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¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2008 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Policy effects on credit earning were largest for the lowest-ability groups, while failures rose and math GPAs declined; achievement scores did not improve. → Allensworth 2008

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

Difference-in-difference interrupted time-series (Table 3) comparing affected schools to unaffected control schools. Failures for lowest-ability students increased 7.4 percentage points (p<.05), average-ability students were absent more often (3.14 days, p<.05), lowest-ability math GPAs declined .15 points (p<.01), and math achievement scores were unaffected.

"Compared to the pre-policy years, post-policy students in the two lower-ability groups were more likely to earn credits for Algebra I or higher in ninth grade—increases of 8.8 and 7.4 percentage points for the lowest- and low-ability groups (p<.01)."

Discussion¶

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
• Requiring all students to take college-prep ninth-grade courses did not increase dropout or reduce graduation, including for low-ability students — related
• 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 — 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 — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• 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
• The policy substantially increased English I credit earning for low-ability students, with marginal increases in English failure and slightly lower grades — 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
• 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
• Reinstating high-stakes testing to measure learning loss narrows the curriculum and does not benefit long-term achievement — related
• Enrolling in English I instead of remedial English increased credit earning with no adverse consequences, but few other benefits — related
• Course dropout was linked to lower SES, lower high school GPA, lower participation in preparatory math courses, and less adaptive initial motivations — related