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Vol. 1, No. 2, February 1996
(NCES 96-815) Ordering Information
Eighth-Grade Algebra Course-Taking and Mathematics Proficiency
Data from the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in mathematics for the nation and the states provided insights into potential relationships between mathematics-related curriculum and instructional activities, and student achievement.
Course-taking is generally a powerful indicator of mathematics achievement. This occurs partially because students who are more proficient tend to take more mathematics classes and, at the eighth grade, the better students are tracked into more advanced classes. The 1992 NAEP results linking proficiency to course work confirm this pattern, with eighth graders enrolled in pre-algebra and algebra courses having higher proficiency scores than students taking eighth-grade mathematics.
The information concerning course work was provided by a background questionnaire, which was included in the 1992 NAEP Mathematics Assessment. The background questionnaire asked students: What kind of mathematics class are you taking this year?
A) I am not taking mathematics this year.
B) Eighth-grade mathematics
C)
Pre-algebra
D) Algebra
E) Other mathematics class
At the national level and, interestingly, at every state and jurisdiction that participated in the 1992 NAEP assessment, eighth graders who were enrolled in algebra courses had consistently higher average proficiencies than students enrolled in pre-algebra, who in turn had higher proficiencies than students taking general eighth-grade mathematics courses (tables 1 and 2).
Substantially larger proportions of white and Asian/Pacific Islander students were taking algebra than black and Hispanic students. Similarly, larger proportions of students in advantaged urban areas and private schools were taking algebra in eighth grade.
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has emphasized the need for all students at the eighth grade to be taught a wide range of mathematical topics including estimation, functions, statistics, probability, measurement, and algebra.
For students to learn important mathematical concepts at the high school level, they must have the needed foundation in mathematics at the middle school level. Algebra seems to be the gateway toward improved mathematical learning at the secondary level. (Another NCES publication offers a longitudinal perspective on this topic: Mathematics Course Taking and Gains in Mathematics Achievement, June 1995, Publication number NCES 95-714).
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Table 1.-National average proficiency of public and private school eighth-grade students by mathematics course-taking,
and by race and gender: 1992
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Algebra Pre-Algebra Eighth-Grade Mathematics Other Mathematics
Percent of Average Percent of Average Percent of Average Percent of Average
Students Proficiency Students Proficiency Students Proficiency Students Proficiency
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Nation 20 299 28 272 49 255 3 249
Race/Ethnicity
White 22 306 30 278 45 265 3 258
Black 13 258 23 246 60 230 4 232
Hispanic 12 277 20 256 62 240 5 231
Asian/Pacific
Islander 42 313 24 278 32 264 2 277
Community Type
Advan. Urban\1 33 314 27 286 36 270 3 262
Disadvan. Urban\2 15 267 14 251 67 230 3 246
Extreme Rural\3 10 298 38 267 50 264 3 240
Other\4 20 298 29 272 48 256 4 249
Type of School
Public 19 299 28 271 50 253 4 248
Non-Public 25 301 33 278 40 270 2 266
Gender
Male 19 299 28 272 49 255 4 249
Female 20 300 28 272 48 254 3 250
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Source: U.S. Department of Education; National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP 1992 Mathematics Report Card for
the Nation and the States.
1/Advantaged Urban represents about 10 percent of the students attending schools in suburban and urban communities where
students' parents had professional or managerial jobs.
2/Disadvantaged Urban represents about 10 percent of the students attending schools in suburban and urban communities
where high proportions of the parents were on welfare or not regularly employed.
3/Extreme Rural includes the approximately 10 percent of students attending schools in the most rural areas, where many
of the parents were farmers or farm workers.
4/Other category includes the 70 percent of student not falling into one of the above extreme categories.
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Table 2.-Average proficiency of eighth-grade public school students by mathematics course-taking, and by state: 1992
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Algebra Pre-Algebra Eighth-Grade Mathematics Other Mathematics
Public Percent of Average Percent of Average Percent of Average Percent of Average
Schools Students Proficiency Students Proficiency Students Proficiency Students Proficiency
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NATION 19 299 28 271 50 253 3 248
Northeast 26 296 22 272 47 252 4 ***
Southeast 16 292 31 265 50 246 3 ***
Central 17 305 27 275 53 263 3 ***
West 18 302 29 273 49 253 3 ***
STATES
Alabama 15 283 18 264 63 241 4 235
Arizona 20 289 31 269 44 252 5 248
Arkansas 15 290 19 265 64 246 2 ***
California 21 290 21 271 53 247 4 234
Colorado 21 297 36 269 38 261 4 265
Connecticut 20 305 31 280 46 257 3 255
Delaware 23 294 34 264 41 244 2 ***
Dist. Columbia 35 251 19 236 42 219 3 ***
Florida 23 290 25 267 49 242 4 234
Georgia 18 291 31 265 49 244 2 ***
Hawaii 12 297 27 273 55 244 6 223
Idaho 18 303 41 275 36 263 5 247
Indiana 16 306 15 282 67 258 2 ***
Iowa 14 313 24 287 60 275 2 ***
Kentucky 16 295 22 270 60 251 3 241
Louisiana 12 273 61 247 26 243 1 ***
Maine 18 306 28 281 51 268 3 ***
Maryland 32 288 31 261 33 243 4 277
Massachusetts 26 298 33 276 38 254 3 252
Michigan 19 293 23 274 55 255 3 261
Minnesota 23 307 33 279 42 270 3 281
Mississippi 13 282 19 259 67 235 2 ***
Missouri 13 305 26 278 59 261 2 238
Nebraska 17 303 25 272 55 272 3 262
New Hampshire 18 307 35 279 45 266 2 ***
New Jersey 19 304 23 278 54 258 3 261
New Mexico 13 287 25 267 58 250 4 249
New York 13 295 9 282 70 258 8 280
North Carolina 22 291 30 261 45 241 3 231
North Dakota 12 309 30 283 57 278 2 ***
Ohio 13 304 24 277 61 256 1 ***
Oklahoma 16 296 36 272 45 256 3 ***
Pennsylvania 27 296 27 271 42 256 3 239
Rhode Island 21 295 31 268 45 250 2 ***
South Carolina 17 301 17 272 63 248 3 235
Tennessee 11 290 14 271 73 252 3 ***
Texas 17 302 18 273 62 252 2 ***
Utah 32 296 38 270 25 251 5 275
Virginia 19 303 41 269 38 248 2 ***
West Virginia 21 288 27 264 50 244 2 ***
Wisconsin 14 304 20 284 63 271 3 253
Wyoming 18 301 33 273 44 266 4 253
TERRITORIES
Guam 11 270 22 258 64 222 3 ***
Virgin Islands 6 249 14 231 78 219 2 ***
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Source: U.S. Department of Education; National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP 1992 Mathematics Report Card
for the Nation and the States.
-***Sample size insufficient to permit reliable estimate
-The percentages may not add to 100 percent because a small number of students reported not taking a mathematics
course
Table 2 shows the 1992 NAEP mathematics results for the forty-two states, two territories, and the District of
Columbia that volunteered to participate in the assessment. In comparing states, be aware that there are many
factors that contribute to state scores and these factors vary from state to state.
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NOTE:
NAEPFACTS is a new series that briefly summarizes findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The series is a product of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This issue was written by Sharif Shakrani
.For questions, and for more information about NAEP and to order NAEP products see the NAEP staff directory
