The SD Board of Education has established a new set of graduation requirements which will make algebra II and geometry, along with a credit of physics or chemistry, mandatory.

"If [algebra II] wasn’t required, some kids would take an easier math class and then struggle later," senior Lena Tran said. "It is a base course that prepares you for any math class you take."

While some believe the new requirements will better prepare students for college, it is important to recognize that not all high school students are college-bound.

"Not everybody is college-bound, and that’s ok, but we have to have options for all students," counselor Jill Murphy said.

Algebra II is a yearlong course centered on mastering techniques of algebra I and building upon those skills. Some concepts covered in the course include imaginary numbers, logarithms, complex numbers, hyperbolas, ellipses, conics and multiplying by the conjugate.

"Some students would benefit more from understanding personal finance versus knowing the equation of an ellipse with varying foci," chair of the mathematics dept. Mary Coyne said.

However, Coyne adds, if a student meets with their counselor, it is manageable to fulfill the new requirement with a different course.

"I have no problem with how the new requirements will be implemented because a student is easily able to waive out of it with their counselor," she said.

Murphy also believes the waiver is crucial.

"Many of our students go through that track already, but we need to have plans in place for those who will struggle to get through it," she said. "It would have been a problem if we didn’t have the waiver."

While this new policy will have little impact on college-bound students who will typically more than fulfill the requirement, some students will have to change their four-year course plan to meet this change.

"It is a wonderful goal, but the reality is that there are a number of students who don’t have that level of abstract thinking," Coyne said.