@article {175236, title = {Middle School Math Acceleration and Equitable Access to 8th Grade Algebra: Evidence from the Wake County Public School System}, journal = {Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis}, volume = {37}, number = {1}, year = {2015}, pages = {80S-101S}, abstract = {Taking algebra by eighth grade is considered an important milestone on the pathway to college readiness. We highlight a collaboration to investigate one district{\textquoteright}s effort to increase middle school algebra course-taking. In 2010, the Wake County Public Schools began assigning middle school students to accelerated math and eighth-grade algebra based on a defined prior achievement metric. This policy reduced the relationship between course assignment and student characteristics such as income and race/ethnicity, while increasing its relationship to academic skill. The policy increased the share of students on track for algebra by eighth grade. Students placed in accelerated math were exposed to higher-skilled peers but larger classes. Future work will assess impacts on subsequent achievement and course-taking outcomes.}, url = {http://m.epa.sagepub.com/content/37/1_suppl/80S}, author = {Dougherty, Shaun and Joshua Goodman and Darryl Hill and Erica Litke and Lindsay Page} }