Running Head: ALGEBRA IN 8 TH GRADE
Effects of Algebra I Instruction on Eighth Grade LEAP Scores
Christy Bourgeois
Southeastern Louisiana University
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Running Head: ALGEBRA IN 8 TH GRADE
Abstract
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Teaching Algebra I in eighth grade is becoming more prevalent, especially when preparing students to be college and career ready when exiting high school. The purpose of this study is to determine whether students who have Algebra I in eighth grade perform better on standardized tests than students who do not have Algebra I in eighth grade. Convenience sampling will be used for this study. Two eighth grade math classes will be chosen to participate in this study. This study will use a Non-equivalent Post Test
Only research design. The Louisiana Education Assessment Program test will be used to compare math scores.

Running Head: ALGEBRA IN 8 TH GRADE
Effects of Algebra I Instruction on Eighth Grade LEAP Scores
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Purpose Statement
The purpose of this study is to determine whether students who receive Algebra I instruction in eighth grade perform better on standardized tests than students who do not receive Algebra I instruction in eighth grade.
Review of Literature
The ability of the United States to adequately educate its students in the areas of economics, technology, and scientific innovation is critical to maintaining its status as a world leader. The need for individuals with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is of growing concern (Finkelstein, Fong, Tiffany-Morales, Shields, & Huang, 2012). For students to be able to successfully pursue higher education, especially STEM, keeping them on a rigorous track through their middle and high school academic experience is crucial. Across the country, more and more school districts are teaching Algebra I in eighth grade in hopes of high school students taking advanced math classes. Algebra is referred to as a “gateway” course for sequencing math and science courses that prepare students for these advanced classes (Walston, 2010). Traditionally, educational policies have limited access to eighth grade algebra to selected students who have demonstrated above-average mathematical ability. Recent changes in curricular design and rigorous state standards, such as Common
Core State Standards, have resulted to increased access to algebra classes among eighth grade populations. It is believed by some that providing eighth grade algebra to all students may enhance mathematics literacy across all populations (Spielhagen, 2006). With the Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) testing being implemented in Louisiana next school year, many educators feel that accelerating math studies will indeed improve student performance. It is argued that making eighth grade algebra available to all students leaves a subgroup of students enrolled

Running Head: ALGEBRA IN 8 TH GRADE that lack the basic mathematical skills needed to succeed (Burris, 2008). Burris also argues that the presence of lower achievers may weaken the instructional opportunities of highly proficient students
4 and recommends that algebra placement be based on student readiness, not grade level. According to
NAEP testing data from the “2008 Brown Center Report on American Education: The Misplaced Math
Student Lost in Eighth Grade Algebra,” high achievers, students scoring in the 90 th percentile or higher, made up 27 percent of the advanced classes in 2000. The percentage dropped to 20 percent in 2005.
Low achievers more than doubled as part of the advanced classes, from 3 percent in 2000 to 7.8 percent in 2005. Although this small percentage seems inconsequential, it adds up to approximately 120,000 students nationwide. From the teacher’s perspective, about one out of every thirteen eighth graders in an advanced math class knows very little mathematics. A teacher with an average class size can expect to have two students performing below grade level.
Online courses are more frequently being seen as a viable way to make Algebra I in eighth grade more accessible to students, especially in small and rural schools (Heppen, Walters, Clements, Faria,
Tobey, Sorrenson, & Culp, 2012). According to their research for the American Institutes for Research, students whose schools deemed them eligible for Algebra I in 8 th grade, taking the online course improved their algebra achievement at the end of eighth grade and doubled their chances of taking and advanced math course sequence in high school. These students also showed no negative effect on students’ general math achievement at the end of the eighth grade. Removing the eligible students from the general math classes to take the online Algebra I course had no side effects on the non-eligible students’ achievement or course-taking outcomes.
Another approach to increasing algebra scores was to “double dose” students. Research
(Allensworth & Nomi, 2009) suggests that there is a strong link between ninth grade failure and dropout.
To combat high failures in ninth grade algebra the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) initiated a double period

Running Head: ALGEBRA IN 8 TH GRADE 5 algebra policy, requiring eighth grade students who score below proficient to enroll in a support algebra course in addition to the ninth grade algebra course. The findings on this policy showed that it did not have any substantial benefits for the lowest ability students. Failure rates stayed the same for the targeted students and unintentionally increased failure rates in ninth grade algebra for students not targeted by the policy.
Another study on when students should take Algebra I also examined what we know about selective and “universal algebra policies found that algebra course taking and student outcomes were unconnected to specific policy contexts (Stein, Hillen, Sherman, & Kaufman, 2011). Students who took
Algebra I in eighth grade took more years of advanced math, but between one half and two thirds did not take mathematics courses beyond Algebra II. On average it was found that students who took algebra in eighth grade had higher scores compared to those who did not, but students who scored the lowest benefitted more from waiting to take algebra until high school. Success of eighth grade algebra students could also be explained by unmeasured factors such as students’ higher expectations of themselves, teacher’s higher expectations, and learning potential beyond what is measured on tests.
When and who receives Algebra I instructions is an on-going issue. As expectations for students continue to be more rigorous, students will be challenged with taking advanced math classes whether by readiness or grade level.
Hypothesis
It is hypothesized that there will be no statistically significant difference between eighth grade math students who receive Algebra I and eighth grade math students who do not with respect to eighth grade
LEAP math scores.
Operational Definitions

Running Head: ALGEBRA IN 8 TH GRADE
Algebra I is described as the first algebra class usually taken in ninth grade. Eighth grade
6 students are generally referred to as being 13 years of age on average. Eligible students are described as students who have met a criterion in order to take certain courses.
Methodology
Research Design
This study will utilize a concurrent mixed methods design (QUAL = QUANT). The quantitative component will use an ex post facto research design. A non-equivalent posttest only control group will be utilized. For this study, the independent variable will be the type of instruction. The levels will include those students with Algebra I and those without Algebra I. The dependent variable will be the eighth grade LEAP math scores. Possibility of cause and effect may be a factor in results.
Sample
A convenience sample of 60 eighth grade math students will be used in this study. Two eighth grade regular education math classes will be chosen. There will be two groups in the study. Group A will consist of 30 eighth grade math students who will receive Algebra I instruction and Group B will consist of 30 eighth grade math students who will not receive Algebra I instruction. The study will take place in a semi-rural school with a total enrollment of 547 students. Forty-nine percent of the students receive free or reduced lunch according to federal guidelines. Twenty-nine percent of the students are African
American, sixty-four percent are Caucasian, five percent are Hispanic, one percent are Native American and on percent are Asian.
Instrumentation
The Louisiana Education Assessment Program (LEAP) test will be used in this study. The LEAP test yields valid and reliable longitudinal data. Consistency of the difficulty level must be maintained.

Running Head: ALGEBRA IN 8 TH GRADE
This is done by scaling the scores in a process called test equating. Raw scores are used to compute
7 students scaled scores and to establish a common achievement level standard from test form to test form. This test is given every year to 8 th grade students and is a high stakes test. This means that in order to progress to the 9 th grade, the students must score at least a score of Basic to show proficiency. The math portion contains computation, number relations, calculator use, and constructed response questions and varies in the number of questions asked. The test will take approximately two hours to administer. The response format is multiple choice and written response. The creators of this test relied on experts to develop the validity. Reliability has been established.
Procedures
Two middle school regular education eighth grade math classes will be chosen for this study at a middle school in southeast Louisiana. These classes are chosen because all eighth students are required to take math classes and the LEAP test. Each class will consist of 30 randomly selected students. Students will complete the math portion of the LEAP test in mid-April in a two hour time slot. The test will evaluate the math skills of eighth grade students. Results will be reported to the school at the end of May.
Data Analysis
For the purpose of this study, and independent-sample t-test will be used to analyze the data.

Running Head: ALGEBRA IN 8 TH GRADE
Reference
Loveless, T. (2008). The Brown Center Report on American Education: The Misplaced Math Student
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Lost in Eighth-Grade Algebra. Retrieved from website: www.brookings.edu
Stein, M., Hillen, A., Sherman, M., & Kaufman, J. (2011). Algebra: A challenge at the crossroads of policy and practice. Review of Educational Research, 2011, 81(4), 453-492.
Allensworth, E., & Nomi, T. (2009). “Double dose” algebra as an alternative strategy to remediation: Effects on students’ academic outcomes. Journal of Research on Educational
Effectiveness, April 2009, 2(2), 111-148.
Spielhagen, F. (2006). Closing the achievement gap in math: Long term effects of eighth grade algebra. Journal of Advanced Academics, 18(1), 34-59.
Finkelstein, N., Fong A., Tiffany-Morales, J., Shields, P., & Huang, M. (2012). College bound in middle
school and high school? How math course sequences matter. Sacramento, CA: The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd.
Burris, C. (2008). Review of “The misplaced math student: lost in eighth grade algebra.” Boulder and Tempe CO: Education and the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research Unit.
Retrieved from website: http://epicpolidy.org/thinktank/review-misplaced-math-student
Heppen, J., Walter, K., Clements, M., Faria, A., Tobey, C., Sorensen, N., & Culp, K. (2012). Access to
algebra I: the effects of online mathematics for grade 8 students. (NCEE 2012-4021).
Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
Heppen, J. (2012) Broadening Access to Algebra I: the impact on eighth graders taking an online course.
Washington, D.C.: American Institutes for Research.
Retrieved from website: http://www.air.org

Running Head: ALGEBRA IN 8 TH GRADE
Walston, J. (2010) Eighth grade algebra: findings from the eighth grade round of the early childhood
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longitudinal study, kindergarten class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). Washington D.C.: Institute of
Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from website: www.nces.ed.gov
California’s approach to math instruction still doesn’t add up (July, 2008). Sacramento, CA: The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from website: www.cftl.org