What Happens After “Algebra for All” in Grade 8?

The math course students take in their first year of high school can shape opportunities for years to come. How can schools ensure that students are placed into courses that align with their academic readiness, interest, and future goals?

Course placement decisions in grades 9 and 10 can influence students’ access to advanced math courses. These decisions are affected by academic performance, teacher recommendations, available courses, graduation requirements, and students’ own plans. Course placement is particularly important in districts that use an Algebra for All approach, in which all students take Algebra I in grade 8. Although students begin high school with this common experience, many students retake Algebra I in grade 9, putting them on different high school math pathways that may affect their access to advanced coursework. For district leaders, this raises important questions about the math sequences available to students, the factors that shape course placement decisions, and how different pathways relate to student outcomes.

A new study from the Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest (REL Northwest) and Tacoma Public Schools (TPS) offers insights into these questions. Grade 9–10 Math Coursetaking Sequences, Advanced Math Outcomes, and Students’ Course Decisions in Tacoma Public Schools examines course records for more than 2,700 TPS students and draws on interviews with students, high school guidance counselors, and Algebra I teachers to better understand how students navigate high school math pathways and what those pathways mean for their future opportunities.

Math coursetaking sequences in TPS 

Because all students in the district took Algebra I in grade 8, the study focused on the math courses students took in grades 9 and 10. The four most common grade 9–10 math sequences were:

• Algebra I retake followed by geometry (34 percent).
• Geometry followed by Algebra II (33 percent).
• Algebra II followed by an advanced math course (12 percent).
• Remedial math in both grades (10 percent). 

Other individual sequences each accounted for 4 percent or less of students. 

Sequences differed across student groups

TPS grade 9–10 math sequences differed by race and ethnicity, sex, multilingual learner status, special education status, and National School Lunch Program eligibility. These findings helped TPS identify student groups that were more or less likely to be enrolled in each particular sequence.

How early high school math sequences related to later math outcomes

For students in the study, different grade 9–10 math sequences were associated with different outcomes. For example, grade 9 students who took geometry followed by Algebra II in grade 10 were more likely to later enroll in and succeed in advanced math than students who took Algebra I followed by geometry or remedial math. In another example, both interview and administrative data suggest that taking Algebra II in grade 9 and geometry in grade 10 is a promising approach for expanding access to advanced mathematics, although this option was only available in one high school. These findings helped TPS spot patterns in how early course sequences were related to later advanced math enrollment and success.

Factors affecting course placement

Interviews with participating students, guidance counselors, and Algebra I teachers revealed an inconsistent understanding of how grade 9–10 math placement decisions were made. Rather than pointing to a single, consistent process, interviews highlighted a range of factors that could influence course recommendations and enrollment decisions, including academic records, teacher recommendations, course availability, graduation requirements, family input, and students’ future plans. These findings suggest that variation in how placement decisions are made and communicated may influence math pathways, underscoring the importance of clearer and more systematic placement processes.

Asking useful questions about math sequences and course placement decisions

REL Northwest and TPS developed this study to strengthen the district’s understanding of high school math coursetaking and improve math experiences for students. 

For district leaders examining their own math programs, the study offers several questions to ask: 

• Which math sequences are our students taking? 
• How are those high school math sequences related to later math coursetaking opportunities and outcomes? 
• How are early high school course placement decisions made?
• Do students and families have clear information about their course options?
• Do sequences and outcomes differ across student groups? 
• Does math course availability vary across schools?

The additional resources provide some ways to get started (box 1). 

Please subscribe to our newsletter, reach out via email, follow us on X and visit our Website to learn more about REL Northwest.