Please note: Donations for this petition go to Change.org who is promoting the petition, NOT to me or any AB1705 work.

I am a mathematics professor at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, and have been teaching math for 25 years. I taught high school in LAUSD for 10 years, and my own children are currently enrolled in the public school system. My passion for teaching math is deeply rooted and personal. However, two laws - AB705 and AB1705 - threaten to disrupt the ability to prepare for Calculus based majors in California.

AB705 was enacted with good intentions; it aimed to maximize the probability of students passing their transfer level math courses in one year. However, this law has already led to the elimination of basic skills preparatory math courses in Community Colleges. First we were told we couldn't require them, then we were told we couldn't offer them at all.  Now, AB1705 is asking us to validate our prerequisite courses for Calculus in order to require or even offer them.

There's a significant chance that colleges will no longer be able to offer Trigonometry and PreCalculus as separate courses due to these laws. This means that students would not be able take these crucial preparatory classes before tackling Calculus at a Community College.  This could potentially eliminate STEM career paths for many students.  What about the returning students who haven't seen algebra in decades?  What about students who only took two years of math or passed algebra with Ds in high school? What about international students?  

As educators, we understand how important these foundational classes are for student success in higher-level mathematics. Without them, we risk leaving our students unprepared for more advanced study, especially for STEM majors.  Math is sequential, and full of details.  Although many of us agree that students should be able to start in Calculus if they choose to, we also know that many students will not choose this path without preparation.

We urge you not only as educators but also as parents who want what's best for our children's education—preserve preparatory STEM math courses! Let us continue offering Trigonometry and PreCalculus so that our students can succeed not just on paper but truly grasp mathematical concepts they need moving forward.  It is one thing to not REQUIRE the courses as prerequisites, it is another to NOT OFFER the opportunity to prepare.

Please sign this petition if you believe in preserving quality, optional, preparatory STEM math courses within California colleges!