Union and Orcutt Union school districts said that, while they have no objection to teaching eighth-graders algebra, they need to ensure that their students have the basics down first.

This, they said, means the state needs to give schools the time and the funding necessary to make such a large-scale curriculum overhaul — a change that promises to have a far-reaching effect on the manner and pace in which math is taught to all school-aged children, not just eighth-graders.

“From our viewpoint, we’re OK with setting the bar high ... I’m OK with that. But, you don’t want to shove a kid into something when they’re not ready for it,” said Bob Bush, Orcutt’s director of educational services.

In July, the California Department of Education stunned the educational community when it approved Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mandate requiring all eighth-graders to take algebra 1 — and be tested on it — by 2012.

Arguing that the board had made its decision in haste and hadn’t allowed for adequate public discourse, the Association of California School Administrators and the California School Boards Association filed a lawsuit against the state in September.

On Tuesday, Sacramento County Judge Shelleyanne Chang placed a restraining order on the mandate until the matter could be heard formally in court.

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“We’re kind of pleased that there’s been a little bit of a push back as far as the algebra is concerned to give us a little more time to think about it,” Lompoc Superintendent Frank Lynch said.

However, “I think the reality of it is that sooner or later (the mandate) is going to go through and we’re going to (have) to do it anyway.”

The good news is many local junior high students are already on track to meet the requirement if it becomes law.

Most local districts reported a majority of their eighth-graders already take algebra, with some students even enrolled in geometry — a subject typically taken as a sophomore.

That’s because the state set a standard five years ago stating eighth-grade students should learn algebra — and local schools have been striving to achieve this standard ever since.

But the difference between the standard and the mandate lies in the fact that the standard works like a guideline, while the mandate is a strict order.

Even worse, the mandate left districts with more questions than answers.

“The questions (were) in regards to what type of interventions do you put in place to get everyone there,” said Phil Alvarado, Santa Maria-Bonita assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. “Is the funding going to be there? Are the text books sequenced and properly written?”

Other issues included getting teachers certified to teach algebra and figuring out how schools would squeeze more math time into the day.

In the end, schools say they’ll be ready no matter the outcome of the pending court battle.

“You do want to set high expectations,” said Sharon Roemer, Lucia Mar’s assistant superintendent of instruction. But, “you want to have the preparation ready and in the intervention ready.”

October 30, 2008