See how new NC math standards could change the classes high school students take

North Carolina is overhauling its math standards, with major changes potentially coming to the courses students take in high school.

The state Department of Public Instruction presented Thursday the first draft of new K-12 math standards that include replacing the required NC Math 3 class in high schools. DPI staff said the changes will help make math more relevant and include more study of statistics and data science.

“We’re trying to empower our students and our parents to make thoughtful decisions about the math they take,” said Charles Aiken, DPI section chief of math, science and STEM.

DPI will take public comment on the draft. There will be several more drafts before the State Board of Education votes on the new standards next summer.

The standards say what students should know about a subject by the end of that grade level or course. Schools select curriculum to teach those standards.

Schools wouldn’t be required to begin using the new standards until the 2028-29 school year. They’d use the next few years to train teachers on the new standards.

Math not seen as meaningful by some students

The current math standards were phased in between 2016 and 2019. The current standards replaced the controversial Common Core-based standards.

A review team found that the current math standards were too broad.

In addition, Aiken said some students don’t see the math classes they’re taking as being meaningful. Aiken cited how he struggles to explain to his son why he’s working very hard in Math 3.

“Math is often viewed by our stakeholders as something that you study, not necessarily something that you use,” Aiken said. “For some they do see that, for many they don’t. And not surprisingly because so many students feel that way, teachers tell us that quite steadily over the K-12 career of the student, they see the student’s interest in math steadily decline.”

Keeping four required math credits

North Carolina is among around 20 states that require high school students to complete four math credits/courses to graduate, according to Aiken. The UNC System requires applicants to have completed four high school math credits as an admissions requirement.

Aiken said the team that developed the new standards believes the state should continue to require four credits in math.

Currently, high school students must take NC Math 1, NC Math 2 and NC Math 3. Students can pick from different choices, including NC Math 4, for their fourth required math course.

Math 1 integrates algebra, geometry, function and statistics.

Math 2 builds on Math 1 and goes into more on topics such as polynomials, trigonometric ratios, probability and geometric concepts like congruence and similarity.

Math 3 builds on Math 1 and Math 2 and goes into topics such as complex numbers, inverse functions, trigonometric functions and geometric concepts such as conics and circles.

The new draft would continue to require students to take Math 1 and Math 2 with some changes being made to what’s taught. Students would pick their final two math courses based on their post-secondary interests, whether it’s going to college or getting a job after graduation.

New data science and statistical modeling courses

Math 3 would no longer be required. Math 3 and Math 4 would be replaced by two new courses that students could choose:

• Applied Statistics and Data Science: Students pose questions, collect and visualize data, problem solve to draw relevant conclusions from data and communicate findings to various audiences.
• Mathematical and Statistical Modeling: The course bridges statistics and applied mathematics through research, reasoning, and evidence-based justification. Students use reasoning and probability to quantify, evaluate and make informed decisions based on data.

“The research clearly shows the need for students to be able to truly understand statistics and the data that they’re looking at and what that data story is and how to think critically,” Aiken said. “The role of AI is only increasing that even faster.”

Teachers who were successful teaching Math 3 and Math 4 can also be successful in the new courses, Aiken said.

There would be a variety of other courses that students could choose from for their final two math courses, providing what DPI said is a high school math pathway.

DPI is also recommending renaming the Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science course as “Applied Logic and Reasoning.” The name change would also come with an increased emphasis on using reasoning to think like a computer scientist or mathematician.

House approves math requirements bill

The new standards come as state lawmakers want to weigh in on the issue.

In May, the state House supported a bill replacing NC Math 3 with computer science as one of the four required math credits. House Bill 415 would require the UNC System Board of Governors to adopt the new high school math requirements as the system’s minimum math admissions requirements.

The bill also changes social studies requirements, including requiring students to pass a test on their civics knowledge before they can graduate from high school.

The Senate has not voted on the bill.