{"id":4600,"date":"2026-02-19T20:50:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T20:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stand.org\/arizona\/?page_id=4600"},"modified":"2026-02-24T00:49:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T00:49:55","slug":"close-the-achievement-gap","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stand.org\/arizona\/close-the-achievement-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"HB 2423 – advanced mathematics courses; student enrollment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sponsored by Representative Matt Gress<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill would automatically enroll high performing 8th<\/sup> grade students in algebra based on their academic performance in 7th<\/sup> grade using objective indicators like assessment scores and course grades.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background: <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arizona\u2019s 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\u202fto attend college than their peers. This increased likelihood of college attendance was notably greatest for low-income, Latino, and male students.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research, including reports from Ed Trust<\/a> 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.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Provisions: <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n