Math curriculum tracking and educational outcomes

Curriculum tracking can be viewed as a system of social stratification within high schools. Students are sorted into different curriculum tracks and provided different learning opportunities. A substantial amount of research has shown that curriculum tracking has advantageous consequences for college track students and disadvantageous consequences for non-college track students. Research has also shown that low-income and minority students are overrepresented in non-college tracks and underrepresented in college tracks. The vast majority of previous studies on curriculum tracking have lacked pre-high school data and lacked a focus on minority students. The purpose of the study was fourfold: (1) to examine the pre-high school factors which impact high school math track assignment, (2) to examine the pre-high school factors which explain racial discrepancies in math track assignment, (3) to examine the impact of math track on twelfth-grade math achievement and graduating from high school, and (4) to examine the role of math track in explaining racial discrepancies in twelfth-grade math achievement and graduating from high school. This study used the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), a longitudinal data set which includes pre-high school, high school and post-high school data. This study used multivariate analyses including ordinary least squares, multinomial and logistic regression techniques. The findings of this study showed that pre-high school factors played an important role in high school math track assignment. While prior math achievement was a primary factor predicting math track, other important factors included student background, school composition and student coursework. For Mexican American and African American students, underrepresentation in the college and honors math tracks was primarily due to lower eighth-grade math achievement. The findings also showed that being in the college and honors math track significantly increased twelfth-grade math achievement and the likelihood of graduating from high school. High school math track did not appear to play a role in explaining racial discrepancies in twelfth-grade math achievement. Math track, however, played a moderate role in explaining racial discrepancies in graduating from high school.