The predictors and consequences of eighth grade algebra success

This study examined predictors of success in eighth grade Algebra and the consequences of that success in high school. There has been a nationwide push to enroll more eighth grade students in Algebra in order to allow access to advanced mathematics in high school. The increase of students enrolling in Algebra has not only resulted in more minority students having access to a more academic track in math classes, but has also resulted in a group of students that may not have been prepared to take Algebra in the eighth grade. This study sought to find viable, accurate and reliable predictors of success in eighth grade algebra as well as what that success means in terms of later academic achievement.;Using the Los Amigos Unified School District as a model for this case study, it was found that fifth and seventh grade CST scores have a strong correlation coefficient to success in eighth grade Algebra. The study also found that students of particular elementary schools and intermediate schools perform significantly better than students from other schools in the district. The study also found that eighth grade Algebra I CST scores have a strong relationship not only to Algebra II CST scores, but also to math SAT scores.;This study lends supportive evidence to the belief that success in Algebra I is of more importance than the grade level at which Algebra I is taken. The nature of Algebra, and the essential fundamentals that children master through studying Algebra serve as an essential building block of further mathematical studies. This study underscores the importance of success in Algebra.