This new report examines students’ classroom instruction for mathematics,
reading, and science at grades 4, 8, and 12 using survey data from the
2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress.
What content, activities, and skills do educators emphasize in mathematics, reading, and science classrooms across the nation?
How is students' exposure to classroom content and participation in activities linked to their success in these subjects? Does students' coursework at grade 12 vary by their reported college acceptance?
While learning can happen in and outside of
school, the classroom environment offers students their most explicit
access to learning.1
Classroom instruction offers an opportunity for teachers to build
students' knowledge, skills, and interest in various subjects.2, 3, 4
This report describes the content, activities, and skills emphasized by
teachers in fourth- and eighth-grade classrooms as well as students'
reported participation in classroom activities or coursework at grade
12.
Part I: Classroom Instruction for Mathematics
Mathematics: Trends in Content Emphasis
What content is emphasized in students' mathematics classes?
Heavy emphasis on algebra content has increased at grades 4 and 8.
Overall, fourth- and eighth-grade mathematics classes focused on
two main areas: numbers and operations, and algebra and functions. At
grade 4, ninety-three percent of students had teachers who placed heavy emphasis on numbers and operations in 2015, and 49 percent had teachers who placed heavy emphasis on algebra and functions. At grade 8, sixty-two percent of students had teachers who placed heavy emphasis on numbers and operations in 2015, and 91 percent had teachers who placed heavy emphasis on algebra and functions. In 2015, teachers' heavy
emphasis on algebra and functions at grade 4 was 23 percentage points
higher than in 2003 (the base year when fourth-grade teachers were first
asked this survey question), and the level of emphasis on this content
area at grade 8 was 7 percentage points higher than in 2009 (the base
year when eighth-grade teachers were first asked this survey question).
While the percentages of fourth graders whose teachers placed heavy emphasis on measurement and geometry were higher in 2015 than in 2003, heavy
emphasis on data analysis, statistics, and probability did not change
significantly compared to 2003. At grade 8, the percentages of students
whose teachers placed heavy emphasis on measurement and data analysis, statistics, and probability were lower in 2015 than in 2009, but heavy emphasis on geometry did not change significantly compared to 2009.
The Big Picture
Mathematics: Content Emphasis and Student Performance
How do teachers' content emphases vary by student performance?
Teachers of lower-performing students place less emphasis on algebra in their classrooms.
Results from the 2015 NAEP survey questionnaires indicated that the
level of emphasis teachers report on certain types of mathematics
content varies by student performance levels. At grade 4, larger
percentages of lower-performing students (i.e., those scoring below the Basic level on the mathematics assessment) had teachers who reported placing little or no
emphasis on measurement, geometry, and algebra and functions in their
classes compared to higher-performing students (i.e., those scoring at
or above the Proficient
level). There were no significant differences between the percentages
of lower- and higher-performing grade 4 students with teachers who
placed little or no emphasis on numbers and operations and data
analysis, statistics, and probability. At grade 8, a smaller percentage
of lower-performing students than higher-performing students had
teachers who reported placing heavy emphasis on algebra and functions, and larger percentages of lower-performing students had teachers who reported placing heavy
emphasis on numbers and operations, measurement, and geometry compared
to higher-performing students. There was no significant difference
between the percentages of lower- and higher-performing grade 8 students
with teachers who placed little or no emphasis on data analysis, statistics, and probability.
The Big Picture
Mathematics: Trends in Coursetaking
What mathematics courses do students report taking by twelfth grade?
Enrollment in pre-calculus courses by grade 12 is on the rise.
At grade 12, students responded to questions about what courses
they had taken from grade 8 to the present. These questions on
coursetaking were also included in prior NAEP assessments, making it
possible to examine whether students' reported mathematics coursetaking
has shifted over time. At grade 12, twenty-seven percent of students
reported that the highest level of mathematics they had taken to date
was pre-calculus in 2015—a 5 percentage point rise compared to 2005.
There was no significant change in the percentages of students who
reported calculus as the highest level of mathematics they had taken to
date compared to 2005.
The Big Picture
NOTE: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.
Mathematics: Coursetaking and Student Performance
How does twelfth-graders' reported coursetaking vary by student performance?
Lower-performing students tend to enroll in less advanced mathematics courses.
At grade 12, larger percentages of lower-performing students (i.e., those scoring below the Basic
level on the mathematics assessment) reported that the highest level of
mathematics they had taken in high school was geometry, trigonometry or
algebra II, or algebra I or lower compared to higher-performing
twelfth-graders. Higher-performing students (i.e., those scoring at or
above the Proficient level) tended to report taking calculus or pre-calculus as their highest level mathematics course.
The Big Picture
Mathematics: Coursetaking and College Acceptance
How does twelfth-graders' reported mathematics coursetaking vary by their reported college acceptance?
Higher
percentages of students who reported being accepted into a four-year
college also reported taking more advanced mathematics courses in
comparison to those who did not report being accepted into a four-year
college.
As part of the student questionnaire section of the 2015 NAEP
assessment, which was administered from January to March of 2015,
twelfth-graders responded to a question about whether they were accepted
into a four-year college. Overall, 42 percent of those responding as
part of the mathematics assessment reported they were accepted into a
four-year college. Sixty-eight percent of twelfth-graders who reported
being accepted into a four-year college reported taking pre-calculus or
calculus, while 28 percent of those who did not report being accepted
into a four-year college reported taking such courses.
The Big Picture
NOTE: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.
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