Do the Math: Governor Signs High School Grad Requirement

Gov. Maggie Hassan has signed a bill into law that establishes a four-year high school mathematics graduation requirement.

According to the bill, a student can meet the requirement "by satisfactorily completing a minimum of 4 courses in mathematics or by satisfactorily completing a minimum of 3 mathematics courses and one non-mathematics content area course in which mathematics knowledge and skills are embedded and applied, as may be approved by the school board."

The rules will be implemented in the 2015-2016 school year.

Hassan issued a signing statement citing the law's importance:

"To help prepare our young people to fill the high-tech jobs of today and tomorrow, our schools need to provide an even more rigorous education in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

"HB 533 is an important step forward to ensure that our students are better equipped to compete in today’s global economy, and it complements the ongoing work of the STEM Education Task Force that I created to provide recommendations for modernizing STEM education in our schools.

"I thank the Legislature for supporting this bipartisan measure, and I look forward to continue working together across party lines to improve STEM education for our children and building a workforce prepared to fill the well-paid, high-tech and advanced manufacturing jobs in the Granite State."