The overall policy effect on lowest-ability students included higher algebra credit but increased math failure and declining GPA, with no math achievement gains¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · 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? Achievement scores in mathematics at the end of ninth grade were unaffected by the overall policy. → Allensworth 2009
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
Null finding from the overall policy-effect models: the article states "Achievement scores in mathematics at the end of ninth grade were unaffected," consistent with the enrollment-effect analysis.
"Achievement scores in mathematics at the end of ninth grade were unaffected."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- 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
- 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 — 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 — 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 Algebra I instead of remedial math raised Algebra credit attainment but increased failure rates and lowered math grades, with no test-score benefit — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
policy-effect-lowest-ability-increased-failure-declined-gpa |
title |
The overall policy effect on lowest-ability students included higher algebra credit but increased math failure and declining GPA, with no math achievement gains |
description |
The overall policy effect on lowest-ability students included higher algebra credit but increased math failure and declining GPA, with no math achievement gains |
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 |
1 — allensworth-2009 |
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