Sponsored by Representative Matt Gress
Summary:
The bill would automatically enroll high performing 8th grade students in algebra based on their academic performance in 7th grade using objective indicators like assessment scores and course grades.
Background:
Arizona’s students thrive when schools proactively open the doors to rigorous coursework. Taking advanced math courses significantly improves long-term outcomes for low-income students in Arizona. For the class of 2019, students who successfully completed a higher-level math course were 2.2 times more likely to attend college than their peers. This increased likelihood of college attendance was notably greatest for low-income, Latino, and male students.
Currently, between 24% and 34% of students from low-socioeconomic or Latino backgrounds in Arizona take Algebra I or higher in the eighth grade, compared to 57% from higher-income backgrounds.
Research, including reports from Ed Trust and the American Institutes for Research, consistently shows that automatic enrollment increases the rates at which ALL students take rigorous courses, and is especially helpful for low-income and Latino families. Successes have been recorded in states such as North Carolina, Texas, Colorado, and Washington.
Provisions:
- Requires school districts enroll middle school students in the next math class if they meet certain criteria AND there is a class available:
- Scores at the highest proficiency on a standardized test
- Earns an A in the previous math class
- Scores at the highest proficiency on a benchmark exam
- Request of the student’s parents
Testimony from Georgina Monsalvo, Stand for Children Arizona’s Government Affairs and Campaigns Director:
“Growing up in a small rural town in southern Arizona, I never thought I was capable of taking advanced classes. Education was always important in my family, but my parents didn’t understand how the system worked, and I didn’t know these opportunities existed. It wasn’t until high school that a teacher encouraged me to take honors courses and AP Statistics and told me that I likely should have been placed in advanced classes earlier, including in middle school. That encouragement changed my trajectory and reaffirmed my path to higher education. I often think about how different my life might have been if someone hadn’t taken the time to open that door, or if it had been opened sooner.
We also heard from a parent in the Roosevelt School District whose daughter has been eligible for advanced classes since elementary school. The district had a program, but it was only posted on a website, and most families never knew it existed. Despite being qualified, her daughter was never placed in those courses, and the parent had to navigate the system on her own to place her daughter in advanced classes, long after she should have been enrolled.
Successful districts know that adult expectations drive student achievement, and it is the responsibility of the system to open access especially for students who have historically been left out, like myself.
Research backs this up. In Washington State, more than 70 districts adopted automatic enrollment policies over the past decade, and researchers at the American Institutes for Research found that automatic advanced course enrollment increased across subjects for all students. Importantly, enrollment for students from low-income families and historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups began to catch up with their peers.
HB 2423 takes a common-sense step by making automatic enrollment the default when schools have advanced coursework available, so students don’t miss opportunities simply because no one told them or their families how to access them. Automatic enrollment removes barriers, raises expectations, and opens the door to more opportunities for students across Arizona.
I stand here today because I know firsthand and through the stories of families that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. This bill helps ensure that when opportunities exist, students are not overlooked.”
Learn more about the success of automatic enrollment:
