High school math: Why and how to modernize it

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Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick is the managing editor of District Administration and a life-long journalist. Prior to writing for District Administration he worked in daily news all over the country, from the NYC suburbs to the Rocky Mountains, Silicon Valley and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He's also in a band.

All students require math skills beyond high school—whether they attend a four-year college, pursue a technical degree, join the military, or enter the workforce. And these varied paths require different mathematical knowledge and skills.

However, most students have been offered the same sequence of math courses—starting with algebra and working toward calculus—that dates back to the 1950s. Moreover, as expectations within STEM fields evolve in our technology and data-driven society, the traditional Algebra 2 course may not provide students headed to calculus with the problem-solving capability they will need in the future.

This situation caused education leaders in my state of Washington to question why and, more importantly, wonder how we could change it. As director of mathematics at Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), a role I recently transitioned from, my goal was to ensure math classes were equipping every student with the tools they need to reach their goals. In our state, we decided that meant modernizing Algebra 2 to make it useful to all students.

Modernizing high school math: First steps

We began developing the Modern Algebra 2 curriculum in 2019 to emphasize the core algebraic ideas that all students need regardless of their post-secondary plans. Key elements of Algebra 2 were complemented with relevant data science, quantitative reasoning and mathematical modeling content to create a comprehensive curriculum taught across a full year.

The first semester is dedicated to Algebra 2 essentials while the second semester allows teachers to choose four out of six modules that are most relevant and meaningful to their current students. Those six modules include finance, introduction to data, data science, trigonometry, matrices and vectors and advanced modeling. This enables the course to be tailored to students’ interests and what’s most applicable to their futures.


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Partnering with the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin and other nationally known experts, OSPI leveraged state-assigned COVID ESSER funds to expedite the development of our Modern Algebra 2 course. Washington, one of three initial states participating in the Dana Center’s Launch Years Initiative (which 22 states nationwide have joined), aimed to scale math pathways from high school to post-secondary education and into the workforce.

While some states have chosen to offer multiple courses ‘equivalent to’ Algebra 2, in Washington we wanted to be intentional about respecting the capacity of smaller schools and districts in our state, so we focused on modernizing the core Algebra 2 course. By the 2022-23 school year, 10 of Washington’s high schools were piloting Modern Algebra 2.

3 key lessons learned

Clarkston High School, one of the 10 schools that piloted Modern Algebra 2 in the first year, found students were more engaged in class and felt more confident in problem-solving after completing the new course. This is no small feat as Clarkston High School is the only high school in a small district in southeastern Washington whose access to some resources may be limited by its remote location. Often, small schools with limited enrollment and teaching loads face the challenge of not being able to offer a wide variety of courses.

Successfully incorporating Modern Algebra 2 has led to increased course enrollment at Clarkston High School and piqued interest from other school districts. In the 2024-25 school year, with all of the modules and assessments built out for students and teachers, a total of 18 districts, including two districts in other states, are implementing Modern Algebra 2.

OSPI’s small but successful launch of Modern Algebra 2 has taught us three key lessons about implementing a new, more relevant high school math course:

  1. Partnership is key: Seeking input from post-secondary actors—including higher education institutions, the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, and workforce development entities—helped ensure that the course aligns with the skills and knowledge students will need in various paths after high school. Foundational guidance from the Dana Center and other experts was also vital to creating Modern Algebra 2.
  2. Professional learning is critically important: Ensuring teachers feel prepared to teach Modern Algebra 2 is critical and has been addressed on an ongoing basis. OSPI conducts summer and winter institutes and continuous community of practice events to prepare educators to teach this new course. As a result, a survey of pilot teachers revealed 100% agreed they saw an improvement in their practice—not only in Modern Algebra 2, but in the other courses they teach as well.
  3. Be patient about gauging the impact: In Washington, students take the Smarter Balanced state assessment in 10th grade, which makes it difficult to see the impact of the Modern Algebra 2 course on 11th and 12th grade students in a standardized way. Non-assessment measures like success behaviors, however, can be compared. An internal survey showed students in the pilot course have significantly grown in metacognition and have reported an increase in help-seeking behaviors and a sense of belonging.

Career pathways are evolving

As educators and leaders, our goal is to ensure all students are prepared for the next step in their lives. Not all students want to make calculus that next step. While the Modern Algebra 2 course equips students with the skills to choose fourth-year math courses like precalculus, it also encourages them to consider statistics, bridge to college mathematics or other quantitative reasoning-based classes, empowering them with the freedom to craft the most relevant path to their futures.

Students’ interests and career pathways are evolving, and we must adapt to their academic needs. Modernizing Algebra 2 is one way states and districts can put their students first and take action to provide a quality education for all.

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