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High Schools should not require high-level math courses

If purpose of High School is to prepare us for college and/ or work and living in a community, then courses beyond just Algebra I are essential to the success of anyone in this society. What my opponent fails to recognize is that math is a universal necessity for anyone aspiring for higher education, and Algebra I is inadequate for the future of all individuals life, even if they desire to be something non mathematical, such as a writer. In fact, I will use the course curriculum of an English Major to show that it is necessary for them to study past Algebra I in order to become qualified. One thing that is crucial to this discussion is the outline of concepts that are involved in Algebra I and what I would point out that it lacks. The course includes the following: Real Numbers, Intro to Algebra, writing and solving equations, using proportions, solving inequalities, graphs, and functions, graphing equations, solving system (equality and inequality), exponents and polynomials, factoring polynomials, quadratic equations, exponential functions, radical equations, & rational equations. My first argument is that the mathematical concepts in Algebra I are much more complicated and difficult than the simplest concept, and more practical concepts in Geometry. Geometries simplest concepts involve angles, and lines and planes. This is more applicable to the lives of individuals, and we use these things in normal everyday life. For example, one practice I have seen familiar in social behavior is the use of the time on a clock to tell someone to look at a particular direction. A typical conversation involving that would be like, "hey, check out that girl to my 3 o'clock" and this would correspond to a -90 degree. This is knowledge used in everyday trivial life that even mandates basic knowledge of concepts beyond Algebra I. If we look on a more professional level, it is a even greater necessity to know concepts beyond Algebra I. From finding the most economical way to arrange boxes in a storage, to finding out how much fencing you might need to build a fence around your farm, the applications of mathematics are inevitable in every station of life (notice how I did not use STEM centered jobs as my point is that even the most basic tasks benefit from an understanding of mathematical concepts). Both these situations mandate an understanding of geometrical principles, which is a 'higher math' than algebra I, but even a fool would pick to study that before solving quadratic equations any day. My opposition mentioned that it is a waste of time due to its lack of practicality, or that it is too difficult for students, but he has obviously not considered it with much detail because the course he has proposed has more complex maths than simpler concepts in more advanced courses which bear more general utility too. Therefore, we should mandate education beyond just Algebra I. My second point is that it better fulfills the purpose of high schools. The primary purpose as I have said before is to better prepare them for college, and if they do not pursue to do so, then to prepare them for functions of common occupations, and functioning in society. If the affirmative wants to dismiss this claim, they must prove why even the most complex lessons in Algebra I to qualify his claims, while the easiest of the 'high-level math' does not. My claim is that higher math classes better prepare students for college, even though they may not major in math related subjects. As I mentioned before, I will use an English major's requirements to support this. My first evidence is that even a mediocre university such as Arizona State University (ASU) requires all it's freshman applicants to take a mathematics placement test. This is not something for only math, or even math related majors, but for every single individual entering the university. This shows that the affirmative has falsely claimed that people not pursuing maths do not need to study math beyond Algebra, but this naivete is contrary to the reality present in the US. My second evidence is that even an English major going to ASU has to complete general math courses, which you did not deny, but that these courses involve the application of mathematics to real life situations, which is not thoroughly taught in Algebra I. Algebra I mostly deals with finding variables and solving them, but it does not pay attention to their practical as much, until Algebra II. Of course the equivalent of Algebra II in university is more difficult than in high school, so taking that class would not be redundant, but provide the basic understanding which is key to complete the class with ease. If we are truly concerned about math being too difficult for students, we need to better prepare them for their future in which math is inevitable. These are adequate reasons, I believe, to firmly say that high-level math classes are applicable to most people's lives, and a universal necessity for people to function properly in the national community of the US. I will provide the counter arguments to the proposition's arguments in round 3, if what I have already said does not convince you that what he is saying is not reason enough to not require high-level math classes. For a summary, my main two arguments is that helps the school fulfill its purpose, and that Algebra I contains more complex math than the simplest in the higher-level math classes and so the students are not facing an insurmountable challenge Sources: https://www.time4learning.com... https://students.asu.edu... https://catalog.asu.edu... https://webapp4.asu.edu...