Have you had such an experience? You’re taking a test in a silent math class, staring at your sheet of paper with the enigma of questions floating in your head. You think as hard as you can, attempting to put everything together and rereading the question in your head. However, the answer eludes you, and your memory is murky on how to answer the question. Panic arises: “Should I know how to do this? Why on earth am I struggling?” The struggles turn into frustration, and you feel like an absolute idiot. The question sounds familiar; you know you must’ve done it before, but you seem to have lost the memory of how to actually do it. Sound familiar?
Many students in California struggle with math. According to the California Department of Education, “California’s mathematics achievement ranks below the national average” and “only 33 percent of students met or exceeded math proficiency standards in 2022”(link). Is this a causality between the student’s low math performance and California’s math curriculum? California public schools’ mathematics curriculum has been criticized by both ends of the spectrum of math performance. Parents of advanced students claim that it holds back students from achieving more, while, on the other hand, teachers like Rebecca Pariso from the Cal Matters article question whether the current math curriculum is a hindrance to students who struggle in math.
Despite the criticism of the math curriculum, California’s low math proficiency rate may not stem from the curriculum itself. It’s more likely to be how the math curriculum is processed and retained, at least for Woodbridge High students.
Math teacher Christy Donavan, who has been teaching math at Woodbridge High for years and serving on the district math committee for over a decade, said in her interview that over the years, some students who have gotten A’s in Pre- Calculus walk into her AP Calculus BC class only to realize that they don’t remember the “things” they’ve learned last year. They feel like seeing through a blurry window; they can see some images, but they can’t figure out the essential details.
Students’ lack of retention of past material seems to come from the way they study.
Donavan stated, “The gaps aren’t from content, not from instruction, but I think the way students approach studying and retaining concepts conflicts with each other.”
She sees students who memorize material right before the test, get a good grade, and forget the key points of the unit. This is a huge problem in subjects like math, where each concept builds on the last.
Donavan also noted, “Brain science says that for long-term retention, you’ve got to do a little bit every day, multiple experiences over multiple days, over time.”
Cramming might get you an A, but it won’t give you the deeper understanding and longer retention that comes with consistent and repeated learning bit by bit every day. Yet some students do well under the current math curriculum.
Nick Tsou, a freshman in Enhanced Math 2—the highest math track Woodbridge High offers for freshmen—says the “pacing and difficulty level matches my abilities pretty
well.” Nick also added that when he does fall behind, he can catch up by reviewing classwork material.
Ian Garrovillas, who has taught Enhanced Math 2 for six years, says this kind of student engagement is essential. Garrovillas explained that “willingness to work hard” and “good number sense” will lead to success in the course. He also notes that some learning “has to happen outside of the classroom.”
The curriculum provides the foundation—but students have to put in the work. For students like Tsou, that ongoing engagement may be exactly what prevents the gaps Donavan describes.
However, not all blame is on the students. Donavan acknowledges that teachers should have a role in helping students retain material.
“I think that, as teachers, we can do a better job of cycling the material, spiraling the material throughout the curriculum,” Donavan said.
This means revisiting concepts throughout the year so students don’t forget what they learned months ago. The continuous cycles of reviewing learned material should be embedded in the curriculum. That way, students would be able to refresh their memory on the topics they learned in the past.
“We want to build thinkers, not just calculators,” Donavan said.
For Woodbridge High students, that means changing how we approach math—not just studying for the test, but studying to actually remember it. Her advice is simple: a little bit every day beats one cram session. The curriculum is there. The teachers are there. Now it’s on us.
