1. Black-White Gaps in Mathematics Coursetaking Patterns 1 Peggy G. Carr Associate Commissioner National Center for Education Statistics 20 th Anniversary Conference National Assessment Governing Board March 4, 2009

2. “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 2

3. NAEP mathematics score according to highest mathematics course taken: 2005 NAEP Score Coursetaking and Achievement 300 190 170 150 130 110 Algebra I or Below GeometryAlgebra IIAdvanced Mathematics Calculus 0 3 Overall

4. Improvements in Coursetaking 4 Algebra I or Below Geometry or Algebra II Advanced Mathematics or Calculus Percent Highest mathematics course taken by high school graduates, by race: 1990-2005 White Black

5. 0300 NAEP Score High school graduates according to when they took algebra I, by race: 2005 White Black Timing of Algebra I 5 120140160180 NAEP Mathematics ScorePercentage of Students

6. 60 50 40 30 20 10 Algebra I or Below GeometryAlgebra IIAdvanced Mathematics Calculus 0 6 Percent Highest mathematics course taken by high school graduates: 2005 Before HS During HS When Algebra I Taken: Timing of Algebra I

7. Highest mathematics course taken by high school graduates, by race: 2005 Timing of Algebra I Calculus Advanced Mathematics Percent Algebra I Before High SchoolAlgebra I During High School Algebra II Geometry Algebra I or Below 7 90% 82% 34% 25% Calculus and Advanced Mathematics

8. NAEP mathematics score according to highest mathematics course taken, by race: 2005 NAEP Score Coursetaking and Achievement White Black 300 190 170 150 130 110 Algebra I or Below GeometryAlgebra IIAdvanced Mathematics Calculus 0 8 Overall

9. 9 Oprah Examines School Differences OPRAH'S SPECIAL REPORT: AMERICAN SCHOOLS IN CRISIS Two-part special aired on April 11-12, 2006

10. Low Minority (Less than 5%) High Minority (More than 50%) School Differences and Achievement NAEP Score 300 180 170 150 140 130 0 160 190 NAEP mathematics performance of students who earned an A in advanced mathematics or calculus: 2005

11. “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 11

12. 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. 12 Mathematics Course Content Analysis

13. 13 Approach: Obtain in-depth information about mathematics course content, including: Primary and supplementary textbooks used Chapters covered Additional course materials Information for a given course reviewed to determine how much students would be likely to learn in that course.

14. Upcoming NCES Report 2005 High School Transcript Study: Mathematics Course Content Analysis 14 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