Abstract:
An evaluation of a high school algebra program was conducted to determine the schools
progress toward reaching a State goal of algebra knowledge for all students. The first
administration of the Algebra One end of course test (EOCT) provided data used to
compare achievement of students taking a traditional one year algebra course or one of
two algebra equivalent course sequences: Applied Algebra and Concepts of Algebra.
Pass rates varied by course taken: Algebra One (71%), Applied Algebra (39%), and
Concepts of Algebra (18%). Independent t tests showed no statistically significant
differences existed by gender. Statistically significant (p < .05) differences were found
when comparing scores of African Americans and White, non Hispanics, and also when
comparing scores of students eligible and non eligible for the free/reduced lunch
program. Strand scores provided similar results as the overall EOCT scores. A .66
correlation was found between a students eighth grade state mandated mathematics
assessment and a students Algebra One EOCT score. A multiple regression analysis
showed, when accounting for course taking, all student characteristics, and prior
mathematics achievement, prior achievement was the strongest predictor of a students
EOCT score. Algebra One students scored, on average, 5.1 points higher (on a 0 to 100
scale) than those students taking the Concepts of Algebra sequence.
Qualitative data identified aspects of the curricula that teachers believed contributed to
the differences in achievement. A traditional classroom routine was followed by teachers,
who did not emphasize importance of the EOCT, and did not prepare students for it.
Teachers perceived students as unmotivated to do well on the test.