Algebra has long been a fundamental part of any high school math curriculum. In many places it’s become a fundamental part of the middle school math curriculum, too.
In recent years, more students have begun taking Algebra 1 in eighth or even seventh grade — something that was fairly uncommon just three decades ago, when the vast majority of students were taking it in high school.
“Without a doubt, there has been a shift — not necessarily a good shift — toward getting Algebra 1 done in eighth grade,” says Kevin Dykema, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and a middle school math teacher in Michigan.
Some experts believe this shift is linked to an increased sense of pressure on students to take calculus in high school, in order to gain an edge in college admissions. Math classes at the middle and high school level typically follow this sequence: pre-algebra, Algebra 1, geometry, Algebra 2, pre-calculus, calculus. Students who take Algebra 1 in eighth grade and do well enough in the course to qualify for geometry in ninth grade are on track to take calculus before graduating from high school.
And while many students are indeed well-prepared to take Algebra 1 in eighth grade, Dykema says families should make that decision because the student enjoys and excels at math, not simply because the student wants to get to calculus.
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So, when is the right time for students to enroll in Algebra 1? While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, experts say there are a few telltale signs that a student is ready to take algebra in middle school, such as a genuine love of math and a firm grasp of concepts like proportions and fractions.
If you’re not so sure about the timing of your child’s Algebra 1 course, here are some things to consider.
When Do Most Students Take Algebra 1?
Historically speaking, Algebra 1 has been reserved for ninth or tenth grade, and research indicates the majority of students still wait until high school for this course. About a quarter of the nation’s eighth graders took Algebra 1 in the 2015-2016 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
However, the proportion of middle school students taking algebra has grown significantly over the past few decades. According to a 2013 report from the Brookings Institution, the number of students taking Algebra 1 or a more advanced math course (such as geometry) in eighth grade nearly tripled between 1990 and 2011, with nearly half the country’s eighth graders taking Algebra 1 or higher by 2011. The widespread adoption of Common Core in 2010 likely curtailed this growth a bit, with eighth grade math classes becoming a more rigorous preparatory course for algebra in high school.
“My concern is that (the decision to take Algebra 1 early) is often motivated by the thought that if I don’t take seventh grade algebra, then I won’t be able to take calculus as a junior — and then I won’t be as competitive for top-tier universities,” says Terrie Galanti, a former K-12 math teacher who is now an assistant professor in the College of Education at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
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Alexander Karp, the program director of the mathematics education program at Teachers College, Columbia University, says the timing of Algebra 1 also depends in part on a student’s location and specific school.
Although the vast majority of students will have to take the course at some point in order to graduate from high school, students in certain districts may not have the opportunity to take Algebra 1 in middle school, either due to a lack of resources or simply because they couldn’t get into the course. According to the Department of Education, 80% of eighth graders had access to Algebra 1 in the 2015 school year.
And in some places, all students take Algebra 1 in ninth grade. In 2014, San Francisco schools stopped offering accelerated middle school math classes and made Algebra 1 a ninth-grade math requirement, an attempt to close achievement gaps between disadvantaged students and those from more privileged backgrounds.
Pre-Algebra vs. Algebra 1
The concepts and skills taught in Algebra 1 — solving for different variables, graphing functions, etc. — can be fairly complex at first. Before taking Algebra 1, there are several prerequisite skills students should have experience with to ensure success.
That’s where pre-algebra comes in.
“Many students would benefit from more opportunities in the pre-algebra realm to think about fractions, proportions and ratios, as opposed to moving more quickly into the more abstract kinds of mathematics,” Galanti says.
A pre-algebra course gives students the fundamental knowledge they’ll need to do well when it comes time to take Algebra 1. Pre-algebra introduces topics like percentages, decimals and linear equations — all of which will be useful for students in Algebra 1.
Should My Child Take Algebra 1 Early?
Although taking Algebra 1 in eighth grade or even seventh grade can put students on track to take calculus before they complete high school, it’s important to note that not everyone is ready to take Algebra 1 in middle school.
“When students feel successful with what they’re doing, when they enjoy what they’re doing, they’re that much more likely to continue in that math,” Dykema says. “We need to continually ask, ‘Are we opening up opportunities or are we closing opportunities for some of our students?'”
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While taking calculus in high school may boost a students’ college admission chances, Dykema adds that plenty of students who wait to take calculus until college are just as successful as their counterparts who took it early, so it’s not necessary to rush a student into taking Algebra 1. Instead of worrying about whether their child is on track to take calculus before finishing high school, he says, parents should be more concerned with whether or not their child leaves high school with a strong mathematical foundation on which to build and whether the student can apply math skills to real-world scenarios.
“There are many students who are taking calculus in college who are successful — calculus does not need to be a high school class,” he says. “We do not need calculus to get into a college.”
In addition to having a firm grasp of the topics addressed in pre-algebra courses, Karp says you can gauge students’ readiness for Algebra 1 by their experience in previous math classes. He adds that a good sense of logical reasoning is a sign that a student could be ready for Algebra 1.
Galanti also advises parents to reflect on their children’s behavior at home when it comes to math — if they seem to struggle with math anxiety or spend an excessive amount of time doing practice problems before feeling comfortable with a concept, they may not be ready to take Algebra 1 until high school.
On the flipside, she says, those who tend to do well in their math courses and genuinely seem to enjoy math are likely well-positioned to take Algebra 1 early.
“If they’re curious and they enjoy mathematics — if they enjoy thinking about numbers and how quantities are related — that is a sign that, yes, this faster pathway may work nicely for them,” Galanti says.
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In What Grade Should You Take Algebra 1? originally appeared on usnews.com
