When I was in high school in the early eighties, my high school only required two math units ( out of 18 total units) to graduate. There was a college prep track which included algebra I, geometry, algebra II, advance algebra and trig ( precalculus ), and calculus. There was also a general track which required two units of general math. As such, the college prep math classes were rigorous because the students actually wanted to learn the math. Those that had no interest in learning how to solve an equation would take the units of general math.
Today in the same high school all students are either on a college prep track or an honors track. A minimum of four math units are required for a high school diploma. Because all students are required to take Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II, the range of abilities in a class is very broad. There are students that learn the math As soon as they are presented with a math topic while there are other students who are still not proficient with basic arithmetic such as adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers and working with fractions. The result of this is that the math classes either have to be dummed down for the slower students or the bottom third of the students will end up failing the math classes. Since the graduation rate of the school would be unacceptable if a third of the students couldn't pass math, the classes are dummed down. As such, the students that will go on to careers that will use advance mathematics suffer because the classes are not as rigorous as they could be. Many people, once they get out of high school never solve equations again in their lives. Should all high school students be pushed through the advanced maths like algebra, geometry (with algebra and proofs) even when they are not proficient with basic math?
