Studies Indicate Middle School Algebra Exposure May Hamper Later Math Efforts for Some Students

Results of two separate studies recently released, one in California and one in North Carolina, tend to show that some middle school students may not benefit from taking algebra courses, and, in fact, may be less likely as a consequence to take more advanced math courses in high school.  As reported in Education Week, a California study presented by Don Taylor, a CDE consultant, Michael Kurlaender and Heather Rose of UC Davis, found that while middle school algebra course-taking nearly tripled from 1990 to 2007, for the lowest-performing students in in high-stakes testing in 7th grade in a large urban district, taking algebra in 8th grade did not help, and lowered their GPA's by an average 7%.  In the North Carolina study, Duke University researchers Charles Clotfelter, Helen Ladd, and Jacob Vigdor found that 8th grade algebra students did worse on high-stakes testing and were less likely to take more advanced math classes in high school; Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools changed its policy on early algebra as a result.  Similar to Japanese schools, there was some thought that more preparation for the courses in the early grades might assist the students to do better.  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/04/20/29aera.h31.html?tkn=PUPFkkNmIXDw4XHXTCYuVSrcMTgViaL53lSO&cmp=clp-edweek