Canyons School District Superintendent David Doty admits he was trying to be "a little provocative."
Two weeks ago from his seat at a statewide meeting of educational chieftans, Doty logged onto Twitter and posted a tweet challenging Utah State Superintendent Larry Shumway's philosophy on math standards. Shumway had just finished saying Utah's "math curriculum shouldn't automatically end in calculus for every student" -- a sentiment Doty shared with his 859 followers, labeling it, "Curious."
Within minutes, Doty's tweet surfaced in a popular education listserv, resulting in a reportedly "cordial" conversation between the two superintendents. But if it sparks candid debate about math reform, so be it, says Doty.
"I was trying to be a little provocative, not critical," said Doty. "I respect Shumway. But to the extent that he and others are advancing a dual- or triple-track curriculum, I have a philosophical disagreement with that."
Doty and Shumway agree Utah's high school standards are inadequate. They support upping graduation requirements from three years of math to four.
Where the superintendents differ is on the type of math that should be taught.
Shumway likes the idea of a dual track that requires some level of Algebra, and then lets students choose between calculus and quantitative reasoning or statistics.
"Calculus isn't relevant to all students. It's critical for those looking to become engineers or study science and economics," said Shumway. "t universities don't require it of nurses or performing arts majors."
Doty, on the other hand, prefers a single track geared to preparing all students for college. That means completing Algebra II, at minimum, he says.
"I'm not so rigid as to say that every child has to have calculus to be successful," said Doty. "But it opens the door to certain college and career opportunities."
Studies show advanced math counts more than anything when it comes to succeeding in college, more than a student's race, family income or ACT scores. Students who go beyond Algebra II -- taking calculus, pre-calculus or trigonometery -- double their chances of earning a bachelor's degree, a seminal study by the U.S. Department of Education study showed.
And growth in math-intensive, science and engineering jobs is outpacing overall job growth by three to one, according to the National Science Board.
Such evidence has prompted at least 20 states to adopt more rigorous, "default" math standards.
Utah is not among them. Only recently did the Utah State Board of Education mandate three years of math. Algebra II is not required.
As a result, many college freshmen find themselves playing catch-up and paying for remedial courses, says University of Utah math department chairman Aaron Bertram.
"We see two groups of students, those who are well-prepared for advanced concepts and those who struggle and seem to have forgotten what they've learned. I'm talking about basic addition," said Bertram.
Without getting too hung up on course titles, Bertram said Algebra I is "absolutely essential" for college readiness and most math professors recommend Algebra II. He sees some merit in introducing high schoolers to statistics, but says the danger of having two tracks is one gets "watered down."
The bigger problem may be cultural.
Americans openly fear and loathe math, said Betram. "Many stop taking math in the 10th grade, because they've finished their requirements, putting math off for two years or longer. That's a serious problem that seems to have little to do with what track they're on."
