Only half of California’s eighth graders take an algebra class during the school year — but not for long.

Within three years, eighth-grade students will be required to take a standardized algebra test, according to a recent decision by the California Board of Education. California will become the first state in the nation to implement the requirement when the new policy takes effect in fall of 2011.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, students must be tested on material they are taught each year, but the change in algebra policy comes after the state board moved to hold all California eighth graders to the same standards, said Elena Toscano, Napa Valley Unified School District’s assistant superintendent of instruction.

Under existing policy, she said, eighth-grade students are tested annually on either general math or algebra, depending on their course of study.

Advocates of the change, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, say the mandate will motivate students to rise to the challenge while also laying the groundwork for their future success.

“Now we must ensure that our schools have the resources, the teachers, and the curriculum to meet this great challenge,” Schwarzenegger said in a press statement. “I am committed to doing everything in my power to make sure they succeed. Algebra is the key that unlocks the world of science, innovation, engineering and technology. This is California’s future.”

Meanwhile, members of the California Teachers Association — which officially opposes the mandate — insist that the change is yet another testing mandate that is out of touch with realities on public school campuses, and that it sets tens of thousands of California students up for failure.

“The state Board of Education’s action to force all eighth-grade students to take a standardized algebra test is another one-size-fits-all approach that punishes students and public schools ... It is another outlandish example of the No Child Left Behind Act and the federal government dictating to California how to teach our students, and of political leaders making irresponsible decisions that will hurt our kids,” CTA President David Sanchez said in a prepared statement.

In recent years, Toscano said, NVUSD teachers began teaching age-appropriate “algebraic thinking” curriculum to younger students, preparing them for the course before they entered the eighth grade. Still, she said, the mandate will present substantial funding and staffing challenges.

Brenda Hensley, a Napa County resident who teaches seventh-and eighth-grade math at Vacaville’s Willis Jepson Middle School, agreed. To provide needed services to students, she said, districts will need to hire more teachers at a time when California faces more than a $15 billion deficit. As it is, she said, schools are having a tough time recruiting enough qualified math teachers.

“Teachers have no objections to high standards and accountabilities. But we want them to be reasonable standards and we want them to be good for kids,” Hensley said.