What does a math course buy you?
5. Conclusions
Getting students to take an extra mathematics course appears to improve achievement-particularly if students complete Level 4 by eleventh grade. At the same time, the magnitude of the improvement is not sufficient to move large numbers of students from non-proficient to proficient on state-administered standardized tests.
The careful matching makes it plausible to claim that the improved achievement was caused by the additional course-not merely by higher-aptitude students taking more math.
