Calculator deficit at LAHS is met by new shipment arrival

A new shipment of calculators has arrived in the textbook room, now available for all students at Los Altos High School. This addition addresses a previous shortage and ensures that every student has access to a calculator.

The math department has procured hundreds of TI84 Plus CE, TI30XS, and TI-1706 calculators for student use, providing enough for each math classroom. This order is a substantial increase from previous years, which typically included only a limited number of graphing calculators.

Math Department Coordinator Adam Anderson explains that the administration is committed to equity by ensuring every student has the necessary tools. “The district is fully embracing a definition of equity,” Anderson said. “We provide what is required for all students.”

Last school year, a shortage of calculators led some students to spend hundreds of dollars on personal devices. Although the math department ordered a new batch of calculators a week before the start of the school year, the shortage persisted during the first few weeks.

“If they had been available, I probably would have gotten one,” said Joyce Liu, a sophomore in Calculus. “There weren’t enough for everyone, and some students can’t afford to buy their own.”

Scientific calculators typically cost around $10, but more advanced graphing calculators can be as much as $150. Fortunately, some teachers adjusted their curriculums until the new calculators arrived.

“We usually hold off on intensive calculator use at the start of the school year,” said Victor Nguyen, who teaches AP Calculus BC and Geometry.

Students can now use the calculators in their math classrooms or check one out from the textbook room before and after school, as well as during brunch and lunch.