Students who fail Algebra I more often enter ninth grade with preexisting math and reading deficits, though many enter with average or higher achievement¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr?·q2
Currency · newest study 2016 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2021: baselines and conditions change
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
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q2 i? Students who failed Algebra I were more likely to have entered high school with math achievement in the bottom quintile (30% vs. 17%) and lower average prior percentiles, but 23% of them were in the top two mathematics quintiles. → Rickles 2016
Evidence¶
Rickles 2016¶
Rickles, J., Heppen, J., Taylor, S., Allensworth, E., Michelman, V., Sorensen, N., Walters, K., & Clements, P. (2016). Getting Back on Track: Who Needs to Recover Algebra Credit After Ninth Grade? (Research Brief 3). American Institutes for Research & University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://www.air.org/CreditRecovery
q2 · i? · associational · r?
Descriptive analysis of composite middle school math and reading achievement test scores for the 36,423-student CPS cohort. Failed-Algebra students entered at the 39th math percentile versus the 53rd for those who passed, and 25% versus 19% were in the bottom reading quintile.
"a higher percentage of students who failed Algebra I than students who passed entered high school with math achievement in the bottom fifth of the district distribution (30% vs. 17%). On average, students who failed Algebra I entered ninth grade at the 39th percentile in math and students who passed Algebra I entered at the 53rd percentile."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Most students needing Algebra I credit recovery failed multiple ninth-grade courses and few were on track to graduate — related
- Ninth-grade on-track status predicts graduation more strongly than prior achievement, with a 55 percentage point gap after controls — related
- Students who fail Algebra I show far more signs of ninth-grade disengagement, including higher absenteeism and suspension rates — related
- Ninth graders who fail Algebra I are demographically similar to those who pass, but are more likely to be male and African American — related
- Before expanded options, only 13% of CPS freshmen who failed spring Algebra I recovered the credit over the summer — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
algebra-failure-linked-to-incoming-academic-deficits |
title |
Students who fail Algebra I more often enter ninth grade with preexisting math and reading deficits, though many enter with average or higher achievement |
description |
Students who fail Algebra I more often enter ninth grade with preexisting math and reading deficits, though many enter with average or higher achievement |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2016 |
recheck_by |
2021 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-08 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — rickles-2016 |
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