Math-in-the-11th-Grade

More 11th Graders Take Math Courses Needed for UC and CSU Admission

The proportion of California 11th graders who have taken at least the math courses they need to be eligible for admissions to the state's 4-year universities has increased from 35% in 2003 to 49% in 2010, according to a new issue brief released today by EdSource.

In California's Math Pipeline: Many Routes Through and Around College Prep Courses, an EdSource analysis of state testing data also documents wide variations in students progress in math in 2010 based on ethnicity, with Asian students twice as likely as African Americans to reach at least the Algebra II benchmark by their junior years.

(The 2011 data released this fall shows that the proportion of 11th graders who have taken at least Algebra II increased to 51%.)

The brief is the third in a series EdSource has published this fall. Along with the course-taking analysis, it spotlights the limitations of state testing data in providing a clear understanding of how students proceed through college-preparatory math courses and how many graduate ready to successfully take college level math courses. Download it free from our website.

California's Math Pipeline: The Grade 7 Pivot Point

EdSource's new 4-page issue brief, California's Math Pipeline: The Grade 7 Pivot Point, delves into the issues and research around how student math achievement by the end of 7th grade relates to later success in the subject. This brief is available free on our website.

California's Math Pipeline: Success Begins Early

Dramatic gaps in fundamental math skills exist among California's student populations as early as the 2nd grade, and these gaps tend to persist over time.

This 5-page brief identifies key policies that could ensure that more California students have the necessary early foundations to move into the advanced math curriculum that begins with algebra.