Chicago's College-Prep-for-All policy nearly universalized ninth-grade Algebra I and English I enrollment and closed course-taking gaps by race, ability, and special education status¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 2 studies (4 entries) · 2 causal r2 · q2–q3
Currency · newest study 2009 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? By 2000 virtually all CPS ninth graders were enrolled in English I and Algebra I, with the largest shifts among low-ability and special education students. → Allensworth 2008

q2 i? By 2000 virtually all Chicago ninth graders were enrolled in English I and Algebra I, with the largest enrollment shifts among low-ability and special education students. → Elaine Allensworth 2008

q2 i? Enrollment differences by race largely disappeared and gaps by incoming ability and special education eligibility declined dramatically after the policy. → Elaine Allensworth 2008 (2)

q2 i? By the mid-policy period, virtually all CPS ninth graders were enrolled in college prep English I and Algebra I, with the largest enrollment shifts among low-ability and special education students. → Allensworth 2009

Evidence¶

Allensworth 2008¶

Allensworth, E., Nomi, T., Montgomery, N., & Lee, V. E. (2008). College Preparatory Curriculum for All: Consequences of Ninth-Grade Course Taking in Algebra and English on Academic Outcomes in Chicago. Consortium on Chicago School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/college-preparatory-curriculum-all-consequences-ninth-grade-coursetaking-algebra-and

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Descriptive results from a cohort comparison of all first-time ninth graders in 59 Chicago high schools, 1994-2004. Post-policy, 'very close to 100%' of regular education students enrolled in Algebra I and 96 percent in English I, with racial/ethnic gaps largely closed.

"During the post-policy years, very close to 100% of students not eligible for special education services were enrolled in Algebra I, regardless of ability; 96 percent enrolled in English I."

Elaine Allensworth 2008¶

Elaine Allensworth, Takako Nomi, Nicholas Montgomery, & Valerie E. Lee. (2008). College Preparatory Curriculum for All: Consequences of Ninth-Grade Course Taking in Algebra and English on Academic Outcomes in Chicago. Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago. https://ccsr.uchicago.edu

q2 · i? · causal · r?

Descriptive results from an interrupted time-series cohort design covering all first-time ninth graders in 59 Chicago high schools, 1994-2004. Post-policy enrollment reached near-universal levels: "very close to 100% of students not eligible for special education services were enrolled in Algebra I, regardless of ability".

"During the post-policy years, very close to 100% of students not eligible for special education services were enrolled in Algebra I, regardless of ability; 96 percent enrolled in English I."

Elaine Allensworth 2008 (2)¶

Elaine Allensworth, Takako Nomi, Nicholas Montgomery, & Valerie E. Lee. (2008). College Preparatory Curriculum for All: Consequences of Ninth-Grade Course Taking in Algebra and English on Academic Outcomes in Chicago. Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago. https://ccsr.uchicago.edu

q2 · i? · associational · r?

Authors' summary of cohort comparisons in the Discussion, based on the same district-wide cohort data; "enrollment differences in college-prep coursetaking by race largely disappeared" after implementation.

"enrollment differences in college-prep coursetaking by race largely disappeared and enrollment gaps based on incoming ability and special education eligibility declined dramatically."

Allensworth 2009¶

Allensworth, E., Nomi, T., Montgomery, N., & Lee, V. E. (2009). College Preparatory Curriculum for All: Academic Consequences of Requiring Algebra and English I for Ninth Graders in Chicago. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 31(4), 367-391. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373709343471

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Descriptive enrollment analysis of the entire population of first-time ninth graders in 59 CPS schools from 1994 to 2004, comparing pre- and post-policy cohorts. The article reports that "close to 100% of students not eligible for special education services were enrolled in Algebra I, regardless of ability" and that racial/ethnic enrollment gaps "largely closed postpolicy."

"During the postpolicy years, close to 100% of students not eligible for special education services were enrolled in Algebra I, regardless of ability; 96% were enrolled in English I. Gaps in course enrollments by race/ethnicity that existed prepolicy largely closed postpolicy."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Universal college-prep coursework did not prepare more students for college: upper-level math credits and four-year college entrance showed no overall gains — related
• Requiring all students to take college-prep ninth-grade courses did not increase dropout or reduce graduation, including for low-ability students — related
• Taking Algebra I instead of remedial math increased algebra credit earning but raised failure rates and lowered grades for low- and average-ability students, with no test-score benefit — related
• Taking Algebra I instead of remedial math raised Algebra credit attainment but increased failure rates and lowered math grades, with no test-score benefit — related
• Enrolling in English I instead of remedial English increased credit earning with no adverse consequences, but few other benefits — related
• Taking English I instead of remedial English increased English credit earning with no adverse consequences on failure rates or test scores — related
• Mandated rigorous-curriculum policies in CPS sometimes had adverse consequences: the IDS initiative saw test scores decline and the college-prep-for-all policy increased course failure without achievement gains — related
• Overall policy effects: lowest-ability students earned more ninth-grade credits but also failed more, and long-term outcomes were small to non-existent, with no increase in college entrance — related
• Overall policy effects were concentrated among the lowest-ability students: larger credit gains but more failures and lower math GPAs, with ninth-grade test scores unaffected — related