As is often the case, this debate hinges on definitions.
- Is algebra “middle school math” as the White House asserts? Most students on track to go to Harvard take algebra in 8th grade. As Randazzo explains: “Students who were freshmen at Harvard last fall would have been finishing eighth grade when the pandemic hit.” So the timeline lines up as a deficiency that emerged for middle school students when schools were closed.
- Is this new introductory math course a “remedial math course”? Here is how Randazzo defines it: “Remedial math is generally thought of as basic instruction necessary before students can take college-level courses.” It seems like teaching students algebra so they handle the college-level calculus content in the traditional Harvard intro math course fits within that definition.
- Is the need for this course because Harvard admitted students without the math skills found in previous classes? Randazzo cites Harvard’s high average SAT math scores to refute this idea but neglects to mention that Harvard made the SAT optional in the years in which the students in these classes were admitted.
So Harvard’s pushback seems to boil down to: “We are not teaching a remedial math class, we are simply remediating math in a class.” Is that a distinction without a difference?
In the end, as I said to Randazzo, “You don’t get to choose what goes viral,” but hopefully in continuing to put a spotlight on the facts about what students lost during the pandemic, and the student journalism that brought these stories to life, we can gain some perspective on what we owe all our students to make things right.
