By guest author Tom Clark

Such a simple question! But is the answer that obvious? Not when it comes to highschool algebra! And I’m not talking about some new way to add algebraic fractions. I’m referring to the age-old practice of teaching two years of algebra in high school which, presumably, make up a complete course in algebra. They may have been called Algebra 1 and 2, or they may have been called Beginning Algebra and Advanced Algebra. In either case, the implication was that each comprised one-half of a complete algebra course. However, if you look at the table of contents in any second-year algebra book, you will find that at least fifty percent of the book is a repeat of first-year algebra.
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