Re-Envisioning Mathematics Pathways to Expand Opportunities: The Landscape of Mathematics Course Sequences

 This report — co-developed by Education Strategy Group, the Charles A. Dana Center, and Student Achievement Partners — includes analyses of states’ available middle and high school student coursetaking data to examine whether recent high school mathematics pathways reforms have influenced students’ mathematics course enrollment. It also examines how students’ mathematics course-taking patterns vary within and across states and how state policy levers such as graduation course requirements might be influencing students’ mathematics course-taking decisions. The report includes a discussion of recent changes to states’ standards and policies for adopting instructional materials as well as updates on the student assessment landscape in mathematics. It also provides lessons learned and guidance from the field as well as recommendations and considerations for strategies to center equity and incorporate data into states’ mathematics pathways efforts. Finally, the report includes noteworthy state-specific highlights, mathematics focus group insights, and key questions for additional research.