Dropped as a Graduation Requirement: Algebra II Completion Rates Remained Stable

A recent study by the Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest examined students’ Algebra II completion and failure rates before and after Texas eliminated Algebra II as a math course requirement for high school graduation.

Beginning with the 2007/08 grade 9 cohort, Texas high school students were required to take four math courses: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and at least one advanced math course above Algebra II. Beginning with the 2014/15 grade 9 cohort, students were no longer required to take Algebra II, although they still must complete four math courses.

This study examined what percentage of students who entered Texas public high schools from 2007/08 through 2014/15 completed or failed Algebra II by the end of grade 11. The study also examined what other third math courses students took once the Algebra II requirement was dropped. Additionally, the study looked at how districts responded to the changes in the graduation requirements.

The findings show that, overall, Algebra II completion and failure rates followed the same trend for the 2014/15 cohort as for the seven cohorts that graduated under the previous graduation requirements. Both before and after the change, 78 percent of students completed Algebra II as their third math course. In the 2014/15 school year, 37 percent of districts reported still requiring students to complete Algebra II to graduate from high school.

The report demonstrates that changes to graduation requirements at the state level do not always translate to immediate changes in practice at the district and school levels, nor do they necessarily translate to immediate changes in student outcomes.