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¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causalr2·q2
Currency · newest study 2009 · 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.
q2 i? An increase of 20 percentage points in taking algebra led to an increase of 3 percentage points in lowest-ability students earning credits beyond geometry (p < .01), but this did not hold beyond Algebra II. → Allensworth 2009
q2 i? Final high school GPAs went down slightly for all but the lowest-ability students, and the probability of attending a 4-year college decreased slightly by less than 1 percentage point for all but the lowest-ability students. → Allensworth 2009 (2)
Evidence¶
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
From the enrollment-effect models' longer-term outcomes: the article reports "an increase of 3 percentage points in lowest-ability students' earning credits beyond geometry (p < .01)," but the effect "did not hold beyond Algebra II."
"an increase of 20 percentage points in taking algebra led to an increase of 3 percentage points in lowest-ability students' earning credits beyond geometry (p < .01); however, this did not hold beyond Algebra II."
Allensworth 2009 (2)¶
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
Longer-term outcomes from the same enrollment-effect models: the article reports "final high school GPAs went down slightly (p < .05)" and 4-year college attendance probability "decreased slightly... by less than 1 percentage point (p < .05)" for all but the lowest-ability students.
"final high school GPAs went down slightly (p < .05) for all but the lowest-ability students. Perhaps because the grades were lower, the probability of attending a 4-year college after high school decreased slightly for all but the lowest-ability students by less than 1 percentage point (p < .05)."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- General Cognitive Ability — moderator: an instructional effect differs with it
Related Claims¶
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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 — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
- Reinstating high-stakes testing to measure learning loss narrows the curriculum and does not benefit long-term achievement — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
long-term-outcomes-few-benefits |
title |
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 |
description |
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 |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2009 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-09 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
2 — allensworth-2009, allensworth-2009-2 |
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