Consortium's Algebra Test Again Yields Poor Results

Sponsors see evidence of states' cooperation to craft common exams.

States that voluntarily took part in a demanding test of advanced algebra skills, given for a second straight year, again saw large proportions of their students struggle with that math content.

Yet the test’s sponsors cite the effort as evidence of states’ willingness to band together to create common assessments—a possibility that interests many policymakers—even if the test results are unflattering.

At least 80 percent of students in all 13 states that participated in the exam this spring failed to meet the test’s threshold for being prepared for entry-level college math. That poor showing mirrored the results from last year, when the Algebra 2 test was first piloted. Four states also took part in a separate Algebra 1 test this year, and the...