DETROIT — Detroit Public Schools seventh-graders will be required to take pre-algebra classes beginning this fall, according to a report at Mlive.com.
The move is part of the district's five-year academic improvement plan, which also calls for eighth-graders to begin taking Algebra I, Mlive.com reported.
The district's chief academic officer, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, said in a statement, "Every child must be prepared for college when they leave Detroit Public Schools, and this is one of the most important steps toward getting us to that point."
Last year Detroit students registered the lowest math scores in the history of National Assessment of Educational Progress standardized testing, Mlive.com reported. Currently, Detroit seventh-graders learn general math concepts.
Students beginning ninth grade this fall will be required to take pre-algebra and level-one algebra to meet the goals of the five-year plan.
SOURCE:
Mlive.com, "Detroit Public Schools requiring seventh-graders
to take pre-algebra classes," July 30, 2010
FURTHER READING:
MichiganVotes, "2009 Senate Bill 757 (Reduce high school
graduation standards)"
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