A deficit of calculators at Los Altos High School has been met by a large new shipment, making calculators available to every student.
The math department ordered hundreds of TI84 Plus CE, TI30XS and TI-1706 calculators for students to borrow, enough for a full set in every math classroom. This is significantly more than previous years orders, which only included small amounts of graphing calculators.
According to Math Department Coordinator Adam Anderson, the administration wants to make sure all students have access to calculators, in the spirit of equity.
“The district has really embraced a definition of equity,” Anderson said. “We provide what is required.”
Last school year, there was a deficit of available calculators, causing some students to spend hundreds of dollars on personal calculators. While the math department ordered the calculators a week before this school year started, the shortage continued for the first couple weeks of school.
“If they were accessible, I would’ve probably got one,” Calculus student sophomore Joyce Liu said. “They didn’t have enough for everyone, and there are definitely some kids that don’t have the money to get a calculator.”
While scientific calculators cost $10 on average, more advanced calculators such as graphing calculators can go up to $150. Luckily for students, some teachers adjusted their curriculums until the calculator shipments arrived.
“We usually wait a little bit at the beginning of the school year before we jump into heavier calculator use,” AP Calculus BC and Geometry teacher Victor Nguyen said.
Students can use the calculators in their math classrooms, or check one out from the textbook room before and after school, or during brunch and lunch.
