Too many teens enter Algebra I with significant gaps due to instructional inconsistencies and interruptions in their mathematics learning during their middle and elementary years, but new research provides recommendations on how to turn the trend around.
A report released in May by TNTP, an organization that consults with schools on teacher training and instruction, and New Classrooms, a nonprofit that designs personalized learning models, analyzed three years of data from more than 2,000 math students who used an online learning platform by New Classrooms called Teach to One Roadmaps as a supplement to their core Algebra I classes. Their analysis detailed how young people learned concepts and skills over time, as well as the most effective approaches for helping students catch up.
Algebra I is considered by many to be a key gateway to the higher math courses that set students up for college and careers of their choice — especially those in growing STEM sectors. Studies show that students who pass Algebra I by ninth grade are more likely to graduate high school, attend college and earn higher salaries once they enter the workforce.
“Mathematics learning is a key part of a strong academic foundation that sets students up to thrive in PK–12 schooling and beyond. Algebra I, specifically, is an inflection point in young people’s education,” according to the report. “Unfortunately, access to high-quality, coherent academic experiences in mathematics is far from a given. Too many young people come to Algebra I with significant learning gaps due to inconsistencies and interruptions in their mathematics instruction over several years.”
Noting that 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress scores show that just 28 percent of students across the country were proficient in eighth-grade math, researchers said, “Since nearly all algebra content draws on knowledge from prior grades, most students enter Algebra I with a lot of ground to make up, and there are real consequences for failing the course. Students who do not complete Algebra I are four times more likely to drop out of high school than those who pass. Given the long-term impact of academic success on young people’s lives, it’s critical to help more students succeed in Algebra I.”
Key findings
The report shows that algebra proficiency improves when students learn new algebra-related concepts and skills, including those from prior grades. Many students who entered Algebra I knew only about one-third of the algebra-related concepts and skills from prior grades. However, as these students learned more concepts and skills related to algebra — both from their current grade and from previous ones — they performed better on state tests.
Researchers also found that students who started Algebra I with gaps in their foundational understanding didn’t need to learn every concept and skill they missed in prior grades before attempting something new. Rather, learning the most critical predecessors meaningfully increased their chances of acquiring new algebra-related concepts and skills.
Finally, the report highlighted that Tier 2 supports tailored to building upon what students already know from their Tier 1 whole-class instruction can help them make up the most ground. “In this approach, each student works on the most advanced algebra-related concepts and skills, at any grade level, that they are best equipped to learn,” researchers stated.
Recommendations and guiding questions
In addition to school site- and state-level recommendations, researchers called on local educational agencies to adopt rigorous Tier 2 solutions and provide supports for teachers and provided key questions for school system leaders to consider.
While many LEAs use digital learning products as one part of their Tier 2 strategy, some of the most common platforms take a start-at-the-bottom approach, providing practice that is too easy or unrelated to the lesson at hand, or take a grade-level-only approach that aligns to Tier 1 instruction but does little to address unfinished learning on key concepts and skills students will need to know to successfully complete Algebra I.
“When purchasing a Tier 2 solution, it’s important for system leaders to understand how the platform diagnoses student readiness and recommends practice tasks,” researchers noted.
The report provides several questions for LEAs to consider as they move forward:
- How does the Tier 2 platform integrate with Tier 1 instruction?
- Does the Tier 2 platform provide teachers with precise diagnostics to identify the most relevant unfinished learning for each student? Can teachers easily assign modules that address their students’ unique sets of key predecessor gaps and that relate to Tier 1 instruction?
- How is high-quality content on predecessor skills used, including content from prior years? How far back can students go in order to address key predecessors?
- Is there a clear and transparent pathway to proficiency for each student, informed by key predecessors and real-time progress on that individualized pathway?
- What supports and/or resources must be in place for algebra teachers to ensure their students receive Tier 2 instruction when needed? How can there be improved coordination between teachers and their roles in supporting students?
