Long-Term Study in Maine and Vermont Schools to Examine Impact of Online Algebra for Eighth-Graders


Published:January 22, 2009



For Immediate Release: 22 January 2009
Long-Term Study in Maine and Vermont Schools to Examine Impact of Online Algebra for Eighth-Graders

Boston, MA: Seventy mostly rural schools in Maine and Vermont are participating in a three-year, federally funded research study to examine whether improving access to Algebra I for eighth-graders through the use of an online course benefits student math achievement.

Launched in September 2008, the Pathways to Math Achievement Study provides an online Algebra I course to schools that do not currently offer algebra to their eighth-grade students. Schools identified which of their eighth-graders were ready to take Algebra I in the current academic year, and those students are receiving the online course. Researchers will track the math achievement and course-taking patterns of participating students and their classmates into 10th grade.

The study is conducted by Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI), one of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories nationwide funded by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. On Tuesday, February 10, REL-NEI will host a webinar on the study: “Learning from Rural Middle-Grades Classrooms: Discussion of a Long-Term Study of Online Algebra Access in the Northeast and Islands Region.”

Both states’ education commissioners expressed support for the study:

“I think this study has fabulous potential for a state like Vermont where we have so many rural schools that can potentially benefit from new technologies to expand their course offerings,” said interim Vermont Deputy Commissioner of Education Bill Romond. “Pathways to Math Achievement will provide data on whether online courses are an effective way to improve and enhance student learning.”

“Maine’s rural schools either have difficulty recruiting teachers with the background necessary to teach algebra or have a limited number of students ready for algebra because of the size of the schools,” said Maine Commissioner of Education Susan Gendron. “The Pathways to Math Achievement study will help guide our policy recommendations regarding Algebra I in the eighth grade.”

Improving middle- and high-school student achievement in mathematics is a national and regional concern. National and state policymakers advocate offering Algebra I to more eighth-graders because it is an important “gatekeeper course” to taking more advanced math courses in high school.

“This study will offer policymakers and educators scientifically valid evidence of whether offering Algebra I to ‘ready’ eighth-graders through the use of an online course leads to greater math achievement in high school. This evidence can be used to make decisions to support effective education policy,” said Margaret Clements, co-principal investigator and senior researcher at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), which administers REL-NEI.

The participating schools serve 2,080 eighth-graders. The schools receive an online Algebra I course at no cost for two consecutive years. The course is provided by online curriculum developer Class.com.

Pathways to Math Achievement is a randomized control trial, or RCT, with an “intervention” group of schools, which are offering the online course this academic year, and a comparison group of schools that do not have the course this year but will receive it at no cost during the 2009–10 and 2010–11 academic years. Participating schools agreed to be assigned to the treatment or control groups through a lottery.

This year, algebra-ready eighth-graders in the intervention group are taking the online Algebra I course while all other eighth-graders in both the intervention and comparison schools are taking their school’s regular eighth-grade math class. Researchers are interested in two types of outcomes: math achievement scores and mathematics course-taking patterns in high school. To determine the impact of the online Algebra I course on students’ math achievement, the study will follow all students through 2010, when they are in the 10th grade, in order to compare their standardized math test scores. For a subsample of students, researchers also will collect information on students’ mathematics courses and grades when they are in the ninth and 10th grades. Baseline assessments of students’ math skills were completed last fall.

In addition to investigating the academic effects of offering Algebra I to eighth-graders, the Pathways to Math Achievement Study enables schools to explore the feasibility of online courses in general. The algebra course is facilitated by an online algebra teacher in a remote location and enrolled students work independently on computers during math class time, with school-based proctors monitoring their progress.

The use of online courses is growing rapidly nationwide. Among the potential benefits of online courses is they can help schools hampered by tight budgets, understaffing, or small size to expand educational opportunities for their students, Clements said.

For more information, visit www.virtualalgebrastudy.org. To arrange an interview with Margaret Clements or Teresa Duncan, senior research analyst at American Institutes for Research in Washington, DC, and co-principal investigator, contact Ashley Gaddis at (617) 618-2733 or agaddis@edc.org.

* Download Pathways to Math Achievement brochure. * Download REL-NEI brochure.

For more information about this study, contact agaddis@edc.org.

The Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI) is run by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), the American Institutes for Research (AIR), and WestEd’s Learning Innovations program. REL-NEI is one of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories funded by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. REL-NEI provides rigorous research that is relevant to national education priorities, responsive to local needs, and usable for policy and practice. Visit www.relnei.org.

This project has been funded at least in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under Contract Number ED-06-CO-0025. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Education Development Center, Inc.(EDC) is a global nonprofit organization that develops, delivers, and evaluates innovative programs to address some of the world’s most urgent challenges in education, health, and economic development. Celebrating its 50th year, EDC manages more than 300 projects in 35 countries. Visit www.edc.org.