Use double-period support courses to expand instructional time for low-skilled 9th-grade math students¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

A strategy of expanding instructional time by adding a support course alongside the regular course for low-skilled students. The article notes that expanded instructional time has become increasingly popular as a strategy to improve the academic outcomes of low-skilled students, particularly in the 9th grade, and evaluates one such implementation in algebra. The evaluation suggests the strategy improved algebra test scores for the targeted population, with the caveat that benefits were smaller for students with very low initial abilities.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Requires identifying students by prior (8th-grade) test scores and scheduling a support course in addition to the regular course.

Constraints¶

• Effects were modest on grades and failure rates; students with very low initial abilities benefited less than students close to the national median; schools may respond by tracking classes by entering skills, producing spillovers on non-targeted students.

Target Learners¶

• Low-skilled 9th-grade students

Target Learning Goals¶

• Algebra achievement

Related Strategies¶

• Double-dose algebra: tracking with supports as an alternative to detracking

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Double-dose algebra policy evaluation in the Chicago Public Schools. (2003). Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness. https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/ujree20