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Twice this year, the University of California faculty broadly reaffirmed which high school math courses are required for admissions. However, many school counselors and students, along with the president of the State Board of Education, complain they’re confused by a lack of details.
High schools want to know if their specific course offerings comply with UC requirements. Depending on a student’s interests and intended majors, counselors want to know which courses to recommend. And students want to know if taking less Algebra-intensive math classes like statistics and data science could affect their chances of getting admitted the campus of their choice.
Schools and districts must have “clear, timely and consistent information” so that students and families “understand the impact of their choices,” wrote State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond in a July 15 letter to the UC board of regents.
Prodded by a regents committee, administrators with the University of California Office of the President last week promised to provide more clarity by the end of the summer.
“I feel like we’re not coming at this from a student perspective. I feel we’re coming at this from an academic perspective, and I would really encourage all of us to maybe flip that a little bit, put yourselves in the shoes of a rising sophomore, a rising junior,” regent Alfonso Salazar, who is president of the UC Alumni Associations, said at the meeting. “That would be incredibly helpful because people are very nervous and concerned.”
The confusion centers on the ongoing debate over whether AP Statistics or data science can be substituted for Algebra 2. Over the past decade, the UC faculty committee that determines course requirements approved AP Statistics and, more recently, introductory data science courses as substitutes for Algebra 2, which UC requires for admission. Those decisions will also apply to California State University, whose A-G course requirements for admission are nearly identical for the 23 CSU campuses.
But faced with strong objections from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professors, the faculty committee did a hurried about-face in July 2023, days before the state board adopted a math framework that outlined sequences of high school math courses. The faculty committee voted that AP Stats and introductory data science would no longer “validate” or substitute for Algebra 2, starting in the fall of 2025.
The STEM community argued that the courses lacked sufficient Algebra 2 content to prepare students for precalculus, which is a precursor to calculus. Majoring in data science, computer science, and STEM all require calculus. Students who take introductory data science would be under the illusion they are ready to major in data science. UC and many CSU campuses don’t offer catch-up courses in Algebra 2.
Since 1999, the number of students majoring in STEM more than tripled, from 14,081 to 48,851 in 2022. The proportion of STEM majors at UC increased from 32% to 44% of all majors, according to UC data.
The immediate impact of the decision is expected to be limited, since more than 99% of applicants to UC have taken Algebra 2 anyway, according to UC data. But interest in data science, in a world of burgeoning AI and uses for big datasets, has been mushrooming, and promoters pointed to introductory data as a way to skip Algebra 2.
The faculty committee, the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools or BOARS, reaffirmed that position in February when it accepted a faculty workgroup’s report. The report examined the content of AP Statistics and the three most popular introductory data science courses and found “that none of these courses labeled as ‘data science’ even come close to meeting the required standard to be a ‘more advanced’ course (Algebra 2). They should be called “data literacy” courses, it said.
But where, Darling-Hammond asked in her letter, does that leave the status of potentially hundreds of other courses in data science, financial math and non-AP statistics that UC previously validated as satisfying Algebra 2?
“Most districts will be starting the new school year in less than a month without sufficient clarity regarding the mathematics courses they will offer moving forward,” she wrote. “But the committee’s criteria and process are not yet fully transparent, and it has only evaluated four courses out of the hundreds that have previously been approved.”
One complication facing BOARS and staff within the UC Office of the President, which annually evaluates courses that school districts submit for approval, is that there are no state standards for data literacy. Each course must be examined independently.
Darling-Hammond’s letter raised a critical, intertwined issue: How will UC categorize introductory data science and other courses as fourth-year high school math courses?
Neither UC nor CSU requires that high school graduates take four years of math, but they highly recommend it. According to UC data, about 80% of UC applicants take at least one course in advanced math beyond Algebra 2, usually precalculus or both precalculus and AP Statistics. The report did not include comparable CSU data.
BOARS created a second, 12-member faculty workgroup of STEM professors to examine what math courses will best prepare students to succeed at UC in whatever field they choose. A report in June agreed that the current three required foundational math courses make sense: Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra 2, or Math 3 in districts that offer an integrated math sequence. It also emphasized that “to be recommended for a fourth year of mathematics study, (a course) must build substantially on the content of the lower-level sequence.”
With that in mind, the report, which BOARS adopted, divided high school math courses into four categories:
Advocates for introductory data science argue that many of their courses cover the same Common Core statistic standards as AP Statistics yet could be cast into the lowest category. Counselors may discourage students from taking data science, and districts may retreat from offering it. That would stunt the growth of data science at a time when other states are encouraging it, said Aly Martinez, who helped design a two-year high school introductory data science and statistics course for San Diego Unified, using CourseKata, a college course.
“Other states are thinking about a wider range of rigorous math courses. California is not doing that. Many districts have done these innovations and seen success. It’s frustrating; it feels like California is closing the door versus opening it,” said Martinez, who is now the chief program officer for the national nonprofit Student Achievement Partners.
Cole Samson, incoming president of the California Mathematics Council, seconded the call for more clarity. The latest UC faculty report “absolutely causes some confusion; it did not outline enough for the next steps,” he said.
High schools that submit math courses for approval in fall 2025 will need clear guidance and feedback on how to revise courses, said Sampson, who is director of curriculum, instruction and accountability for the Kern County superintendent of schools. Whether courses are approved or how they are categorized will affect student choices and master schedules. “UC should be mindful of local impacts,” he said.
UC Provost Katherine Newman acknowledged the need for more information at the regents meeting. “There’s work to be done to communicate what those recommendations mean, she said, adding “I don’t sense amongst my colleagues any hostility toward data science.” On the contrary, she said that UC will work with “our K through 12 partners” to bolster data science courses so that students are well-prepared when they enter UC.
At the end of their June report, the UC math faculty members acknowledged that many high school students find math courses, especially Algebra 2, “overfull of content” and uninteresting. They suggested the UC form another committee to look deeper into how high school math courses can be improved to help students better understand the mathematical concepts. Members should include faculty with expertise in improving the quality of K-12 math.
Another workgroup examining math content, consisting of faculty from UC, CSU and community colleges, may examine this issue of alternative math courses in a report due later this summer.
Sampson said he would welcome that broader opportunity. Many students view Algebra 2 as irrelevant and dull, he said. “It needs a makeover,” he said. “I would champion designing new courses.”
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he article was clarified to note that introductory data science courses contain far less algebra content than Algebra II but are not necessarily less rigorous. It noted that UC’s and CSU’s course requirements for admission are nearly identical, but have minor differences. The misidentification of Provost Katherine Newman was corrected.
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Thanks for a balanced article. I would suggest a correction to one sentence: “Students who take introductory data science would be under the illusion they are ready to major in data science.” Change “would” to “could”. Students don’t assume that their biology course is sufficient to major in biology, nor chemistry in chemistry, nor physics in physics. So why should they assume and introduction to data science is sufficient to major in … Read More
Thanks for a balanced article. I would suggest a correction to one sentence: “Students who take introductory data science would be under the illusion they are ready to major in data science.” Change “would” to “could”. Students don’t assume that their biology course is sufficient to major in biology, nor chemistry in chemistry, nor physics in physics. So why should they assume and introduction to data science is sufficient to major in data science? One hopes that they’ll be inspired by the course, just as many students find their spark in, say, biology, and take the courses they need to follow that inspiration.
Out of state students and CA private school graduates don’t have any problems meeting UC math requirements. They all take calculus in senior year like normal Americans. This is a CA public school policy problem. Public school policymakers are so afraid of math and have so little faith in the intelligence and capabilities of public school students that they have turned 12th grade calculus into some kind of mythical journey. All of this could be fixed … Read More
Out of state students and CA private school graduates don’t have any problems meeting UC math requirements. They all take calculus in senior year like normal Americans.
This is a CA public school policy problem. Public school policymakers are so afraid of math and have so little faith in the intelligence and capabilities of public school students that they have turned 12th grade calculus into some kind of mythical journey.
All of this could be fixed by making 8th algebra mandatory, followed by mandatory 9th grade geometry, followed by mandatory 10th grade algebra II, followed by mandatory 11th grade precalc. Why is there even the option for high school students to be 1 year behind in math? We don’t allow them to be 1 year behind in English.
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There is no normal CA high school graduate. In Los Angeles, there are four math pathways in public middle schools including Algebra II in 8th grade which is the highest coursework the UC system will accept. Students regularly take AP Calc BC as well as AP Stats in high school and then take CC classes through dual enrollment. Several local private high schools teach Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra in person. If your local … Read More
There is no normal CA high school graduate. In Los Angeles, there are four math pathways in public middle schools including Algebra II in 8th grade which is the highest coursework the UC system will accept. Students regularly take AP Calc BC as well as AP Stats in high school and then take CC classes through dual enrollment. Several local private high schools teach Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra in person. If your local high school does not offer advanced math coursework, it is easiy and cheap to access through CA CC, UC Scout, or self paced through Brigham Young U. Distance Learning (UC A-G Approved).
Which students do you think the professors wish to teach? Why are we making so, so many excuses for both our students and our k-12 schools. Do the work. Teach the students. If the students don’t have the skills they should not be admitted to the UC system.
The need for additional clarity is confined to 4th year courses. Reading the Stage 2 report one can see that clarity has been firmly established for the first 3 years of foundational college prep coursework: Common Core based Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2 or integrated Mathematics I, II, III are the required sequences. The sequences meet the minimum mathematics requirements for admission to the UC and CSU. The sequences cover the mathematics content recognized … Read More
The need for additional clarity is confined to 4th year courses. Reading the Stage 2 report one can see that clarity has been firmly established for the first 3 years of foundational college prep coursework: Common Core based Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2 or integrated Mathematics I, II, III are the required sequences. The sequences meet the minimum mathematics requirements for admission to the UC and CSU. The sequences cover the mathematics content recognized nationwide as necessary for college and career readiness. This is how it has been since California adopted the Common Core State Standards.
The concept of “validation” is important to understand. If a student earns a D or F or fails to complete Algebra 1 but goes on to pass Algebra 2 then the Algebra 2 grade “validates” completion of Algebra 1. The student gets credit for completing both for admission to the CSU and UC. In the past, precalculus or equivalent would validate Algebra 2, as it should because it is a more advanced course that uses and reinforces so much of the Algebra 2 content. The controversy arose because data science curriculum developers claimed their course should have the same “advanced” status as precalculus and therefore should validate Algebra 2. The UC staff is overwhelmed with literally thousands of new course submittals and relies heavily on the judgement of submitters that they meet the UC standards. But later on when the newly approved data science courses were reviewed by content experts severe deficiencies were discovered. The data science courses did not use or reinforce Algebra 2 content like an advanced course is expected to do to justify validation.
High schools with large populations of under-achievers are spending too much time inventing new light-weight math courses for said under-achievers. These kids would be better off if schools would just push them on the standard track of 8th grade algebra, 9th grade geometry, 10th grade algebra 2, 11th grade precalculus, and 12th grade calculus. AP stats can be taken by smart kids in grades 10-12, either concurrently with another math course or in place of … Read More
High schools with large populations of under-achievers are spending too much time inventing new light-weight math courses for said under-achievers. These kids would be better off if schools would just push them on the standard track of 8th grade algebra, 9th grade geometry, 10th grade algebra 2, 11th grade precalculus, and 12th grade calculus. AP stats can be taken by smart kids in grades 10-12, either concurrently with another math course or in place of calculus. Personally, as someone with a math degree, I would prioritize calculus as it is foundational to a lot of higher math.
There is no need for or benefit from all these extremely superficial and non-rigorous data science courses at the high school level when there is significant overlap with AP stats. A passing score on the AP stats test only replaces the most basic introductory level college stats course anyway. The more rigorous stats courses (those taken by hard science majors like math, cs, physics, and chem) require calculus, and there is no equivalent AP test or course for them. The most rigorous college-level stats courses require knowledge of multi-variate calculus.
These light-weight non-rigorous high school level data science courses are not going to prepare you for a real stem major in the long run.
1) Continuing to lump a broad set of courses together all as ‘data science’, as if they should be treated the same, confuses the issue: those courses are quite different *even from one another*. The Data Science for Everyone coalition went through these 3 data science courses (and more) and found that they cover very different numbers of AP Statistics skills and units — see the table at https://www.datascience4everyone.org/high-school-curriculum-alignment. To drive home the point: should … Read More
1) Continuing to lump a broad set of courses together all as ‘data science’, as if they should be treated the same, confuses the issue: those courses are quite different *even from one another*. The Data Science for Everyone coalition went through these 3 data science courses (and more) and found that they cover very different numbers of AP Statistics skills and units — see the table at https://www.datascience4everyone.org/high-school-curriculum-alignment. To drive home the point: should any class labeled as ‘math’ be treated the same as any other class labeled as ‘math’, regardless of specific details of what each individual course actually covers? Of course not — content details matter. A math course covering addition vs. one covering algebraic geometry are of course at totally different levels, and the former subbing for the latter would be inappropriate. Similarly, data science courses can be created at different levels which are very different from each other, and this has been happening.
2) From the article: ‘The report examined the content of AP Statistics and the three most popular introductory data science courses and found “that none of these courses labeled as ‘data science’ even come close to meeting the required standard to be a ‘more advanced’ course’
This is factually incorrect. The (phase 1) report only uses that language when discussing 3 data science courses, and does not use it to describe AP Statistics.
3) ‘Advocates for introductory data science argue that many of their courses cover the same Common Core statistic standards as AP Statistics yet could be cast into the lowest category.’
Again, see the table linked above for #1. YouCubed for example was rated as covering only slightly more than 1/3rd of the AP Stats units as CourseKata, and only half the AP Stats skills that CourseKata covers. It’s one of the top two most popular HS data science courses in the state, along with IDS which is also reviewed by DS4Everyone as covering less than CourseKata. This is consistent with the UC Area C phase 1 report, which said ‘YouCubed uses the least mathematics among all three “data science” curricula’. Yet, all of these are marketed as data science courses.
The phase 2 report acknowledged that data science courses could be created with more mathematical depth appropriate as recommended 4th year courses. We need to move away from thinking of these courses as ‘data science’ or ‘not data science’. That’s not the issue, and framing the issue as being one of data science is simply incorrect. The issue is: what’s in each specific course, and are we doing proper quality control to ensure that courses approved as 4th year recommended math courses “build substantially upon the knowledge and skills acquired in the required lower-level course sequence” (to use language from the phase 2 report), whether the course is data science or not?
It seems the quality control wasn’t there at first, but now the UC is paying closer attention, and at the end of the day it’ll be a win for students whose schools are now getting improved guidance on how to best prepare their students mathematically for success at the UC.
This excellent article outlines the issues surrounding entrance requirements for California’s public colleges and universities. Students who want to be successful in STEM majors should take Algebra 2 in high school. Students interested in social science and arts/humanities majors should be able to substitute other options such as AP Statistics or a rigorous data science course.
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