Foreword

The Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) provides a wealth of information from multiple sources about the factors and circumstances related to the performance and social development of the American high school student over time. This statistical analysis report uses information from student surveys, mathematics assessments, and high school transcripts to examine how mathematics achievement across the last 2 years of high school is patterned across American high school students. This analysis also provides new information on the mathematics courses that students take during their junior and senior years, and how these courses relate to their acquisition of different mathematics skills and concepts.

We hope that the information provided in this report will be useful to a wide range of readers, including policymakers and educators interested in improving the mathematics proficiency of American youth. Additionally, we hope that the results reported here will encourage other researchers to use the ELS:2002 data.

Mark Schneider
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics

Jeffrey A. Owings
Associate Commissioner
Elementary/Secondary & Libraries Studies