{"id":2651,"date":"2025-01-28T09:05:09","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T17:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theothermath.com\/?p=2651"},"modified":"2025-04-24T11:16:39","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T18:16:39","slug":"important-ab-1705-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theothermath.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/28\/important-ab-1705-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Important AB 1705 Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

UPDATE<\/strong> 4\/17\/2025: Read this post.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ORIGINAL follows…<\/p>\n

In September of 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed\u00a0Assembly Bill 1705<\/a><\/span>\u00a0which\u00a0would have<\/span><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0fully phased in by Fall, 2025. AB 1705\u00a0would have<\/span><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0created rules that mostly prevent colleges from offering remedial courses such as Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus. Essentially, AB 1705\u00a0would have<\/span><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0made Calculus the lowest possible course for students with a STEM-related academic goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are you noticing the\u00a0would haves<\/span><\/em>? Well, that is because on December 10, 2024 community colleges received a\u00a0memo<\/a><\/span>\u00a0called\u00a0Updated Guidance for Placement and Enrollment for Students in STEM Programs<\/span>\u00a0which allows community colleges to continue enrolling students in a two-semester sequence at transfer-level prior to Calculus, such as Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus.<\/span><\/p>\n

So this means students with a STEM-related academic goal may take math courses lower than Calculus. At least for now\u2026because the memo states community colleges should continue working towards a goal of making Calculus the entry-level course for students with a STEM-related academic goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the meantime, how might schools in Merced County support students for the eventual possibility of AB 1705 finally becoming reality? Let’s acknowledge two things:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. We have room to grow<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. We have the capability and the capacity to improve.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Room to Grow<\/span><\/h2>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    As a county, we are making slow-but-steady progress in the years since COVID. We have room to grow, however, because we see that many of our students are leaving our K-12 system needing to take remedial math and English classes at the community college. Those students often get stuck in those classes and are\u00a0virtually certain<\/a><\/span>\u00a0to NOT finish their degrees.<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    We have the capability and capacity to improve<\/span><\/h2>\n

    There are several things within our sphere of influence that we can do to improve student outcomes. In no particular order<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Increase the percentage of\u00a0students taking more than the state minimum<\/a><\/span>\u00a0two years of mathematics in grades 9 to 12.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Adopt\u00a0high-quality instructional materials<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Support strong instruction through\u00a0curriculum-based professional learning<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Fully implement the suggestions found in the revised \u00a02023 California Mathematics Framework<\/a><\/span>. I\u2019m thinking especially implementing suggestions found in chapters 2, 3, 4, 8, and 9.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n