Black-White Gaps in Mathematics Coursetaking Patterns Peggy G. Carr Associate Commissioner National Center for Education Statistics 20th Anniversary Conference National Assessment Governing Board March 4, 2009

“I advise my students to listen carefully the moment they decide to take no more mathematics courses. They might be able to hear the sound of closing doors.” - James Caballero Mathematics teacher and author of Geometry Games

Coursetaking and Achievement NAEP mathematics score according to highest mathematics course taken: 2005 NAEP Score 300 190 170 150 130 The scores of Black students in each category are significantly lower than their White peers. 110 Overall Algebra I or Below Geometry Algebra II Advanced Mathematics Calculus

Improvements in Coursetaking Highest mathematics course taken by high school graduates, by race: 1990-2005 Algebra I or Below Geometry or Algebra II Advanced Mathematics or Calculus Percent White Black

Timing of Algebra I High school graduates according to when they took algebra I, by race: 2005 Percentage of Students NAEP Mathematics Score White Black NAEP Score 120 140 160 180 300

Timing of Algebra I Highest mathematics course taken by high school graduates: 2005 Percent 60 50 When Algebra I Taken: 40 Before HS 30 During HS The scores of Black students in each category are significantly lower than their White peers. 20 10 Algebra I or Below Geometry Algebra II Advanced Mathematics Calculus

Timing of Algebra I Highest mathematics course taken by high school graduates, by race: 2005 Algebra I Before High School Algebra I During High School Percent Calculus and Advanced Mathematics 90% 82% 34% 25% Calculus Advanced Mathematics When we look at the highest mathematics course attained by students who took algebra before high school, we see that about 90 percent of White students went as far as either Advanced Mathematics or Calculus, and the same was true for about 80 percent of Black students. In contrast, when we look at the highest mathematics course attained by students who took algebra in high school, we see that about 65 percent of White students went no farther than Algebra II. The same was true for about 75 percent of Black students. Algebra II Geometry Algebra I or Below

Coursetaking and Achievement NAEP mathematics score according to highest mathematics course taken, by race: 2005 NAEP Score 300 190 170 150 White Black 130 The scores of Black students in each category are significantly lower than their White peers. 110 Overall Algebra I or Below Geometry Algebra II Advanced Mathematics Calculus

Oprah Examines School Differences OPRAH'S SPECIAL REPORT: AMERICAN SCHOOLS IN CRISIS Two-part special aired on April 11-12, 2006

School Differences and Achievement NAEP mathematics performance of students who earned an A in advanced mathematics or calculus: 2005 NAEP Score 300 190 180 Low Minority (Less than 5%) 170 160 High Minority (More than 50%) 150 140 130

“I want to make sure that if a student takes a course, it’s really a significant course, not a watered-down version.” - Ronald A. Pieffer Maryland deputy state superintendant for academic policy

Mathematics Course Content Analysis Purpose: Determine what students are being taught in algebra I and geometry courses. Sample: In 2005, algebra I and geometry textbook information collected from a nationally representative sample of 650 high schools.

Mathematics Course Content Analysis Approach: Obtain in-depth information about mathematics course content, including: Primary and supplementary textbooks used Chapters covered Additional course materials Obtain more in-depth information from course textbooks and materials about the topical content of mathematics courses than can be obtained for the catalog descriptions alone. Explore some possible reasons for the apparent inconsistencies between the course-taking patterns and NAEP proficiency results. Review the current course coding procedures used in the study, and identify possible improvements. Textbook content was examined for different courses in the same school or the same courses in different schools. Information for a given course reviewed to determine how much students would be likely to learn in that course.

2005 High School Transcript Study: Mathematics Course Content Analysis Upcoming NCES Report 2005 High School Transcript Study: Mathematics Course Content Analysis Authors: Janis Brown, National Center for Education Statistics Robert Perkins, Rockville Institute/Westat Stephen Roey, Rockville Institute/Westat Kathryn Schiller, State University of New York Kathy Wright, Michigan State University Anticipated Release: Fall/Winter 2009