Predicting the future is always tricky.  Figuring out what jobs will be both prevalent and rewarding when we join the workforce is equally so. Taking a look at demographic trends or legislation that impacts employment might provide some clues to future opportunities. In fact, you might not have to look any further than Albany High to see demographic and legislative trends in action.

The Baby Boom generation, which includes many of our parents or grandparents, not to mention teachers, is aging and is starting to retire in huge numbers.  According to the Pew Research Center, 10,000 Baby Boomers will reach the traditional retirement age of 65 each and every day between now and 2030.  That’s 69 million people retiring by 2030.

As a result, jobs serving the health care needs of the aging population (physicians, physical therapists, nurses)will be in high demand.

But maybe you’d rather work with younger people?

Oddly, even with all those soon reaching retirement age, the high school teaching profession is only supposed to grow seven percent between now and 2030.

Yet, there are certain segments in education that offer significant opportunities.  Many of these high-growth jobs are driven by legislation that provides students equal access to public education, regardless of disabilities or learning differences.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Civil Rights code are federal laws that “ensure that a child with a disability has equal access to an education.”  The real job-creating provision states that a student with disabilities “may receive accommodations and modifications.”

Though you may not see them everyday, there are many employees at Albany High who help students get this equal access to education.  Three important professionals are Carol Aldape, Daniel Vilhauer, and Richard Walker.

Carol Aldape is a Speech and Language Pathologist, Therapist, and Specialist, depending on where she’s working. At Albany High, Aldape works primarily to assess students in their communication skills. Aldape explained that her assessments include but are not limited to “receptive language skills, fluency, speech sound production, auditory processing, and comprehension of what is heard and the ability to respond to questions asked about it.”

Aldape works with students to identify learning differences, and then they work together to formulate a plan of action. “You can teach strategies to compensate for learning differences,” explained Aldape.

Aldape also works countless hours outside the walls of Albany High. Many would see this career as quite difficult and time-consuming, but it is clear that Aldape has found her calling in speech and language. Her path to this point, however, was not as clear-cut as many might think.

Aldape began her college years as a classical and jazz music major, dreaming about becoming a member of the San Francisco Symphony. When her dad substitued for a special needs class, however, Aldape was inspired to pursue a new career path. She went on to study speech and language pathology as well as audiology, but her background in music didn’t go to waste. “My ear was good,” noted Aldape, “and you need to be a good observer.”

Her love of the job is reason enough to consider a career in speech and language pathology, but Aldape also shared, “This is an awesome profession with an abundance of jobs. There is so much work in this field, so much flexibility.”

In fact, the job outlook for speech and language pathologists is increasing at a remarkable 23%, which is faster than average.

Like Aldape, Daniel Vilhauer loves his work at Albany High School. Vilhauer works as a sign language interpreter and assistant football coach for the Albany Cougars. Put simply, Vilhauer is responsible for “interpreting all audible information” for two students. Additionally, he signs for a student who participates in football and wrestling at Albany High, giving important cues and relaying information from coaches. Like many students at Albany High, Vilhauer graduated from high school uncertain of what career he wanted to pursue.

Years later, Vilhauer began on his path as an interpreter upon meeting a girl who was an Americal Sign Languague (ASL) interpreter student. He accompanied her to deaf parties, and as a talkative, social person, Vilhauer was out of his element, unable to communicate with anyone. Ten years after graduating from high school, Vilhauer enrolled in community college, where he took his first ASL classes. On top of his schoolwork, Vilhauer also worked for a non-profit serving the deaf in Sacramento. “I had to sign to survive,” explained Vilhauer. This hands-on experience helped him in finishing his B.A. in deaf studies at a four-year college.

Though Vilhauer doesn’t regret taking the time to find his passion, his advice to students debating whether or not to go college is simple: “Go anyway.” “In the modern U.S.,” Vilhauer commented, “trying to be successful, feed a family, and pay bills would be monumentally difficult without a college education.”

For Vilhauer, the extra time and openness to a new experience has landed him with a job that he absolutely loves, which he cites as the best part of his work. “Even on the most boring day, it’s a great intellectual challenge.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that in the next eight years, the job outlook for interpreters and translators will increase by 42%, which is much faster than average. This, combined with Vilhauer’s love of the job, is a convincing case to consider careers in the same field.

Similar to Vilhauer, Richard Walker, a Communications Access Realtime Translation (CART) provider, has found his experiences working with deaf students to be extremely rewarding. Walker explained his job in simpler terms: “I write classroom lectures/ discussions on my Stenograph machine, which is wirelessly connected to my laptop, where software translates the stenography into text for the deaf/hard-of-hearing consumer to read.”

Walker graduated from college as a psychology major, and a couple years after his graduation, attended a school that trains court reporters. Walker then earned his Certified Shorthand Reporter license, and after joining the Court Reporters Association, he went on to earn additional certifications. These certifications include the Certificate of Merit, Registered Professional Reporter, and Certified CART Provider.

Walker worked as a court reporter for 30 years but eventually found that he wanted to focus his attention more on helping people directly through captioning and providing CART services. Outside of his work at Albany High, Walker also “provides CART services at conventions, seminars, and workshops and works with governmental entities to provide CART at commission meetings whenever a deaf-hard-of-hearing participant needs accommodation.”

Walker shared what he believes to be the best part of his job: “Helping to provide my deaf/hard-of-hearing friends the opportunity to fully participate in life activities.” Like speech and language pathologists and interpreters, the job outlook for CART providers is also increasing,

In a lesson about job prospects and educators, it is also worth noting that Aldape, Vilhauer, and Walker didn’t originally expect to be where they are today.

Perhaps it is important to recognize that, despite pressure from parents, colleges, and peers, maybe we should just be open to what life throws at us; otherwise, we may never know what careers and opportunities are passing us by.

These bands included Highly Canada with Hannah Trumbull and Kylie Wood-Soll; Bromez and The Bandclub with Jonathan Demathieu, Peter Amerkhanian, Miguel Gomez, and Teo Maldonado; and Marcellus Love with Garret Freeburg.

This event was held from 7-10p.m. and entry was 10 dollars per person. Each bands unique sound resonated with the audience, which consisted of fellow Albany High students and family members of the bands. Junior Caley

Keene says of the show, “It was radical. It’s impressive to me when people our age are so skilled at playing instruments and writing songs. I’m so proud of my friends performed.” Roughly 70 of the member’s friends, family, and fans went to the performance and spoke very highly of their experience.

Hannah Trumbull, one of the musicians says of the performance, “I think the show went well! I was so proud of the other bands. Please keep an eye out for Highly Canada around the ALB!” The performance overall was a success and be sure to watch out for these talented bands in the future.

You can find more about this morning’s raid at the Albany Patch.

For the past week, a group of 50 or so people have been occupying the property in Albany, known as the Gill Tract, in an effort to promote local farming and sustainable food production. The group has been there since Earth Day, planting a multitude of vegetables and other crops to show methods of growing food that do not require petroleum.

The “occupation” was spurred by UC’s plan to build a Whole Foods and a senior housing facility near the currently occupied location.

Many of the “Occupy the Farm” participants have been camping out on the land in an effort to protect the space. Ryan Morgan, one of the leaders of the movement, was clear about the intentions of the campers: “It’s certainly not a camp as most people understand it. It’s a very work-based camp. People are not welcome if they’re not working hard to plant.” He did make note of the fact that they were inspired by the Occupy movement.

The group has run into legal troubles with their “Occupy the Farm” movement, as the land is owned by The Regents of the University of California and is closed to the public. UC police have dropped by the Gill Tract multiple times to inform the group that they have been trespassing and operating in violation of 602 of the California Penal Code.

Morgan characterized the community response as overwhelmingly positive, noting that families have been coming to visit the farm with their kids, and that people have been saying how beautiful the land looks.

Karina Tindol, Albany’s Community Engagement Specialist, says that the community reaction has been “mixed,” pointing out that there are residents who are opposed to the movement.

Tindol did comment that the group seems well organized, and indeed, that is certainly visible in what they have accomplished in a mere week’s work. Toward the entrance of the site, there’s a community kitchen with water jugs and plenty of organic food, and there’s even a medical tent for people who are in need of first aid. Additionally, it’s clearly stated in signs throughout the space that the entire farm is “a drug and alcohol free zone.”

Though they have only been farming the land for a little more than a week, the group has been meeting and organizing for food justice for roughly six months.

One of the main initiatives has been community outreach, which has also been fairly successful. This past weekend, the group held workshops in which UC professors and researches from the College of Natural Resources came and spoke in support. Among them was Miguel Altieri, an agro-ecology professor at UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management. Hundreds of community members came through to see the workshops and help with planting, watering, and weeding.

On Sunday, the “Occupy the Farm” group held the grand opening of its Ladybug Children’s Garden, a keyhole spiral garden with strawberries and oranges, among other plants.  The project has been conducted with assistance from neighbors and children in the community.

The City of Albany issued a press release about the situation a week ago, stating that they are aware of the situation and are asking for a peaceful resolution.

The group’s ultimate goal is to farm in the area as long as it takes and eventually turn the land over to the community. What will come of this movement in the next month? “That’s anybody’s guess,” says Tindol.

You can find more articles about the Gill Tract on the Albany Patch.

As the developed world’s appetite for the latest products from Silicon Valley remains insatiable, teachers are increasingly incorporating these new gizmos into the projects they assign students. In our highly industrial age, technology has become a new medium for learning, in some cases replacing traditional pen and paper with touch screens and spreadsheets.

Though the classic elements of research and drafting are still critical, the format in which students are required to present their information is changing. Academic teachers are trading in formal essays and reports for paperless editions, such as podcasts and documentaries. They require students to become skilled with complicated, and oftentimes stressful, editing software like GarageBand and iMovie, or even more complicated applications.

This year, EDSET students produced podcasts and documentary videos; CONNECT students regularly make digital media projects.

Though these computer glitches can be unnerving, the real struggle arises in the daunting task of articulating one’s argument in these modern settings. Teachers, who are often unfamiliar with both the technology and techniques of contemporary media arts, lack the professional expertise to teach students the PEMDAS of advanced multimedia algebra.

This two-fold challenge — technology and technique — poses a dilemma: teachers often expect students to guide themselves through the uncharted waters of industrial science without first dipping their toes in themselves. If teachers don’t have background knowledge, should students be expected to tackle such endeavors solo?

English and Journalism teacher Ned Purdom explained,
“There’s a lot of attention and money at the state and national level focused on marrying core academic subjects with career and technical education, like  English with digital media or math with construction technology.

“While most of the Albany faculty could assign and evaluate an intelligent writing assignment, only a teacher or two really knows digital video or audio.  We have to find ways to get more advanced media skills to more teachers.”

Trying to do a simple video or a podcast can be frustrating, simply becuase of the availability and reliabilty of Albany High’s computer tools.  The frustrations students face using various editing programs, such as the work not being saved or a version of a file not being compatible with another, can be overwhelming. Countless hours are devoted to resolving these issues.

Availability of certain real-world software applications is also an issue.  Lots of students learn PhotoShop or other professionally used Adobe tools in Graphic Design, Digital Photography, Journalism and CONNECT.  While basic digital media tools like iMovie or Garage Band are all over AHS, they are not generally used in professional settings.

“We can introduce someone to the basics, but access to professional equipment, such as Avid or Final Cut Pro X, is much more limited.  And, these pro packages require a lot more teacher knowledge,” said Purdom.

Purdom believes the issue far greater than software availablity or what buttons to push is how to think digitally.  “Reading an essay into a microphone is not a podcast nor is a documentary following someone around with a video camera,” Purdom said.  “It requires a whole new way of thinking for the teacher and the student.  Writing to pictures or to sound is a very different process.  It is a process we should teach and that our students should master, but Albany needs to get better at understanding digital media and how it fits into the classroom.

Regardless of the numerous difficulties, digital media communcations skills are relevant now and for students’ future academic and processional goals.

Jessica Park, an English and EDSET teacher who has assigned both podcast and video documentaries, explained, “When students create their own digital media projects they are forced to look ‘behind the curtain’ and see the mechanism and the work that people do to present information. This way they can be more critical when consuming media, and know how to better package information for consumption themselves.”

“Their ability to connect to and persuade an intended audience is a key skill that not many have or are able to use effectively. It is unlikely that most students will have to think about presenting information in paper format. So it’s useful for students to see and practice other modes of presentation,” continued Park.

As this contemporary knowledge replaces more traditional skill sets, Albany High School will need to reevaluate its technological infrastructure and IT support so that it can continue to prepare high-achieving students for this brave new world.

Albany High School students’ success in math seems to be largely dependent upon their performance on a Pre-Algebra proficiency test. This placement test, taken in the seventh grade, has repercussions lasting through college. Beginning in the eighth grade, students are placed on one of a few largely unchangeable paths. Their fates in high school math and science are practically sealed before they even begin taking classes at AHS.

Students at the low end of the achievement spectrum find themselves most unprepared for math in college, while even some on the high end complain of the same problem. The Integrated Math program, designed to help struggling students, does not always leave them ready for Algebra II, which they must pass in order to be eligible for admission to a four-year college or university. The few students in honors math classes at AHS who go on to technical universities cannot keep up with their peers from other high schools in entry-level courses in multivariable calculus and linear algebra.

While AHS is locally regarded as a top high school, there are issues in the math department that need to be solved.

A Zero-Sum Game
Grace Lu

As soon as we learned how to count, we were taught that mastering math is crucial to our success in anything we choose to pursue in the future.  On any standardized test, from the STAR to CAHSEE to the SAT, our math skills are constantly evaluated.

Yet, we regularly hear on the news that our country’s math level compared to that of other countries is lagging. Our nation faces the pressing issue of producing more scientists and engineers, and math is central to that effort.

Fortunately, math proficiency at Albany High School is not a reflection of the rest of the nation. Instead, it stands as a top high school with great academic rigor that produces students who are well versed in math and science and whose test scores are far above the national average.

Over the past three years, overall AHS SAT score averages have steadily increased from 1712 (2009), to 1752 (2010) to 1783 (2011) while the national average of 1500 has remained relatively constant. The 2011 EAP math score showed that 88% of AHS students who took the exam are ready for college-level math, which is much higher than the state average.

The success of our students in math comes from the math faculty’s ability to identify, focus and take care of issues they see within the department. AHS teachers try tries to utilize all of the resources given to them by the district to meet the needs of all students despite their varying levels of proficiency. “We’re really cohesive,” said Math Department Chair Marguerite Buck-Bauer. “We work as a team and we try to articulate our classes.”

However, both Principal Ted Barone and Buck-Bauer can agree that improvements still need to be made, especially in the Integrated Math (IM) and Algebra I programs. This year, a brand new algebra intervention class was introduced at AHS; students take this additional math class to help them practice and improve their basic math skills and gain more depth in pre-algebra and algebra I. The hope is that with this intervention class, some students in the “lower track” of math will be able to complete Algebra II by their senior year to qualify for admission to a four-year college or university.

“I think that the issue starts in 4th grade. Kids either love math or hate it; there is rarely an in-between,” said Principal Barone. “And those who’ve decided that they hate math usually get turned off or become terrified of math, which makes it more difficult for them to be successful later in high school.”

AHS math teachers are also trying to take a whole district approach by working with elementary and middle school teachers to tackle the math issues earlier in students’ education.

“Last year, there was a committee that identified essential standards students needed to meet and created three additional assessments to check-in with that,” said Miesje Child, a fifth grade teacher at Cornell Elementary School. The elementary school math curriculums has become more rigorous over the past couple years.

“However, I’m not sure kids are enjoying math as much as before, maybe because they aren’t as involved in the process,” continued Child, “I would like to see more connections to the real-world and a more hands-on approach.”

A new proposal to move a geometry honors class to Albany Middle School has been discussed due to the large number of 8th graders who are currently enrolled in geometry honors at AHS.

There has also been talk that the California Department of Education will implement a new standard requiring all incoming freshmen to complete Algebra I before beginning high school.  When asked about this standard, Buck-Bauer commented, “It’s unrealistic. There need to be other options for students who can’t reach this goal.”

New approaches to making math easier and more applicable to real life for students are being discussed among teachers. Barone stated that the school district is asking math teachers to “treat math as a language, like the way teachers teach Spanish, and connect math to the real world.” In future years, there’s a possibility that teachers will emphasize critical thinking over computation and entirely change the way they present the math curriculum.

It’s also important to note that AHS students who are in the “honors” math track and take AP Calculus BC as juniors, have a hard time finding ways to challenge themselves and sharpen their skills in their senior year – most of these students end up taking AP Statistics, which is considered an easier class. Many of these students later go on to competitive math-intensive colleges like Caltech, MIT, or UC Berkeley and find that many of their peers have been exposed to a greater variety of harder math instruction, and thus have an advantage.

There is a correlation between the success of an AHS students in AP science classes and the level of math that they are in. Generally though, students in the “normal” or “honors” math levels have no trouble doing well in classes like AP Chemistry or AP Physics.

Though improvements are still needed, the quality of mathematical instruction at Albany schools is still superior to that at other places in the country.  We are lucky to be given many resources and support from a community of teachers, parents and administrators striving to make math successful for every student.

The First Derivative Test
Zoe Chamberlain

Mathematics has always been a subject of both promise and struggle for many students. Studies show that those who thrive at math have had a secure learning foundation. Conversely, those students who struggled at the beginning often continue to struggle throughout their mathematical career.

In the Albany school district, there is a test given to seventh grade students at the end of Pre-Algebra to test their skills and determine which Algebra they will enter in eighth grade. Their options are either Algebra I or Algebra 8, a slower-paced version of Algebra I.

Eighth graders who enter Algebra 8 go onto Algebra I as freshmen. Those who pass go onto Geometry, whereas those who fail go to Integrated Math I.

According to Sean Morris and Matthew Rasband, AHS math teachers, the IM program was created because of the fail rate among sophomores, juniors, and seniors in Algebra I. Several years ago, any student who didn’t pass Algebra I in 9th grade, went into an Algebra I class for grades 10-12. “We had a huge number of people failing that class,” explained Morris.

Rasband also commented, “We created it to make the math more accessible to the students and so they could understand it at a better pace.” The failure rate “is still not great, but it’s lower,” said Morris.

There are roughly 100-125 students a year who enter IM I. Unfortunately, there is still a high rate of failure. However, the rate of failure is different depending on grade level. The fail rate among the upperclassmen is much higher than that of the tenth graders. So, the IM program is better than the previous solution of Algebra 10-12, but “there is always room for improvement,” acknowledged Rasband.

There have been many attempts and programs created to try to improve the rate of success among the struggling math students. Recently, AHS collaborated with others, including UC Berkeley, to improve students’ grades and understanding at the core of algebra.

Unfortunately, whether it’s due to a lack of time or money, their strong efforts for improvement were unable to continue. There have been many attempts to improve the Algebra program; however, none so far have been able to make a significant impact.

As a seventh grader, when you are handed the proficiency test in Pre-Algebra, you think “Okay, no big deal. It’s just another test.” However, what the teachers fail to convey is that their results on that test essentially determined the mathematical track they will be on in high school, possibly predetermining their fates as math students.

Math teachers agree that algebra is crucial. Teachers are now trying to go back to the beginning, with the students still in Algebra I. Maybe by putting in more effort at the beginning, they can avoid going into IM altogether.

Multivariable Problems
Pike Goldschmidt

Albany’s math program is renowned around the Bay Area and Northern California for its excellence. The top competitors for the Math Club not only dominate local competitions, but also go on to excel at Ivy League and other top-tier science and engineering programs.

Surprisingly, most of these students and future rocket ship builders aren’t even up to the level of their peers when it comes to freshman math classes encountered in college.

Timothy Sinclair, a freshman at Caltech, was on a typical high-achieving math course through Albany Unified School District. Placing into Geometry Honors as a ninth-grader, he continued on the honors path through AP Calculus BC, earning a 5 on the exam, as well 5s on the AP Physics, Chemistry, and Biology exams.

Now in his second semester at Caltech, Sinclair is taking analytical linear algebra, the more advanced linear algebra course required of all second semester freshmen. While he may not have taken as advanced high school math courses as other Caltech freshman, he did say that, “it helped that I was curious about math in high school and explored various mathematical questions on my own.”

The biggest issue for Sinclair is physics. Albany’s AP Physics B curriculum covers all algebra-based physics, not covering any of the multivariable calculus or linear algebra-based components found in his freshman courses.

“For the core curriculum physics classes I have to take,” Sinclair said, “elementary knowledge of differential equations and multivariable calculus would’ve helped tremendously.”

Sinclair’s recommendation:

“I would add a senior math class that students in AP Calc AB or AP Calc BC could take simultaneously with calculus that covered elementary differential equations, multivariable calculus, and linear algebra.”

Sinclair added, “They’re just another fairly elementary set of concepts that could introduce students to interesting and real mathematics.”

Corwin Shiu, Albany alum at Caltech, agrees about introducing multivariable calculus and linear algebra in high school math.

Despite taking both AP Calculus BC and AP Statistics, all four AP sciences at the high school, and multivariable calculus and organic chemistry at Berkeley City College, he still feels behind math-wise:

“Albany Math did not prepare me for math courses here, at least for the analytical sections rather than practical.”

The consequences of Shiu’s disadvantages were that he “suffered all of first term because of this.”

Still, any chances at making the already intense accelerated math at Albany High School even crazier are unlikely to happen.

“All of our BC and beyond students are prepared academically for college math,” Department Chair Marguerite Buck-Bauer said. “We’ve never had any cases where students fail miserably. They’re smart kids, they don’t need any more help—they’ll figure it out.”

Deriving the Solution
Roisin Shannon

The math classes that students take at AHS are forecasted by placement tests taken at the end of 7th and 8th grade. An 8th grader enrolled in Algebra I has a greater chance of taking an AP math class in high school and a greater number of AP science classes than an 8th grader enrolled in Algebra 8. These differences have prompted questions of whether there should be another way to determine placement in middle school and high school.

Richard Lew, an 8th grade math teacher at AMS, says that student placement is based on three factors: students’ ability on tests and quizzes throughout their school year, their work and study habits, and the end-of-year placement test.

Scarlett Clothier, a sophomore at UC Santa Cruz, conveyed skepticism of the placement tests after having to repeat Algebra I in 9th grade. Clothier had attended Adams Middle School in Richmond and entered the Albany School District in 9th grade. On her entry to AHS, she took a placement test to determine her level in math. “When I sat down to take the placement test at AHS… I had no prior notice or review materials whatsoever to taking this exam, it was my first time at AHS, and I panicked and walked out without finishing it because I felt overwhelmed.” She felt that having to retake Algebra 1 wasted her time and hurt her chances of getting into Ivy League schools.

Sally Benjamin, a counselor at AHS agrees with Clothier that the placement test can affect college eligibility, but she also sees a significant positive side to the placement test. “I have come to understand that the placement test isn’t teachers saying ‘We hope to keep you out. We’re going to show that you’re not ready for this.’ The math teachers just want students to be where they can succeed.”

Benjamin continued, “Without the placement test, students could get into a class that they are not ready for and get an F. That doesn’t advance college eligibility at all and I don’t think it advances students’ self-esteem.”

“The goal is to get an accurate picture of a student’s pre-algebra abilities so they can be placed in a class that is most appropriate in terms of pacing and difficulty,” said Lew. “In whatever class they are placed, students should be able to learn, experience success, and be challenged.”

Clothier felt that the placement test was extremely inaccurate in placing her in her entrance to AHS, remarking that she was given insufficient study materials and was denied a retake when the test results were less than anticipated. “Even in college, you can take the math placement test twice. If I had known I could petition my placement in high school, I totally would have because I’m good at math and I can determine for myself if something is too difficult.”

“I see students who request a waiver to go into higher level,” says Benjamin. “Sadly, a lot of students who go into a level that they weren’t originally recommended for don’t do very well.” Benjamin added, “I think that so often, the placement test is seen as a punishment. The placement test is a protection for students although it might not always feel that way.”

Despite the year that Clothier felt wasn’t well spent in Algebra I, she managed to find one positive aspect of it. “Repeating Algebra I actually did solidify my skills to an extent, and I never really had a difficult time in math at AHS after that.”

In addition to the academic effect that Clothier’s placement test had on her high school experience, it also had ramifications on her self-esteem. “The emotional experience of being tracked lower than my peers lowered my confidence about math and my ability to compete at AHS,” stated Clothier. While her self-confidence might have been rocked a bit while feeling cheated in AHS’s competitive academic environment, Clothier admits to picking up a “good math foundation” by repeating Algebra I.

Benjamin has encountered several students who have felt bad about their math placement. “There’s the self esteem issue and there are all the pressures about applying to college. I think that the math curriculum here is very rigorous and in some ways for students, that’s a disadvantage because they don’t test into the level they want to go into. On the other hand, I think it’s the reason Albany High students do so well on the high school exit exams and the SAT, so there are two sides to it.”

Now a computer science minor, Clothier recognizes “how truly advanced the AHS math department is,” and feels that she is more than adequately prepared for college math, describing a pre-calculus class she took in college as “dreadfully easy.” She does, though, still believe that she was put at a disadvantage when placed in Algebra I at AHS. “I lost a lot of time having to take Single-Variable Calculus in college when I could have easily completed it in high school if I had just gotten into Geometry freshman year.”

Benjamin acknowledges the stress that students experience and high expectations that they have of themselves. “This worry doesn’t come from a bad place. It comes form students wanting to do as well as they can and get in the best colleges. To me, the underlying problem is the pressure and the competitive college systems. They create these worries.”

Even now, as Clothier feels she is succeeding in college, she wishes school officials would recognize the true severity of the placement test. “It upsets me when the counselors try to belittle the math placement test and claim it doesn’t affect college acceptance and beyond because it does have an impact.”

Make sure to check out “Technology Curve in the Classroom” by Madeline Zechar in the May  print edition of The Cougar