A California judge has blocked a state mandate, which had drawn strong objections from school administrators and others, that would have required students to take and be tested in introductory algebra in 8th grade.
In a ruling dated Dec. 22, California Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne Chang, in Sacramento, sided with opponents of the algebra mandate, who argued that the state’s board of education exceeded its authority in approving the policy in July and did so without adequate public input. The board was sued in September by the California School Boards Association and the Association of California School Administrators.
The president of the state school board, Ted Mitchell, in a statement, called the decision a “roadblock to higher academic achievement” and said his panel would “pursue all appropriate options for appealing this decision.”
