News and information for staff members and the Madison community
Vol. I No. 3 - January 19, 2006
Efforts to require three years of math and science to graduate from high school in Wisconsin raised a variety of questions at a recent Assembly Education public hearing on the bill.
Current law requires two credits of each to graduate. The changes embodied in Assembly Bill 880 ![[PDF File]](/img/pdf-sm.gif "[PDF File]")
start the discussion on making changes to high school graduation requirements.
While several education groups raised questions and concerns about the change but did not outright oppose the bill (including MMSD), the Department of Public Instruction opposed the measure. DPI Assistant Superintendent Debbie Mahaffey told the committee, "We do not believe a state mandate that all Wisconsin students take a third year of mathematics...and science is the answer to greater achievement in these subject areas by all our students. Moreover, there is a cost inherent in this state mandate to students, their parents, schools and taxpayers."
Mahaffey said students would be better served by infusing the elements of math and science across the entire curriculum. Mahaffey said an additional mandate would result in fewer electives for students. She also pointed out that many small school districts have difficulty finding qualified personnel for math and science.
In Madison, 73% of the Class of 2005 graduates had three or more years of math, with the same true in science for 70% of last year's graduates.
During 2005, Gov. Jim Doyle suggested the need to ramp up math and science graduation requirements. JoAnna Richard, the executive assistant for the Department of Workforce Development, testified in support of the bill saying, "Wisconsin must insist that all school districts raise their standards in math and science for all students. It cannot be a question of "should we?" — it must be a question of "how can we?" Richard noted that Wisconsin is one of only eight states without the expanded requirement.
In a statement to the committee, Wisconsin Association of School Boards' executive director John Ashley said, "Increased math and science graduation requirements immediately raise the issues of implementation, particularly regarding facility and teacher capacity in school districts. Many districts that are not currently requiring a third year of science may not have adequate lab facilities to support an additonal year of required rigorous science."
A survey of high school pricipals by the Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance indicated that only three percent of the 126 respondents said the pool of candidates for math positions resulted in "many qualified applicants," with five percent responding similarly for science openings.
The committee took no action on the bill, but observers believed it will have a difficult time passing both the Assembly and Senate before adjournment this spring.
Last Updated: Tue Mar 28 12:16:54 2006
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