By the numbers

When the Review-Journal reported last month that Clark County's public high schools were wastelands of mathematics achievement, the disingenuous shock expressed by the state's education establishment begged a troubling question: If students were testing this poorly in the ninth through 12th grades, how pervasive is the failure in the valley's middle schools?

On Sunday, the other shoe dropped. The Review-Journal reported that 54.1 percent of nearly 6,000 eighth-grade, Algebra 1 students failed (scored 59 percent or lower) their end-of-semester exam. The more devastating news, however, was that 79.2 percent of the 14,000 eighth-graders enrolled in pre-algebra -- that's basic math -- bombed the test.

To clarify: More than half of the county's eighth-graders, halfway through their final year before high school, haven't attained even limited proficiency in rudimentary math.

At some campuses, the numbers were especially brutal. Robison Middle School's failure rates were 96.3 in pre-algebra and 94.4 in Algebra 1. Von Tobel Middle School's were 99.7 and 98.9. At Cannon Middle School, the failure rates were 92.7 and 93.3, respectively.

If the performance of their high school counterparts is any indication, additional failures are in front of them. More than 90 percent of county high school students failed their end-of-semester test in Algebra 1; nearly 87 percent failed the Algebra 2 test; and almost 88 percent of geometry students couldn't pass the exam.

As usual, the dismal results have been greeted by a chorus of excuses. Bill Hanlon, who oversees the valley's taxpayer-funded teacher training center and led the creation of the middle school and high school exams, said schools simply didn't take the tests seriously. Others cite the number of long-term substitute teachers leading math classes, or claim that teachers aren't sticking to their assigned curriculum.

None of these alibis explains why valley students are allowed to advance year after year into advanced courses without knowing how to multiply, divide or solve problems with fractions.

In response to the disastrous results, Clark County Superintendent Walt Rulffes wants to form a committee to examine the school district's math program and the problems with the tests. That panel hasn't been finalized, but we'll give prospective members a preview of what they can expect to learn:

-- A sizable share of high school students still don't know the multiplication tables.

-- Countless classes labeled "Algebra 1" and "Algebra 2" barely crack the subjects. So many students lack the literacy and math skills to comprehend opening lessons that teachers are forced to spend entire semesters reviewing elementary math concepts.

-- Inflated grades give parents the false impression that their children are mastering core skills.

-- Students are promoted even if tests show they aren't prepared for more rigorous material.

One middle school offers taxpayers the faintest hope that this lack of scholarship can be reversed. At Rogich Middle School, only 8.4 percent of pre-algebra eighth-graders failed the test. The next best performing campus was Leavitt Middle School at 52 percent. Additionally, only 8.5 percent of Rogich's Algebra 1 students couldn't pass their test.

The school's emphasis on technical writing required students to write their own practice test questions. And Rogich eighth-graders are allowed to give up an elective and take two math classes at a time.

"We have honors algebra students who are enrolled in math enrichment," Rogich Principal Suzie Harrison said.

Here's an easy recommendation for Mr. Rulffes' committee: Learn exactly what Rogich Middle School is doing and copy it -- everywhere.