Starting this school year, ICSD is phasing in changes to middle school math curricula. Starting in the 2019-2020 academic year, only one sixth-grade math course (Math 6) is offered. Starting in 2020-2021, only one seventh-grade math course (Math 7) will be offered. In making these changes, the Accelerated Math 6 and Accelerated Math 7 courses are being removed. The changes represent the newest effort of ICSD to reduce the prevalence of tracking.
Tracking has long been a major point of contention both in Ithaca and elsewhere. The term refers to the sorting of students into different classes based on perceived academic ability and/or achievement. In such a system, groups of students often find themselves on different “tracks” from an early age. In the course programming for ICSD middle schoolers, tracking is usually first experienced in the context of math classes, as students are placed in either Math 6 or Accelerated Math 6. In removing this distinction, ICSD administrators are explicitly acting in accordance with the position that the tracking of math students is problematic; an ICSD press release on the changes cites “research, ICSD data, and anecdotal experiences” to support its conclusions on tracking. According to the press release, the outcomes of tracking math classes include a lack of “social and emotional benefits” and the division of classes by race, socio-economic class, and gender. Such statements fall in line with the views of mainstream opponents of tracking.
When announced, the decision to detrack middle school math courses prompted significant backlash among some parents and community members. Much of the opposition to the move ultimately centered around a petition that has circulated online and gained over 250 signatures. The creator of the petition cited numerous concerns with the plan, including that it might lead to decreased enrollment in eighth-grade Algebra I and/or an increase in “societal inequality” due to the potential hiring of tutors to make up for a perceived decline in rigor.
Currently, there are no announced plans for similar changes in the course offerings at IHS. The aforementioned press release states that the changes to middle school math will “enhance” the high school math program, citing the effects of detracking Algebra I and various other courses. Additionally, the ICSD will continue to encourage students who do not take Algebra I in middle school to take two math classes in tenth grade if they wish to take AP Calculus.