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Access to Algebra I: The Effects of Online Mathematics for Grade 8 Students
K-12 - Quantitative Research; American Institutes for Research and Education Development Center, Inc.
Using a randomized control trial design, this study tested the impact of offering an online Algebra I course on students algebra achievement at the end of grade 8 and their likelihood of participating in an advanced mathematics course sequence in high school. Sixty-eight eligible schools in Vermont and Maine were randomly assigned to one of two study groups during the 2008-09 school year. The study found that algebra-ready students who took the online course scored significantly higher on the assessment than the control group and those who continued with the normal mathematics curriculum were twice as likely to follow an advanced course sequencing in high school than the control group. The results also indicate that offering an online Algebra I is an effective way to broaden access to the course in schools that do not typically offer it in grade 8.Links: