Description:

Co-Principal Investigator: Ruth Neild

Purpose: States and school districts increasingly mandate not only that all students earn Algebra I course credit to graduate, but that they enroll in Algebra I in the ninth grade. Data from districts that have implemented "Algebra for All" policies indicate that course failure rates approach 50 percent. Despite the pressure on districts and states to have all students "college ready," there is a dearth of rigorous research on the most efficacious methods of teaching Algebra I to under-prepared students. The purpose of this project is to examine the impact of two approaches to teaching algebra on student achievement and credit accumulation in Algebra I among high school freshmen who are one to four years below grade level in mathematics.

Project Activities: In a random assignment study, this research team compares the effects of two approaches to teaching Algebra I to students who are under-prepared for algebra. In the Transition to Advanced Mathematics/Algebra I sequence developed by the Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University, students spend the first semester learning and practicing intermediate mathematics skills and mathematical reasoning before beginning Algebra I, and in the second semester, they cover the Algebra I course content. In the comparison condition, students are provided with a "stretch algebra" course in which the amount of instructional time for algebra is doubled. That is, in the stretch algebra course, students are introduced to Algebra I course content at the beginning of the year, but the instruction proceeds at a slower pace relative to a regular Algebra I course. The researchers will collect data on student learning in Algebra I course content, intermediate mathematics skills and reasoning, and credit accumulation in Algebra I.

Products: Products from this project include published reports on the relative efficacy of two different approaches to teaching high school algebra to underprepared students.

Structured Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to examine the impact of two approaches to teaching algebra on student achievement and credit accumulation in Algebra I among high school freshmen who are one to four years below grade level in mathematics.

Setting: The schools are located in Maryland.

Population: Participating students will include ninth grade students from 48 high schools who perform between one to four years below grade level in mathematics, as determined by performance on a nationally normed test. A large percentage of the students participating in the trial are low income and/or members of minority groups.

Intervention: The Transition to Advanced Mathematics/Algebra I sequence was developed by the Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University. In the Transition to Advanced Mathematics/Algebra 1 sequence, students start with practice in intermediate mathematics skills and mathematical reasoning before beginning to cover Algebra I course content in the second semester.

Research Design and Methods: The researchers use a multisite cluster randomized design with randomization occurring at the school level. Within each of eight districts that have substantial proportions of freshmen entering with math skills below grade level, the research team is randomly assigning six high schools to one of two conditions: (1) the Transition to Advanced Mathematics/Algebra 1 sequence or (2) Stretch Algebra.

Control Condition: In the Stretch Algebra program, the amount of instructional time for algebra is doubled. The students receive the school's regular algebra course, but have more time to learn the content.

Key Measures: There are three primary outcomes of interest. First, student achievement in Algebra 1 is being measured using nationally normed tests of Algebra readiness and Algebra 1 proficiency. Second, growth in intermediate mathematics skills and reasoning during the first semester of ninth grade are being measured with the CTB Terra Nova assessment. Finally, credit accumulation in Algebra 1, as well as earning grades that suggest potential for success in more advanced courses (a C or better), are being examined.

Data Analytic Strategy: The researchers will use a three-level HLM model (students nested within schools nested within districts) to compare student achievement across condition.