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Show Notes

• Paula outlines the potential impact of the Texas State Board of Education decision on SAT and ACT performance, end-of-course exams in Texas schools, and student eligibility for the Texas Top Ten Percent Plan.

• Paula shares her concern that removing the Algebra II requirement will have a major effect on minority and economically disadvantaged students, in particular: “We have a societal system that is limiting the amount of students that go to college by this one act. It will simply eliminate a large population of our students from even attempting to go to college.”

• Paula explains why Algebra II is so important for learning higher-level math and providing a necessary foundation for math-related careers.

• Paula argues that instead of introducing watered-down “applied math” classes, schools should focus on improving the overall instructional practices of the Algebra II course itself.

• Beyond algebra, higher-level courses are also being de-emphasized in science and social studies, resulting in more students having to pay for developmental courses at community colleges and ultimately delaying their progress toward a degree. Aurelio and Paula discuss this trend.

• Paula urges parents to always select the college-ready, distinguished diploma path when planning the academic program for their children as they head into high school.

• Aurelio and Paula cite Pharr-San Juan-Alamo as a model school district for making the commitment to graduate all of its high school students with at least 3-6 college credits.