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Algebra-for-All Policy Harmed High-Achievers, Study Finds - Curriculum Matters - Educat... - 0 views

blogs.edweek.org/...ush_for_algebra-for-all_p.html

shared by anonymous on 27 Aug 12 - No Cached
  • The push for algebra-for-all policies may inadvertently take a toll on high-achieving students, a new study suggests, by slowing their rate of academic improvement.
  • a set of Chicago public schools after the district enacted a policy in 1997 requiring all 9th graders to take Algebra I. Mathematics achievement gains for high-performers dropped in those schools most affected by the policy, when compared with a control group, the study finds. The main reason, it suggests, was the shift to mixed ability grouping in classrooms.
  • The change to algebra for all by the district was accompanied by other curricular changes, the study notes, including the elimination of a wide array of remedial courses across subjects and increasing high school graduation requirements.
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  • The study found that the rate of improvement on math tests for high-achievers slowed in those schools that previously placed students into different classes based on ability level.
  • "When eliminating remedial math classes, schools are likely to put lower-performing students in algebra classes together with high-performing students," says the study
  • She suggests that what may be happening is that teachers are adjusting instruction to the "middle students" in a classroom, and so the declines in peer ability levels could result in "less-challenging content and slower-paced instruction."
  • the study wades into some touchy terrain in examining issues of tracking and mixed-ability grouping.
  • other points to keep in mind. First, she notes that the study is not saying that mixed-ability grouping will inevitably harm high-achievers, if other interventions are supplied.
  • it was not accompanied by additional supports for struggling students to master algebra, or professional development for teachers around how to effectively teach the subject in mixed-ability classrooms. (However, in 2003, the district instituted a new policy to provide additional algebra support to low-achieving students.)
  • Also, prior research by Ms. Nomi and several colleagues at the University of Chicago concluded that the algebra-for-all policy wasn't necessarily much help to low-achieving students either. That earlier research found that although more low-achieving students completed 9th grade with credits in Algebra I and English I, failure rates increased, grades declined slightly, test scores did not improve, and students were no more likely to enter college.
  • two other recent studies, one focused in California and the other in North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district, came to a similar conclusion, finding that placing struggling urban middle schoolers into algebra not only fails to improve their achievement on state math tests, but also reduces the likelihood that they will take and pass higher-level math courses in high school.
  • current evidence suggests that the policy led to mixed ability grouping and this, in turn, negatively affected high-achieving students," she said.
  • The study concludes by offering its findings as a cautionary tale about making changes in course mandates without other assistance.
  • simply mandating a college-prep curriculum for all students is not sufficient to improve the academic outcomes of all students."
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