California eighth graders are supposed to take algebra, according to standards adopted in 2003. That’s boosted the number of eighth-grade algebra students by 80 percent, concludes a study by EdSource, working with Stanford and American Institutes for Research. Expectations are high. But performance is just what you’d expect.
Low-scoring students placed in algebra have “almost no chance for success.” Nearly a third of students with “below basic” and “far below basic” scores were placed in eighth-grade algebra.
Not surprisingly, students who were proficient in seventh-grade math tended to be proficient in eighth-grade algebra. “Basic” students in seventh-grade math who were placed in eighth-grade algebra tended to score “basic” on the exam.
Not rocket science.
Low-scoring students should spend eighth grade learing the math skills that will give them a shot at passing algebra in ninth grade, researchers concluded.