The National Pulse reported on April 25 that the Virginia Department of Education has decided to “eliminate all math enhancement courses through 11th grade” in an effort to combat so-called math “inequities. This is allegedly the latest in a series of proposals to address racial inequities in schools.
Ian Serotkin, a school board member in Loudoun County, Virginia, said Algebra I and II would be eliminated and Geometry would be eliminated. All math improvement courses through 11th grade will be eliminated,” he said. All 6th graders will take Foundational Concepts 6 (Foundational Concepts6); all 7th graders will take Foundational Concepts 7; all 10th graders will take Basic Concepts 10; and only in 11th and 12th grade will there be the opportunity to take Math Improvement courses.”
Seloquin noted that this would provide “a pathway for every student to take calculus or higher math exams at the end of high school.”
Virginia’s math class initiative begins gradually in 2022 and will be implemented more fully in the 2025-2026 school year. Virginia is also considering eliminating the advanced high school diploma to increase “equity,” including racial “equity.
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