Don’t be a square: new geometry summer program is here!
- Rio Fisher
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
What is the Jaime Escalante math program?
Do you want to get ahead in math? Well, ERHS is partnering with the Jaime Escalante math program to bring geometry summer enrichment to our school! Founded by Jaime Escalante in 1974, his math advancement program allows both middle and high school students to take an intensive 7-week summer course to obtain a full year’s worth of credits and allow them to skip a year of math the following year. LAUSD has had lots of experience working with the Jaime Escalante program, as East Los Angeles College (ELAC) adopted the program in the 1990s and have been working with it ever since. Its stellar track record gives them a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with the district, which means that it’s proven that their teachers are fully competent and the course material prepares students well.
Who was Jaime Escalante?
Jaime Escalante was born on December 31, 1930 in La Paz, Bolivia, and came to the United States in the 1960s. After arriving in Los Angeles, he began teaching in 1974 at Garfield High School, which was known for its troubled students and violent drug-ridden environment. Many of these students were marked as “unteachable,” but instead of giving up, Escalante took this opportunity to impact the lives of many impoverished students. He utilized many techniques that most teachers couldn’t: he deeply related to his students and motivated them by showing them what their life could be like if they escaped their lives of poverty by pursuing higher education. At first, his students didn’t respect him in class, however he continued showing them what they could achieve with a proper education, and never had any outbursts in front of his students. Eventually, they respected and admired him as a teacher.
He started an advanced math program with many of his students, and taught them everything from an elementary level of mathematics all the way to calculus. In 1982, his first ever AP Calculus class had the majority of the class passing the AP exam. However, this led to their scores being invalidated by the College Board, because they viewed it as suspicious that an entire class of Hispanic students known for their poor academic performance suddenly passed the AP exam. Escalante profusely fought this claim, arguing that the only reason his students’ scores were being invalidated was because they were Hispanic and from a poor school. The situation was fortunately resolved a couple months later, as the students were given a new version of the test to prove that they actually knew all the content and that they were illegitimately accused of cheating.
What should we expect from the program at ERHS?
The Jaime Escalante program has been held at ELAC every summer since the 1990s, for Pre-Algebra AB, Algebra 1 AB, Geometry AB, Algebra 2 AB, and Precalculus AB. This summer, ERHS is hosting our own on-campus geometry course for students who have completed Algebra 1 with an A or B (students with a C need teacher recommendation). It takes place from June 15 to July 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:05 p.m. Students are required to purchase a $50 consumable math workbook, but financial aid is available and offered.
Thank you to the counselors for bringing us this new on-campus opportunity! To sign up, talk to your counselor by March 20.
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