Math Achievement in Grades 2-7

February 2008

In 2000, California policymakers made the completion of Algebra I a mandatory requirement for a diploma. The move followed the adoption of a new set of K-12 academic content standards in math that recommended students take the course in 8th grade, a path previously reserved for only the highest-achieving students.

Achievement data from the California Standards Tests (CSTs) for grades 2–7 indicate the extent to which students are prepared to take Algebra I in 8th grade. As Figure I shows, as students get older, they are progressively less likely to score proficient or above. However, student achievement is improving. The percentage of students scoring at least proficient on these CSTs has been increasing steadily across all grades since 2002–03.

For information about California math and science achievement, see the EdSource report, Math and Science Education for the California Workforce: It Starts with K–12.

Proficiency on math CSTs is lower as students get older, but it has improved in the past four years for all grades

Although the percentage of students who score proficient or above in math each year is lower for 7th graders than for 2nd graders, all grades show steady improvement between 2002-03 and 2005-07.

Data: California Department of Education (CDE)
EdSource 2/08