Ryan Ting: DC should provide low-income students with calculators for advanced coursework

DC should be doing its best to allow all of its students to find successful careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In 2023, the median annual wage of STEM occupations was $101,650, compared to $46,680 for non-STEM occupations.

In that regard, as one of the four student representatives on the DC State Board of Education, I am proposing a resolution for consideration at our March 19 meeting that calls for funding to provide all DC students who are economically disadvantaged with appropriate calculators at no expense to them.

Taking Advanced Placement (AP) math courses such as statistics, Calculus AB and Calculus BC is recognized as critical to student success in postsecondary education and STEM. According to a recent report, 93% of high school counselors and 53% of college admission officers say that taking calculus, as is offered by AP math courses, gives students an edge in admissions.

Further demonstrating the importance of taking AP exams, College Board researchers found that students with household incomes of $30,000 or less and who received a fee reduction to take an AP exam had superior postsecondary outcomes when compared to those who did not take an AP exam. This was true in terms of immediate enrollment in a four-year educational institution as well as graduation within four years and within six years of matriculation at any four-year institution.

Thankfully, DC has shown a commitment to helping students succeed in these critical AP math courses by paying for students’ exam fees, which can be about $100. However, DC neglects to provide the calculators key to students’ success in class and on exams. 

Having a suitable calculator is necessary for students to answer course-related questions. Classwork, homework and quizzes all feature questions that require an appropriate calculator, such as a TI-84 graphing calculator for a calculus problem, to be solved in a reasonable time.

I have never seen a student do well in any advanced math course without a calculator; in my Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra classes, my calculator has been essential for learning.

If the draft resolution passes, the State Board will ask Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Council to allocate at least $107,250 in funding so that DC Public Schools and public charter schools can purchase calculators for students who are taking an AP mathematics course and are receiving SNAP/TANF benefits, are homeless, or are a ward of the state. This would be enough to provide the necessary calculators — which cost at least $130 apiece — to about 825 DCPS and DC public charter school students. 

I’m seeking public support for my resolution in two ways. The first is asking residents to spend a few seconds sending an automatically generated email to their ward’s SBOE representative, facilitated by a website made by Matteo Zanini, a classmate at BASIS DC.

The second is for residents to submit written testimony to the DC State Board of Education by emailing sboe@dc.gov to express their support of this legislation. Tips on writing the testimony can be found on this SBOE webpage. 

I originally developed and presented this resolution at the DC YMCA Youth & Government Program’s Legislative Weekend conference in March 2024. For parents wishing to get their middle school or high school students involved in a transformative program that teaches students how to research, write, present and debate legislation, please contact Dr. Lindsey Pullum at Lindsey.Pullum@ymcadc.org.

Ryan Ting is a 2024-25 student representative on the DC State Board of Education and the 2024-25 DC YMCA Youth & Government Program’s Youth Mayor. A senior at BASIS DC Public Charter School, he has been accepted by Harvard College as a member of the Class of 2029.

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