Trajectories of advanced math taking for low-income students of color in middle and high school

Abstract

Differential access to and enrollment in advanced mathematics for historically underrepresented groups is a pervasive problem in education, however, research has primarily focused on achievement rather than access. This necessitates an examination of who is accessing advanced coursework and what differentiates the course trajectories students follow across middle and high school. We utilized data from a large (N = 18,841), majority Latinx (57.6 % Latinx, 35.5 % Black, 6.1 % White/Other, and 0.6 % Asian/Pacific Islander) and low-income (77 % free/reduced-price lunch) sample of students followed longitudinally from middle through high school. Latent class analysis (LCA) categorized students into 6 classes representing commonly followed pathways of advanced math course taking from grade 6 to 12. Multinomial logistic regression was used to connect individual demographics, school readiness skills, and prior achievement variables to the likelihood of being assigned to a particular class. Prior academic performance was most strongly related to advanced math pathway assignment, but even controlling for this, gender, disability status, and cognitive and fine motor skills at age 4 also impacted the math pathway a student was likely to follow in middle and high school. Race/ethnicity was a significant differentiator only when comparing the two most advanced pathways. These findings highlight the importance of early school readiness skills and demonstrate how early opportunity gaps impact later student outcomes. Tailored intervention and supports are necessary to ensure equitable access to coursework which expands a student’s opportunities and chances for postsecondary success.