Also from the article:
It is undeniable that students who take algebra early tend to do better in subsequent math courses, but this correlation arises because it is usually
the best students who are selected to take algebra early. Once this selection bias is eliminated, the remaining causal effect of accelerating the conventional first course of algebra into earlier grades, in the absence of other changes in the math curriculum, is for most students decidedly harmful.
This is all very strange to me. A recent thread
discussing early admission into AP courses has messages about school policies barring entry into AP courses before a certain grade (e.g. Kai's message on June18 at 6:32 pm). Why is algebra so magically special that it's okay to push every kid into it before most of them are ready, but we risk ending civilization as we know it (
) if we let a HG+ kid take an AP course in 10th grade?
ETA: MoN, that's painful.
