How Schools Can Make Advanced Math Pathways More Equitable for All Students?

In the pursuit of creating a more equitable educational system, many schools are focusing on providing all students with access to advanced math courses like calculus. However, students' paths to these courses are often hindered by barriers that can make the process unfair. By revisiting recommendation processes, standardizing course syllabi, and eliminating gatekeeping practices, educators can create more opportunities for all students, especially those from historically underrepresented groups.

The Inequities in Advanced Math Course Enrollment

One of the key challenges in ensuring equitable access to advanced math courses like calculus is the gatekeeping that occurs during the enrollment process. For many students, enrolling in calculus is seen as an essential step toward a STEM career. However, schools often have measures in place that limit who can sign up for these courses.

Adrian Mims, the founder and CEO of the Calculus Project, explains that teachers often control access to advanced courses through recommendations. These recommendations are typically made mid-semester, and they may be influenced by a variety of factors, including perceived ability and standardized test scores. Unfortunately, this can create a barrier for students who might not have performed at their best during a particular semester but are otherwise capable of succeeding in an advanced math class.

Additionally, Mims highlights that schools often have complicated override processes for students whose families want to petition for access to advanced math courses. In some districts, these processes can be difficult to navigate and disproportionately discourage families from underrepresented communities, especially Black and Hispanic families, from pursuing advanced courses.

Strategies for Making Advanced Math More Accessible

There are several strategies that schools and educators can adopt to make advanced math pathways more equitable:

1. Standardize Course Syllabi and Grading Criteria

One effective strategy is to ensure that all sections of the same advanced math course, such as Algebra Honors, follow the same syllabus and grading criteria. As Mims points out when different teachers apply different grading standards—one emphasizing homework completion, another emphasizing participation—students in different sections of the same course may receive drastically different grades despite having similar abilities.

By streamlining syllabi and grading criteria, schools can ensure that all students are evaluated based on the same standards, helping eliminate unfair disparities in how students are assessed and improving access to advanced coursework.

2. Revise Recommendation Processes

Recommendation processes for advanced courses should be reviewed and adjusted to ensure fairness. Traditionally, recommendations for courses like calculus are made midway through the semester, based on students’ grades. However, this doesn't account for students' potential growth throughout the rest of the term. Mims suggests that schools should reassess these recommendations at the end of the year to ensure that students who show improvement or a strong work ethic aren't excluded from advanced courses simply because they had a slow start.

Additionally, Mims urges schools to review their master schedules to ensure flexibility exists to accommodate changes to student course recommendations. This will allow students to succeed based on their full academic performance rather than just a mid-term snapshot.

3. Professional Development on Unconscious Bias

To remove bias from the recommendation process, Mims emphasizes the need for professional development for teachers on unconscious bias. Many educators may not realize that their course recommendations are being influenced by factors like race, class, gender, or socioeconomic status. Providing teachers with the training to recognize and combat these biases is essential to ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, have an equal chance of enrolling in advanced math courses.

4. Increase Access to Support Resources

Another important aspect of making advanced math more equitable is providing additional support resources for students who need them. This could include tutoring, mentorship programs, or study groups specifically designed for students in underrepresented communities. Schools should work to create an environment where students feel supported and encouraged to pursue challenging coursework without fear of failure.

The Impact of Equity in Advanced Math Education

Making advanced math courses more equitable is not just about fairness—it's about creating opportunities for all students to succeed and thrive in their academic and professional futures. By expanding access to courses like calculus, schools are helping to close achievement gaps and prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), which are fields that offer significant economic opportunities.

The Calculus Project, founded in 2009 by Mims, is one organization that is actively working to make these pathways more accessible. Since its inception, the organization has helped over 10,000 students in Florida and Massachusetts gain access to honors and advanced math classes. Mims' work highlights the importance of creating inclusive math education that provides all students—especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds—with the tools they need to succeed.

Conclusion

To ensure that all students have access to advanced math courses, schools must address the systemic barriers that often prevent underrepresented students from enrolling in classes like calculus. By revisiting recommendation processes, standardizing course content and grading, providing professional development to address unconscious bias, and offering additional support to students in need, educators can create more equitable pathways to success in math education.