After a lengthy discussion at Monday evening's business meeting, the Harford County Board of Education voted to allow middle school students to receive high school elective credits if they meet several requirements for Algebra I and Geometry.
This came after several amendments from by board member Robert Frisch, who, along with Donald Osman, voted against the proposal, which will allow seventh- and eight-graders enrolled in Algebra I or Geometry in the 2011-12 school year to potentially receive high school elective credit for the courses.
To receive credit, middle school students in Algebra I must pass the high school assessment, or HSA, for the course, while students taking geometry must pass the final exam. These requirements are consistent with the Code of Maryland Regulations, or COMAR, according to Associate Superintendent of Business Services William Lawrence.
Lawrence also recommended that the board award elective credit instead of math credits, so students would still need to take four years of math in high school, which according to him, is quickly becoming a requirement in the University of Maryland system.
Otherwise, he said, students could theoretically take Algebra I and Geometry in middle school, receive the math credits, and only need to take two math courses in high school to meet the four credits requirement. As it stands, the credits awarded would be electives and count toward the cumulative number needed for graduation, but not as math and not as part of a grade point average.
Frisch contested both of these points and more in many amendments, starting with one that requested students receive math credits specific to each course, contingent on passing the course. Board members Osman and Rick Grambo supported the amendment, which failed, saying that granting math credits in middle school would allow students to take other classes in high school, seeing as they would have already satisfied math requirements early on.
The decision about whether to take math through 12th grade, they said, would be left up to the students and parents and based on whether attending schools in the University of Maryland system was a factor.
Grambo also brought up that only granting elective credit may scare students away from the early math classes because it would force them into taking harder math classes at the high school level. Board member Alysson Krchnavy, on the other hand, argued that being able to graduate with six high school math courses would help a student stand out on a college application.
Although that motion failed, Frisch continued, recommending that the awarding of Algebra I credit not be based on passing the HSA. As Frisch said, passing the HSA was not a requirement for Algebra I in high school and shouldn't be in middle school.
Lawrence acknowledged that but said COMAR required that a student pass an examination that assesses the student's knowledge of the course, which would be the HSA. The HSA, however, is not a requirement, rather a final exam is, according to Frisch, who quoted the school system's lawyer, Patrick Spicer.
Board President Mark Wolkow and Frisch also mentioned if the student fails the HSA, he or she would not receive credit and would need to retake the course entirely in ninth grade. Barbara Canavan, executive director of middle school performance, reported that 97 to 100 percent of middle school students in Algebra I passed the HSA.
That amendment, along with several others, did not pass, including one in which Frisch requested that the completion of a course be factored into a student's grade point average, which was not seconded, and another when he asked for math elective credits, as opposed to general elective credits.
Along the way, Krchnavy attempted to close discussion and call the motion to order, but board members Grambo, Frisch and Osman voted against it. Needing a two-thirds majority, the motion failed. Earlier in the meeting, Grambo also asked to table the discussion until the new members were inducted, but board members moved ahead.