This Education Week post is a great example of a healthy debate about standards and curriculum.  Some say all students should pass Algebra 2.  Others, that it should not be required of those who will enter the workforce directly.  The debate illustrates how the common core could evolve and be modified on a state-by-state basis to reflect an evolving consensus or local educational priorities.

I’ll leave it for others to decide, but here’s a good summary of the issues:

Should all students take Algebra 2? Florida seemed to say “no” this spring with the passage of a law striking it from graduation requirements. Texas said much the same in legislation Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed this week that also backs away from Algebra 2 for all.

Those steps come as the Common Core State Standards for math set the expectation that all students should meet learning objectives at whats generally considered the Algebra 2 level.  The new standards would represent a big shift. About one-quarter of high school students never take the course or its equivalent, based on recent federal data.  Also, some math educators say their Algebra 2 courses are about to get tougher as they align with the common core.

….lots more here: Education Week: Questions Arise About Need for Algebra 2 for All.