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Home REL Central About REL Central Colorado Strengthening student pathways to success in 9th grade math in Denver Public Schools
Strengthening student pathways to success in 9th grade math in Denver Public Schools
REL Central will work with Denver Public Schools (DPS) leadership and a subset of district schools to better understand why students struggle during the transition to high school math and build better supports so more students succeed in grade 9 math courses. Specifically, the partnership will examine how students’ math experiences during and prior to grade 9 are contributing to or hindering their success in math and identify factors (such as exposure to specific math curricula or enrollment in specific programs and interventions) that may inform whether students successfully complete ninth grade math. In seeking to better understand pathways to success in grade 9 math, REL Central and DPS will pay particular attention to potential disparities among Black students, Hispanic students and students experiencing poverty. The findings from initial applied research and technical support work will inform future partnership activities aimed at increasing the use of evidence-based practices in grade 9 math and, ultimately, increasing student success in grade 9 math.Current Projects
This study will help us better understand the characteristics of students who are more (or less) successful in grade 9 math and the experiences that inform that success (or lack thereof). In the short term, this project will increase DPS partners’ understanding of which student characteristics (such as race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status) and experiences (such as previous course taking or supports received through enrollment in specific programs and interventions, like tutoring) may have contributed to success in grade 9 math. This will contribute to future co-interpretation and action planning that will help DPS identify ways in which more students might be supported earlier to alter grade 9 math outcomes.
Completed Projects
REL Central will support the capacity of DPS partners (core district leaders and staff from a cohort of district schools) to better understand the characteristics of mathematical discourse within their schools’ classrooms and to develop and pilot an instrument to collect data on it. Project activities will include a review of materials developed from a previous Ask-an-Expert (AAE) project leading to co-development and piloting of an instrument with school-level partners with a goal of producing a reliable instrument and data collection plan that can be implemented across the district.