David Basile, principal of South Plantation High School, said implementing the tests and explaining their relevance to students and parents "is really complicated," and "a myriad of issues can unfold."

Some of those issues: What if a student has a learning disability? What if a student struggles in math? What if a kid is making A's all year, then scores less than is needed to pass?

"If they don't think this out carefully, it's going to put a lot of pressure on your end-of-course teachers," Basile said.

He planned a simple message for the school's 600 freshman and their parents: Algebra I is now a requirement; so is the end-of-year-exam; so let's just get through this year.

Boca Raton High Principal Geoff McKee says he likes the shift.

"Since mastery of algebra and geometry is necessary for success in all higher levels of math, focusing on these exams is practical," he said. "Ultimately, the success of this initiative will depend on the quality of the test.''

Parents have expressed concerns the new standards could lead to more at-risk students quitting school. And they fear the end-of-course exams will become another version of the stress-inducing FCAT.

"I have mixed feelings," said parent-activist Jeanne Jusevic, chair of the Broward District Advisory Council. "I'm happy that they're finally going to a content-based tests, where they're actually testing knowledge and not some ephemeral criteria. My concern is that they're replacing one high-stakes test with another."

Some experts say those fears are valid since the end-of-course exams are statewide standardized tests that high school students must pass in order to graduate.

"It's the same disease with a different name," said Joanne Wynne, associate professor of urban education at Florida International University. "What you're doing is testing superficial kinds of skills. They're not teaching how to think about math. Students are learning to memorize formulas, and they forget the formulas once they walk away from the test."

Algebra teacher Scott Dobbs of Boca Raton High says the focus in his classes is on the material, not the test.

"We're not teaching the end-of-course exams; we're teaching the parts of algebra," Dobbs said. "We're going to give our students the best chance to shine."

Leslie Postal of the Orlando Sentinel contributed to this report.

Marc Freeman can be reached at mjfreeman@SunSentinel.com or 561-243-6642.