‘Double Dose’ of Algebra Found to Lift Scores, Not Passing Rates

Chicago policy had mixed effect on grades, little on failure rates

Chicago students’ test scores increased after they were enrolled in “double-dose” algebra classes, though the policy’s impact on their grades and course failure rates was mixed, a new study has found.

Many schools around the country are trying to help struggling students by providing them with an extra period of math instruction. Introductory algebra is a particularly difficult hurdle for students, many of whom arrive in that course without the skills necessary to master the language of x and y .

The authors, from the Consortium on Chicago School Research, say the double-dose policy did not achieve one of its primary goals: reducing failure rates in 9th grade algebra. Those...