Double-dose algebra improved test scores but did not reduce algebra failure rates¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2010 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Course-passing rates in algebra did not improve under the double-dose policy, even though test scores increased. → Claire Durwood 2010
Evidence¶
Claire Durwood 2010¶
Claire Durwood, Emily Krone, and Christopher Mazzeo. (2010). Are Two Algebra Classes Better Than One? The Effects of Double-Dose Instruction in Chicago. Consortium on Chicago School Research, University of Chicago. http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/content/page.php?cat=3&content_id=34
q3 · i? · causal · r2
The CCSR mixed-design study (regression discontinuity plus time series) found the policy "fell short of its original goal: to reduce failure rates in algebra"; failure rates that had been modestly improving leveled off after implementation.
"Though students' algebra test scores increased under the policy, course-passing rates did not improve."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Algebra failure rates rose post-policy for above-norm students (~3 percentage points) but fell for below-norm students (~4 points); classroom environment and peer ability explained most of the above-norm rise but not the below-norm fall — related
- Below-norm students' pass rates improved post-policy because their skills relative to classroom peers improved under sorting — related
- For targeted students overall, the policy produced only negligible changes in algebra grades and failure rates despite test-score gains — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
- Failure rates increased and grades declined for higher-skill students in single-period algebra after the policy — related
- Below-norm students' algebra test scores improved despite having lower-skill peers post-policy, consistent with additional supports offsetting compositional decline — related
- Double-dose algebra was discontinued before its benefits were documented, though subsequent research found long-term benefits — reports the opposite
- The double-dose algebra policy adversely affected non-targeted above-norm students: their algebra grades declined and failure rates increased post-policy — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
double-dose-did-not-improve-failure-rates |
title |
Double-dose algebra improved test scores but did not reduce algebra failure rates |
description |
Double-dose algebra improved test scores but did not reduce algebra failure rates |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2010 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-08 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — claire-durwood-2010 |
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