Calculus should be an elective

Accelerated math students are expected to take calculus in the 12th grade, according to the new Georgia’s Performance Standards in math. As a physician and scientist, I question whether high school calculus is a useful goal for many students. On the other hand, consumer math is not an integral part of the new curriculum; it should be.

I graduated summa cum laude with a math degree from a large state university. After finishing my third undergraduate calculus course, I never used calculus again in my life, even as I took advanced math courses for my degree. After college, I worked as a computer programmer, went to medical school and had a 23-year career as a medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

During that entire time, I don’t recall ever using calculus. However, I used algebra, geometry and lots of statistics. The professions that typically use calculus include engineers, economists, chemists, physicists and statisticians.

I believe the key math skills for high school graduates involve algebra, geometry and consumer math. Statistics and more advanced algebra are also valuable. Precalculus and trigonometry are needed, if only to cover content that appears on the SAT/ACT college admission exams. But calculus should be an elective, like Spanish IV.

My own 17-year-old is good in math, but not particularly interested in it. She took algebra I and geometry in middle school. Because she was required to have four years of high school math, she had to take calculus even though she likely will never use it. She and other high school students would get much more out of a consumer math course.

The current mortgage crisis illustrates that many Americans don’t understand the basic principles of managing their money, borrowing on credit and living within their means. Research indicates that Americans don’t know the importance of savings, compounded interest and long-term investments; they don’t understand the basics about paying for housing, autos, and insurance, or filing their income tax. Many run small businesses, but lack basic accounting and payroll skills.

The 2008 report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel from the U.S. Department of Education stresses that the goal for math instruction in high school should be the mastery of algebra I and II. No mention was made in the report of including any consumer math component, although it did point out that: “Mathematics literacy is a serious problem in the United States … 78 percent of adults cannot explain how to compute the interest paid on a loan, 71 percent cannot calculate miles per gallon on a trip, and 58 percent cannot calculate a 10 percent tip for a lunch bill.”

It’s not so much that someone shouldn’t take calculus in high school; it’s that consumer math is much more important, and useful to everyone. It should be part of the required math curriculum.

Nancy Lee, formerly of the CDC, is now a private consultant in Decatur.