Double-dose algebra was least effective for students with the weakest incoming skills, most of whom received special education services¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2010 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Very low-skill students were more likely to fail algebra after the policy and showed smaller test score gains than students closer to the cutoff. → 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 study found the policy's weakest outcomes among very low-skill students, many with identified learning disabilities, who moved from small homogeneous classes into larger double-period algebra courses without specific accommodations.

"Very low-skill students were more likely to fail algebra after the implementation of the double-dose algebra policy, and test score gains were lower for these students than for students closer to the policy cutoff."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Outcomes of students with disabilities improve when they receive specially designed instruction responsive to assessment data — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Double-dose algebra improved algebra test scores for targeted students just below the cutoff, with a larger post-policy gain than for students just above the cutoff — related
• Policy effects on grades and failure rates differed by incoming ability: most below-norm students' grades improved slightly, but the very lowest-ability students' algebra grades declined — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• For targeted students overall, the policy produced only negligible changes in algebra grades and failure rates despite test-score gains — related
• Chicago's double-dose algebra policy raised algebra test scores for both low-skill and high-skill students — related
• Students with very low initial math abilities benefited less from double-dose algebra than students close to the national median — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• The largest improvements in mathematics instruction and learning gains went to students with the lowest tested math scores — reports the opposite
• Students with the weakest skills relative to their peers need close monitoring and support regardless of whether their achievement is low or high relative to a national comparison — reports the opposite
• Among control students, AI platform use is lower among special education students and lower-achieving students — related