In 2003, Chicago public schools assigned ninth-graders with below-average math scores to "Double Dose Algebra," a curriculum consisting of one period of algebra and a second period of algebra support, and a study finds that participation in "Double Dose Algebra" was significantly tied to increase in semesters of college attended and degree attainment 12 years later for the 2003 cohort; implementation of the policy changed in 2004, and similar long-term effects did not appear for the 2004 cohort, suggesting that grouping median-skill students with low-skill peers is likely to undermine the positive impacts of additional math instruction, according to the authors.
###
Article #20-19030: "Effects of double-dose algebra on college persistence and degree attainment," by Takako Nomi, Stephen W. Raudenbush, and Jake J. Smith.
MEDIA CONTACT: Stephen W. Raudenbush, University of Chicago, IL; email: < sraudenb@uchicago.edu >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences