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¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2008 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Post-policy students in the two lower-ability groups were more likely to earn Algebra I credit (increases of 8.8 and 7.4 percentage points), but failures rose for the lowest-ability students. → Elaine Allensworth 2008 q2 i? The policy did not prepare more students for college: students were no more likely to obtain upper-level math credits or attend a four-year college. → Elaine Allensworth 2008 (2)

Evidence¶

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?

RQ3 difference-in-difference comparisons of schools affected versus unaffected by the policy; credit increases of 8.8 and 7.4 percentage points (p<.01) for the lowest- and low-ability groups, alongside the failure increase.

"However, failures for lowest-ability students increased by 7.4 percentage points (p<.05) in the post- compared to the pre-policy period."

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? · causal · r?

RQ3 long-term outcomes; a few pre/post comparisons were significant but inconsistent across ability groups, and the authors attribute them to possible Type 1 error from multiple comparisons.

"Thus, a policy that replaced remedial with college-prep coursework in the ninth grade for all students did not prepare more students for college—overall, students were no more likely to obtain credits in upper-level math courses, or attend a four-year college."

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 — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Long-term outcomes showed few benefits: slight increases in upper-level math credits for low-ability students but slightly lower final GPAs and reduced 4-year college enrollment for others — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• 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
• The overall policy effect on lowest-ability students included higher algebra credit but increased math failure and declining GPA, with no math achievement gains — related
• The policy substantially increased English I credit earning for low-ability students, with marginal increases in English failure and slightly lower grades — 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 raised Algebra credit attainment but increased failure rates and lowered math grades, with no test-score benefit — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• 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 — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Reinstating high-stakes testing to measure learning loss narrows the curriculum and does not benefit long-term achievement — related
• Taking English I instead of remedial English increased English credit earning with no adverse consequences on failure rates or test scores — related
• 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 — related
• Enrolling in English I instead of remedial English increased credit earning with no adverse consequences, but few other benefits — related