A controversial, equity-focused mathematics reform in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) featured delaying Algebra I until ninth grade for all students. This study examines student-level longitudinal data on mathematics course-taking across successive cohorts of SFUSD students who spanned the reform's implementation. We observe…

This quantitative correlational study examines school-level longitudinal outcomes of eighth-grade algebra universal acceleration in 15 U.S. school districts when compared with selective acceleration in 289 school districts. Universally accelerated school districts had higher enrollments, with large effect sizes, in geometry, algebra 2, and…

A controversial, equity-focused mathematics reform in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) featured delaying Algebra I until ninth grade for all students. This descriptive study examines student-level longitudinal data on mathematics course-taking across successive cohorts of SFUSD students who spanned the reform's implementation. We…

Precalculus and calculus are considered gatekeeper courses because of their academic challenge and status as requirements for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and non-STEM majors alike. Despite college mathematics often being seen as a neutral space, the field has identified ways that expectations, interactions, and…

Two set of studies were conducted to better understand grades and grading practices in physics courses, and how these might influence demographic representational disparities in physics. The first study investigates the relationships between grades and the student-level factors of standardized test scores, (binary) gender, underrepresented…

This report examines the effects of taking math in 12th grade on several academic outcomes, including high school grade point average, A-G course completion, college enrollment, and college persistence. We also investigate whether particular types of math courses (for example, Calculus or Statistics) are especially beneficial for students'…

This report examines the impact of taking a math course in twelfth grade on L.A. Unified students' science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) college course taking and academic achievement. We also investigate whether particular types of math courses (for example, Calculus or Statistics) are especially beneficial for students' postsecondary…

In this paper, we present findings from a preliminary analysis of transcript data in the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS:09), a large-scale longitudinal investigation of academic achievement among U.S. high school students. Using proportional flow diagrams of course-taking patterns, we illustrate differences in calculus completion associated…

"Inequitable Opportunity to Learn: Access to Advanced Mathematics and Science Courses" is the second in a series of Learning Policy Institute reports analyzing data primarily from the U.S. Department of Education's Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). This report uses the most recent CRDC data from 2017-18. The CRDC includes data on a…

This study addresses a longstanding question among high school mathematics teachers and college mathematics professors: Which is the best preparation for college calculus-- (a) a high level of mastery of mathematics considered preparatory for calculus (algebra, geometry, precalculus) or (b) taking calculus itself in high school? We used a data set…

These proceedings are a written record of the research presented at the 42nd annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA) held in Mazatlán, Mexico, virtually beginning May 27, 2021 and in-person June 2-6, 2021. The conference was originally scheduled to take place…

This paper examines the effects of policies that increase the number of students who take the first course in algebra in 8th grade, rather than waiting until 9th grade. Extending previous research that focused on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system, we use data for the 10 largest districts in North Carolina. We identify the effects of…

Using data from the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress, students' use of calculators in the learning of high school mathematics was profiled based on their family background, curriculum background, and advanced mathematics coursework. A statistical method new to educational research--classification and regression trees--was applied…

This document contains the second volume of the proceedings of the 28th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Conference presentations are centered around the theme "Inclusion and Diversity". This volume features 65 research report papers: (1) Constructing Meanings and Utilities within Algebraic…