Opinion

Adding up value of high school math

Posted May 31, 2013 4:40 am

Thanks for shining a spotlight on Carpentersville Community Unit District 300 High School and their new fourth year math course that bridges the gap between high school and college.

And congratulations to the hundreds of students who have enrolled in the course. Taking four years of high school math is the best way to prepare for college and workplace math requirements.

Across the state, employers and college admissions officers are seeking high school graduates with stronger math skills, and schools are responding. To help, the state board of education and my office just launched a new math curriculum aligned with new Common Core standards. It is a model for any school in the state to follow that stretches from middle school through the end of high school. This is not an unfunded mandate, but an opportunity for schools to meet the needs of students and the communities they are in.

A more effective high school math program leads to more college completion, and more college degrees help us build a state with more jobs. These additions to school curricula multiply opportunities — my favorite kind of math!

Sheila Simon

Lt. Governor of Illinois

Springfield

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