Our local high schools’ algebra results from this year’s California Standards Test left much to be desired.

Credit Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District officials for pointing out the problem and not sugar-coating anything. The abysmal results, as one official put it, show only 29 percent of the freshman class at Los Altos High rated as proficient or above in algebra I. At Mountain View High, only 18 percent were rated as proficient or above.

Several factors weigh into this, including the fact that 26 percent of the questions are on material taught after the test is taken.

The CST is only two years old, and districts around the state have yet to adjust to the timing of their curriculum in conjunction with the test. We should point out this was the dark lining in the silver cloud that billowed with positive CST results in other subjects.

Now that the district has identified algebra as a problem, officials are working on a solution. Most notable is a plan to change the high school district’s calendar year so that classes would start Aug. 16, a week earlier than usual. This would end the first semester before, instead of after, the December break.

This will give the district a jump-start on covering the test material, which should improve algebra scores. However, making up the disparity in scores between whites and Asians, and Latino students, is a long-term problem with no clear solution.

Still, we appreciate the district’s approaching the board with the algebra issue. By doing so, officials are inviting parents and others to help local students work on the issue.