HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
HKS Working Paper No. RWP15-044
August 2015
Abstract
To better prepare students for college-level math and the demands of the labor
market, school systems have tried to increase the rigor of students’ math
coursework. The failure of universal “Algebra for All” models has led recently to
more targeted approaches. We study one such approach in Wake County, North
Carolina, which began using prior test scores to assign middle school students to
an accelerated math track culminating in eighth grade algebra. The policy has
reduced the role that income and race played in course assignment. A regression
discontinuity design exploiting the eligibility threshold shows that acceleration
has no clear effect on test scores but lowers middle school course grades.
Acceleration does, however, raise the probability of taking and passing geometry
in ninth grade by over 30 percentage points, including for black and Hispanic
students. Nonetheless, most students accelerated in middle school do not remain
so by high school and those that do earn low grades in advanced courses. This
leaky pipeline suggests that targeted math acceleration has potential to increase
college readiness among disadvantaged populations but that acceleration alone is
insufficient to keep most students on such a track.
Citation
Dougherty, Shaun, Joshua Goodman, Darryl Hill, Erica Litke, and Lindsay C. Page. "Early Math Coursework and College Readiness: Evidence from Targeted Middle School Math Acceleration." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP15-044, August 2015.