Ogden Kids Must Take More Math, Science

Ogden School District’s current crop of freshmen will be the first class to feel the impact of a new rule passed Wednesday that requires they take more math and science in order to graduate.

The five-member board of education was unanimous in its decision.

“They’re adamant about wanting to keep kids engaged in math,” district spokeswoman Debbie Hefner said.

A positive side effect may be that some students won’t be as apt to “goof off” their senior year, a time when many students have all the required credits they need.

The Ogden School District will require high school students to take four years of math and earn an additional science credit before graduating.

Students used to need two science credits to graduate; now they’ll need three.

Students also currently need two math credits — that won’t change. But now they’ll have to enroll in math all four years of high school, with a goal of becoming competent in elementary algebra and geometry. Accelerated students will be expected to take other classes, from consumer math to calculus.

Elective requirements will dip from 10 to nine credits to make room for the additional science credit. Also, four of the elective credits would be focused in areas of interest corresponding with students’ small learning communities, where students focus course work in disciplines that interest them, such as arts.

The plan will first affect the class of 2008.

“(Students) have mixed feelings,” said Ben Lomond principal Ben Smith, who supports the plan. “But parent feedback has been positive.”

Hefner said some students preparing for a college career know what it takes in high school to make a successful transition and are already taking the extra math and science. “While they may not like it,” she said, “they realize its importance.”

Ogden High School principal Ed Jenson said the recommendation of tougher standards was based on research that showed students who take more math, science and language arts score higher on ACT college entrance tests than students who take fewer courses in each subject.

“The trick has been math — math is really challenging for many, many students,” Jensen said.

Many of those students already have difficulties with the English language, he added. Recognizing that some students take a lot longer to master mathematical concepts, the new plan affords them time to demonstrate competency in algebra and geometry.

Jensen said that 85 percent of the jobs available right now require the same higher levels of math and science that many colleges require of entering freshmen.

The plan resembles parts of Performance Plus, the State Board of Education’s proposal to base the school system on student competence, or what children know and can do rather than how many classes they’ve sat through.

It also is aimed at better preparing students for college and the work force and making the high school experience more meaningful.

Public schools have been criticized for years for allowing kids to coast, especially in the senior year.

E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com; sspeckman@desnews.com