ALGEBRA MANDATE WAIVED? DISTRICT OFFICIALS SEEK EXEMPTION FROM STATE.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - About 200 local high school seniors who are struggling to pass Algebra I, a new state graduation requirement that takes effect with them, could get a reprieve.

The State Board of Education will consider granting waivers to such students, provided they and the Antelope Valley Union High School District meet certain conditions.

District officials warn that this does not mean that students can slack off and not put any effort into passing the math course. To be considered, seniors will have to be enrolled in the course during the spring semester.

``You can't dodge algebra. You have to try to pass,'' board President Al Beattie said. ``There has to be a good-faith effort on the part of all students to pass it. Let's take a kid who enrolls and just goofs off. It's not going to happen.''

State lawmakers in 2000 made algebra a graduation requirement, but education officials said some districts were unaware of the change.

The consideration of waivers was prompted by the Santa Cruz Unified School District, where officials said they didn't know about the law, affecting some 130 seniors. That district's waiver was approved by the State Board of Education in January.

``The district didn't know the law had changed,'' said Judy Peniger, head of the state Education Department's waiver office. ``They are not alone in this state. I've had a lot of calls from people who are going to apply for a waiver.''

Antelope Valley Union High School District's waiver, if approved, would permit the district to award diplomas to otherwise qualified students who lack only the completion of Algebra I.

Waivers will not be considered for the Class of 2005 and thereafter.

The high school board voted 4-1 at its Jan. 21 meeting to apply for a waiver, with trustee Calvin Robinson dissenting.

``My feeling is that we should have faith in the teachers' ability to teach and students' ability to learn. If we have the expectation that future classes will succeed, we should have the expectation that the Class of 2004 will succeed. We should give these kids a chance to show they can succeed without a waiver,'' Robinson said.

Assistant Superintendent Jane Maxwell said the approximately 200 seniors are a mixture of general and special-education students, and that the district is developing a process to determine which students are eligible.

``These are students who have Algebra I as the only requirement that they are having difficulty meeting. They will have met all other grad requirements,'' Maxwell said. ``The state is encouraging them to not give up at this point.''

Students will be evaluated on the effort they make to pass the class, including possibly looking at attendance, whether homework is handed in, or whether the student took advantage of tutoring.

``Our job is to make an exception for these students who have really made a valiant effort to pass Algebra I and it's a documented effort,'' Maxwell said.

To be considered for a waiver, the district must meet certain requirements, including advising students in the Class of 2005 who have not passed Algebra I and their parents of the graduation requirement and counseling them in the selection of classes to ensure that they enroll in and pass the course.

The district by April 2 must provide a status report on juniors and seniors who have not passed Algebra I and the efforts being made to facilitate their completion of the course.

By April 30, the State Board of Education's executive director will decide whether the district has met the requirements.

The state Department of Education sent out a letter dated Jan. 9 to districts, notifying them that the education board would consider waivers.

``It makes it very challenging. Just like moving the (high school) exit exam requirement from 2004 to 2006, then to come right up to the beginning of the second semester of senior year, and then say, 'We'll consider districts that wish to have a waiver process,''' Maxwell said.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com