Plan to Add Algebra I into 8th Grade Curriculum

Dear CPS Community:

We hope you are enjoying the summer and looking forward to the new school year. Following last night’s School Committee meeting (presentation), we are writing to share a summary of our plan to offer Algebra I to all of our 8th grade students by 2025, integrating units into the 8th grade curriculum thoughtfully and at a steady pace. Our hope is to provide some clarity on the process and timeline as we recognize there has been strong interest in this issue, particularly over the last several weeks.

The Math Department, under the leadership of Siobahn Mulligan, Director of Mathematics, spent several months this past school year doing research, gathering data, and having collaborative and robust conversations with educators and community partners. The proposed plan to begin integrating Algebra I was completed in June with the expectation that it would be shared with the school community before the upcoming school year. 

For context, the pandemic and transition to remote learning interrupted the initial implementation of Algebra I, which all five of the Upper Schools committed to during the 2019-2020 school year. We believe we are now at a point where we can resume the rollout to ensure that each of our students are afforded the opportunity to access Algebra I in 8th grade. 

Highlights of the plan include:

Year 1: 2023-2024

• 8th grade: Most 8th grade units + 3 Algebra 1 units
• 7th grade: 7th grade units + 2 8th grade units
• 6th grade: 6th grade units

• 8th grade: Some 8th grade units + 5 Algebra 1 units
• 7th grade: Some 7th grade units + 5 8th grade units
• 6th grade: All 6th grade units + 2 7th grade units

• 8th grade: All Algebra 1 units + a few 8th grade units
• 7th grade: All current 8th grade units + some 6th and 7th grade units
• 6th grade: All 6th + some 7th grade math units

Sincerely,

Sumbul Siddiqui Mayor, City of Cambridge Chair, Cambridge School Committee

Dr. Victoria L. Greer Superintendent