<p>Okay, this is based on my reading the local paper, but I think the Algebra II graduation requirement is fairly new, not decades old, and Texas was the first to require it. We didn’t have it when I was a kid in the Olden Days. Now Texas is rethinking that idea. </p>
<p>I will note that Algebra II was NOT required for all Texas diplomas, but according to the paper, only 20% of Texas grads chose the minimum diploma. That is a lot of Algebra II. (The claim has been made here in Texas that many kids dropped out rather than fulfill the more rigorous requirements. I don’t know if that is true or not. I don’t know why the potential drop outs weren’t steered to the minimum diploma.)</p>
<p>Also, I will reiterate that the changes in Texas are not just about Algebra II. Last spring the legislature passed a law changing and (mostly) simplifying the testing and graduation requirements for the state. The Algebra II change is part of a big shift in how the state views testing.</p>