The Heterogeneous Effects of Advanced Math Tracking: Evidence From North Carolina

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: School Leaders: Human Capital, Compensation, and Evaluation

Abstract

In most schools, a significant diversion occurs in 8th grade: higher-achieving students are tracked into Algebra, while lower-achieving students take Algebra in 9th grade or later. Using a fuzzy regression discontinuity design around prior-year proficiency thresholds, I examine the impact of tracking into Algebra in 8th grade rather than in high school. For students near the 80th percentile in the prior year, advanced track enrollment leads to large increases in mathematics course-taking, AP course participation, and college entrance exam scores. However, for students near the 30th percentile, it is associated with large decreases in Algebra performance, with little indication of any longer-term gains. Heterogeneity in the effects of mathematics acceleration imply that poorly targeted tracking policies may harm some students.

Author

• Julien Lafortune, Public Policy Institute of California