A comparison of the attainment of algebra skills in traditional Algebra 1 and in CORD's Applied Mathematics curriculum

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of CORD's Applied Mathematics curriculum. This was accomplished by determining if students receiving instruction in Applied Mathematics could demonstrate mastery of algebra skills at the same level of significance as students receiving instruction in a traditional Algebra 1 class, as measured by an algebra exit exam.; One thousand forty-one traditional Algebra 1 or Applied Mathematics high school students from across the nation participated in this study. Of the original subjects, 470 students were determined to have sufficient data to perform the final statistical analysis. At the end of the 1994–95 school year, the students were given an algebra exit exam to measure their algebraic skills and competencies.; This project employed a quasi-experimental design with two null hypotheses: (1) There is no significant difference between the mean algebra test scores of students who completed the traditional Algebra 1 course and those who completed the Applied Mathematics course; and (2) there is no significant difference between the mean scores of the students who completed the traditional Algebra 1 course and those who completed the Applied Mathematics course based on the aggregate results of the 17 competencies of mathematical/algebraic skills.; To evaluate the first null hypothesis, ANCOVA was used with NCE scores as a covariate. The null hypothesis was rejected. Further analysis determined that the Applied Mathematics students out performed the traditional Algebra 1 students on the algebra exit exam when adjusted means were examined.; The second null hypothesis examined the mean scores of the two classes derived from the aggregate results of the 17 algebraic competencies. This hypothesis was also rejected based on a MANCOVA's results, using NCE scores as a covariate. Seventeen ANCOVAS were then performed whose results determined that scores on 6 of the 17 competencies demonstrated a significant difference. It was further confirmed that the Applied Mathematics students scored higher than the traditional Algebra I students on all six competencies.; Limitations and delimitations were substantial for this study. Due to the lack of experimental control, the results of the study were difficult to generalize.