With the exception of San Francisco, as noted earlier, California previously led efforts to provide algebra to nearly all students by the end of eighth grade for the better part of two decades. ![]() Since we know that eighth-grade algebra has historically been an important step on the way toward high school calculus and college STEM majors, we have searched for more clarity on not only how access can vary across students and schools but also on the effects access to the course can have on student outcomes. Other districts-San Francisco and New York City in particular- have gone so far as to eliminate eighth-grade algebra. Some districts are trying to push as many students as possible into the accelerated course. In light of mixed research findings, many states and districts across the country are rethinking their push to enroll more students in eighth-grade algebra. ![]() However, quasi-experimental evaluations suggest that, on average, algebra policies administered at scale have modest or even negative average effects on students’ mathematics achievement. Yet evidence on the effects of course acceleration is mixed: All students can thrive in well-designed algebra classrooms. ![]() The push to enroll more students in eighth-grade algebra is predicated on the idea that exposing students to more advanced material accelerates their skills acquisition and improves their labor market outcomes. This increase was particularly pronounced in California, where eighth-grade algebra enrollment rates peaked at 65 percent in 2013, in the wake of a decades-long policy effort to make algebra the default mathematics course for eighth graders. Between 19, the proportion of eighth graders in United States public schools enrolled in algebra or a more advanced mathematics course more than doubled to 43 percent.
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