Do you remember how much math was the absolute minimum you needed to graduate when

[daughtersrus]

you were in high school?

When I was in high school only two years of math were required. I took Algebra in 9th grade and Geometry in 10th grade.

Now, many of my friends went on to take more, but I did NOT! I hated math. I believe I only took two sciences too. It may have been three.

The thread on making schools better sparked my curiosity.

Dawn

I graduated from a public high school in a Chicago suburb in 1982. We were required to take 4 years of math, 4 years of English, 3 years of science and 3 years of social studies to graduate.

 

[Christine]

I graduated in 1981. I had two years of math and not a MINUTE more.

 

[diznygirl]

Maybe it was the college I went to....I didn't need math there either, at least not for my major.

Dawn

Same age as you and the college I went to didn't require me to take math, and I had only three years in HS.

The college did change the requirement two years later - I dodged a bullet.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

you were in high school?

When I was in high school only two years of math were required. I took Algebra in 9th grade and Geometry in 10th grade.

Now, many of my friends went on to take more, but I did NOT! I hated math. I believe I only took two sciences too. It may have been three.

The thread on making schools better sparked my curiosity.

Dawn

Same here.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I graduated in 1986 and went on to college having completed the required two classes of math: Algebra I and Geometry. I loved Geometry!

For college, all I needed was one semester of Liberal Arts Math. My professor was awesome and used gambling math to teach us how to figure out odds of winning on a three-reel slot machine.

Then again, two of my electives was Wind-Surfing and Fencing. I loved my college.

 

[si-am]

I graduated from a public high school in a Chicago suburb in 1982. We were required to take 4 years of math, 4 years of English, 3 years of science and 3 years of social studies to graduate.

I graduated from a public school in '92 and our requirements were the same, for college track. The vocational track students didn't need as much.


I'm not sure there are even different tracks here anymore.

 

[Liberty Belle]

It was either Algebra and Geometry or Alg I, Alg II, and Geometry. Can't remember - I'm too old.

I am pretty bad in math, but for some reason I took the math option in college (we could either do Alg and Calculus or Ethics and Logic). It was horrible for me. I think I got a B in Algebra, but I got a D in Calculus and that's only because my instructor was being nice, I'm sure.

 

[luvsJack]

Graduated in '81. 2 years of math were required and our school even offered "general math" so no algebra was even required! A LOT of students took general math just to get off easy.

We were required to take 2 math, 1 science (biology in 10th grade), 4 language, 4 history. Things have changed DRAMATICALLY.

 

[clori]

I graduated in 1988

graduation requirements though there were more recommendations for college

I think it was
2 math I took 4
3 science at least 1 with a lab - I only took 3 bio, chem, and physics 2 labs
4 English 1 per year
2 history (American, World)
1/2 American governmen

I took Alegebra 1, plain geometry, Algebra 2, and Advanced math which was a combo trig/pre calc

honors math track - algebra I wasn't offered before 9th so the honors math was algebra 2 and plain geometry (other was basic geometry) in 10th, advanced math in 11. in 12th grade it was Calculus I taught by a UNH professor at the school with actual college credit.

 

[doxdogy]

I graduated in 1977. Two years of math were required, two years of science, four years of history, four years of english and four years of religion.

 

[Becky2005]

Only 1 year of Math was required for me. The thing is I *suffered* through Geometry so I could take "College Algebra" as it was called back then. I passed Geometry by the skin of my teeth (got a D that I worked by rear off for!!!).

Nowadays, I would never have been allowed to take Algebra II since you have to get a C in Geometry to even take it & I got an A in the Algebra II class. It's one of those "I had to suffer through Geometry and it wasn't even REQUIRED" type of stories. Although it definitely made me appreciate the I don't care what your grade is as long as you are trying because I know how hard I worked for that D. I remember my dad giving me a little bit of a hard time from it since I'm normally was an A/B type student. I defended that grade since it was the only really bad one I ever got (and still somehow managed to graduate with High Honors) but I knew how hard I worked vs. some of the A's I earned I didn't hardly have to do anything because I just understood the subject easily.

I knew better than to even attempt to take Trig!!

My kids have to take 3 years of Math with 1 of them being some form of Geometry -- lucky for THEM they are much better at Geometry than I ever was or will be! My DD sort of worked the system to her advantage but it wasn't 100% our fault -- I went with what the 8th grade math teacher recommended & last year's math class was awful easy for her. They have the option of breaking up Algebra I into 2 years & then you take Geometry (or a slower version of that) your 3rd year. We were recommended to put DD in the Alegebra I A Freshman year (which worked well for Freshman year as she was out 7 weeks for medical). Sophomore year the teacher was basically asking DD "WHY are you in this class?" It was way too easy for her but we were stuck -- she had to take it to get the full year of Algebra but at least it counted as her 2nd year of Math.

Edited to add my graduation year: I was 1986...I know they had started upping requirements from my sister who was 1980 & brother who was 1983 but I think our case it was the English requirements that had been added at that point. I'm sure Math was next but I think they were doing it one subject at a time. I also know we *HAD* to take a Speech class. My DD does not. She is taking it but they have to have 3 1/2 years of required English & then 1/2 year of an elective English. It could be Speech but it also could have been Jouralism/Creative Writing.

 

[locolala]

4 English
4 Math
4 Science
4 Social Studies/History
3-4 Foreign Language
2 Physical Education
1 Elective
1 Fine Arts/Career/Technical Education

I graduated in 2003.

 

[kim929]

when I graduated in 84 it was the same as this:

IIRC it was

1 year of Science
2 years of Math
3 years of Social Studies
4 years of English

I graduated in 1983

 

[bumbershoot]

I had to take 4 math classes for HS grad in CA. Then I had to take 2 for college. By then I was so used to higher math that I just took 3 more and got a math minor (ending my math class career with Linear Algebra).

 

[AllisonK]

4 years English
3 years math
3 years history/social sciences
3 years science
2 years foreign language

My school was on block/modified block scheduling. I took 3 semesters ("years") of honors English and then a year of AP as a senior (also took two journalism classes, which were English electives), 4 years of math (Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 and Pre-Calculus - I stopped there... but most of us in the honors track were technically done with math by the end of 10th grade, as many of us, myself included, took Geometry first semester and Algebra 2 second semester), 5 science classes (Intro to Honors Physics and Intro to Honors Bio counted as one year, and then honors bio, chem and anatomy), 4 histories (honors World 1, US 1 & 2 - US 2 was a year-long course and honors econ) and 5 years of a language (Spanish 2, 3 & 4 and Latin 1 and 2). But I was a bit of an overachiever and graduated fairly high in my class, so this definitely wasn't the norm.

I'm a senior in college now and part of my degree's curriculum requires 1 math, 1 science and a choice of a math, science or computer science to fill our requirement. I took the liberal arts math (it was called, I kid you not, Math Excursions... worst class ever) and two Biology classes (I was terrible at chem/physics in high school and lasted 2 days in my computer science class as a freshman here...).

Oh, I graduated high school in 2007. My school also transitioned to the 7-period day the year after I graduated so requirements must have changed, too.

 

[beachlover9395]

Graduated in 1986 from a NC public school.

There were only 2 required math classes - Algebra I and Geometry.

I also took Algebra II.

My kids (also NC schools) have to have 4 maths - Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and another math that is beyond Alg. II, like Precalculus, Calculus, Discrete, Statistics or Advanced Functions and Modeling. Most of those are honors or AP level maths, except for Adv. Funct. and Mod.

 

[mefordis]

I think only 1 year but I went to U-W and they required Algebra and Geometry.

 

[mskani]

I went to a technical high school in Chicago. This meant that you had to take college prep AND vocational classes.

Minimum Math requirement was 3 years: Algebra 1 and 2 during 9th grade, Geometry in 10th; Algebra 3 and Trig in 11th. If you planned to major in business or some science related field in college, you had the option to take Calculus during 12th grade--which I did.

Minimum Science requirement was 3 years: Biology in 9th; Chemistry in 10th; and Physics in 11th. During your senior year, if you wished to take a science class, it was either AP Biology or AP Chemistry. I chose to skip this!!

My dd who is a freshman has to take 5 years of Math (which means that she has to double up one of the years) and 4 years of Science. (It is a Math and Science Academy). And the "weird" thing is that they start with Physics in 9th grade, Chemistry in 10th and Biology in 11th. I forget what happens in 12th.

 

[JessicaR]

I'm not quite positive but I believe we were able to drop Math after 9th grade, Science as well. I loved Science and took it through Physics (12th) grade - Math, ick not so much!

Things sure have changed thankfully my senior loves Math and Science.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

1987.

2 maths, which did NOT have to include algebra, trig or geometry. You could also take General Math, Consumer Math and/or Business Math to satisfy the requirements.
1 Civics
1 American History
2 Sciences
2 P.E.'s
4 English classes OR 3 English Classes and Speech.

We accumulated 7 credits a year, so 7x4 = 28; we only needed 21 to graduate. When I was a student, 1st period senior, non-College Prep, non-AP English was FULL. Kids would come in, take their English and then go to a job their senior year. If you stayed longer your senior year, you were either going to college or you had flunked a class or two along the way.