More California students are taking eighth-grade algebra than in previous years, according to a new study released Friday, but many of them are also unprepared for it.
Statewide test data showed that schools increased the number of students taking Algebra I in eighth grade by 80 percent between 2003 and 2010, according to the study from EdSource, a Mountain View-based nonprofit focused on educational research and issues.
The increase has come with the state’s push to improve students’ algebra skills. However, the study found that eighth-graders’ incoming math preparation varied widely and that many with low levels of preparedness were placed into Algebra I.
The study examined test scores of almost 70,000 eighth-graders statewide. About a quarter of these students scored low on the state test for seventh-grade math, the study said, but of these children, 30 percent were put into Algebra I despite being unprepared.
The majority of those students scored below the basic level when they took the state test for Algebra I, the study said.
Among the study’s other findings is that schools serving mostly low-income students placed higher percentages of children into Algebra I than those serving largely middle-income youths.
The study’s authors urged school districts to prepare children for algebra early on and improve eighth-grade math placements by taking into account wide variations in student readiness.
“California’s middle-grades educators should continue to widen appropriate access to challenging mathematics coursework,” Matt Rosin, EdSource senior research associate and one of the study’s authors, said in a news release. “But in doing so, they need to build on a strong math foundation for students in earlier grades and base their placement decisions on a careful understanding of students’ preparedness.”
Rosin added: “The objective of giving more students the opportunity to complete Algebra I in eighth grade should not be achieved at the expense of a large proportion of students who would be better served by having more time to master key algebra concepts.”
The San Carlos School District makes sure its students are prepared for algebra, said Lynette Hovland, director of curriculum and instruction. “We take math placement in algebra very seriously,” Hovland said.
To determine whether a student is to be placed in that course, she said, the district looks at several factors, including the child’s grades, class participation and performance on an algebra-readiness test.
To see the full study, visit www.edsource.org.
Contact Neil Gonzales at 650-348-4338.