A new study conducted by Jennifer Heissel, a researcher at Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy, concludes that students who study Algebra I online do not perform as well on tests as their peers who learned the subject in traditional classes.
The study was published in the journal Economics of Education Review.
The study exploited a 2011 district policy change in North Carolina that allowed advanced eighth-graders to take Algebra 1 online. Prior to the change, none of the middle school students took Algebra 1; instead they waited until ninth grade to take it in a regular classroom.
North Carolina has developed one of the leading virtual education systems in the country, allowing rural middle school students the chance to take high school courses that would be otherwise unavailable. The virtual Algebra 1 middle school program increased equity in access at a lower cost than a traditional classroom, and most advanced students passed the course.
“However, equity in access does not guarantee equity in outcomes,” Heissel wrote in the study. “Policymakers should carefully weigh these tradeoffs.”
What surprised Heissel most was that the effect was seen in students who normally perform above average.
“Generally, no matter what you throw at high achievers, they end up fine,” Heissel said. “That’s what concerns me: If even the advanced students can’t do well, why would we think it would work well for all?”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
On-line courses are missing one very important piece of the learning puzzle: emotion through human interaction.
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But, but, but, the computer programs are SO personalized! (sarcasm)
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A computer has the ability to go back and repeat the same failed module until “mastery” is claimed. A skilled teacher has many more tools in the toolkit. “Mastery” without understanding is not really mastery. It is imitation. There are many things teachers can do to enhance understanding and help students make the requisite connections. A computer cannot do this with human touch that an insecure learner craves, and a computer cannot fully evaluate the feedback from the learner the way a human can. Computers are binary machines, and learning is often complex, emotional and cultural,
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Exactly! Great comment.
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But it’s also systematic and methodical, so if any course lends itself to online learning, it’s math courses. And one is not limited to a single source of instructional material today, as they have a library of knowledge at the tips of their fingers, as long as they have a connection to the internet. This article did not mention how much interaction online or outside of the online class was ever offered or utilized by the students either. Were there any virtual study groups (SKYPE, FACETIME, GOOGLE CHAT, etc, etc ) which could also supplement any online learning options.
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But have the students LEARNED anything from these modules? Computers can’t tell–they just want “right” answers, whether the students really understand or not. The students I get from online “schools” do NOT understand. They can pirate answers, but they can’t tell me HOW something works.
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Threatened Out West: “But have the students LEARNED anything from these modules? Computers can’t tell–they just want “right” answers, whether the students really understand or not. The students I get from online “schools” do NOT understand. They can pirate answers, but they can’t tell me HOW something works.”
There’s little difference. In a classroom, the kid can do the same sort of thing. They can get the answer from a peer, from a teacher, or just hand it in with anything scribbled down since they are not typically graded on their proficiency these days, but on whether they bothered to hand anything in at all.
At least I know in our school that’s the case. Maybe if they had to actively go out and search for an answer online, they would have to analyze the steps behind it, to see if it was correct or not! It would be much more active participation in their learning process over just being spoon fed the answers, as happens frequently in too many classrooms today. At least that’s been our personal experience with co-taught special ed/gen ed classes….
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This made my day. Thank you for sharing!
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Grade 8 students on-line as opposed to grade 9 students traditional.
Really ???????
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Quit being so picky, howardat58!! (ha ha or in more modern terms LOL)
See these kinds of “headlines” on a daily, more like hourly basis everyday from all kinds of sources, too many times from some that I consider legit sources.
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I taught high school math and science for 35 years. Occasionally I get to help out some kid who is taking algebra or pre-calculus online. I am amazed at how little teaching actually happens.
When I was math dept chair, I would never take completion of an online course as a substitute for our regular course unless the student could pass our regular final. (They got all the review materials beforehand). Not many did.
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Interesting. The College Board has put a big emphasis on the equalizing effect of Khan Academy in allowing low-income kids to prep for SATs and other standardized tests online. I’ve been skeptical from the start and wonder if anyone has compared tests results for online SAT prep as vs. classes like Kaplan or one-on-one tutoring.
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Khan Academy seems to help higher achieving students more than lower functioning kids. Here’s why:
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I believe you misspelled “Con Academy”
PS I plagiarized that (though not from Michelle Obama) I saw it a while back in a comment. I am ready for the handcuffs….
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I teach physics and chemistry and the related videos I have watched are borderline worthless. Everyone is looking for that magic elixir, silver bullet, quick fix. Like an octopus chasing his own tail.
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I only looked at a couple Con Acomedy videos (at random, one on math and one on physics) and they had both gone far south of the border– way down in South America somewhere.
The physics video made it very clear that Con (artist) does not know the first thing about very basic physics, among other things, confusing vectors with scalars and distance with displacement.
What in the world Bill Gates saw in that fellow to actually give him money is beyond my comprehension. Gates must not know any physics or math either.
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Here’s the link to the previous comment I made about the Con (artist) physics video.
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Re the “Con” Academy Poet.
Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream, that there is a sucker born every minute.
Melania has inspired me to speak plagiarese whenever possible.
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And in more Jellystone Park headline news:
Yogi Bear and Booboo caught stealing visitors picnic baskets.
(and you all thought it was going to be different news about Yogi & Booboo, eh!!)
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They’re promoting this as a cheap way to raise test scores and offer additional classes:
http://hechingerreport.org/can-public-schools-replicate-the-mooresville-model-for-digital-learning-success-former-superintendent-mark-edwards-says-they-can/
I hope school leaders don’t fall for all this hype.
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In my experience, very few students learn well online, whether by online course or self-selected sites.
I know only one student who actually excelled at it.
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Tech is oversold as a panacea.
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Plus, with all the big money behind it, people like Gates are buying access to students with his untried tech gadgets.
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“North Carolina has developed one of the leading virtual education systems in the country, allowing rural middle school students the chance to take high school courses that would be otherwise unavailable. The virtual Algebra 1 middle school program increased equity in access at a lower cost than a traditional classroom, and most advanced students passed the course.”
Education on the cheap for the lower and middle classes. Do better-off students still get teachers?
How long before they replace all the teachers with online courses in lower and middle income schools? After all, if it’s “just as good” as a live class, why hold live classes at all? Instead of 7k a year maybe they can fund at 5k a year, or 1k.
I don’t trust the marketers of this product to do what’s best for lower and middle income students. It is insane to trust them.
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How about just give parents the options to choose what version of education they would like their child to have. Because in our situation, we were much better off with online option than the physical teacher option. And that, in a nutshell, is the next group you all will be targeting. The homeschoolers; because you’ve gone from targeting the private schools, to the Charter Schools so next it will be the homeschooling or other parents that want the option of a virtual curriculum, correct?
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Except in cases of long-term illnesses, I don’t really see the value in online schools. My students who return from online schools are ridiculously behind. Many can barely read or write.
And the “option” for parents means that parents who aren’t willing or able to get their kids to school regularly, and so they “opt” for online. The kids don’t do any work and essentially drop out of school.
I’m terrified for society as more and more of these kids go out into the world. How will these young people be able to earn a living?
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Threatened out West-
The description you describe of online students sounds like many special ed and struggling learners in a traditional public & private school classroom in our area (and many other areas) from many parents that I’ve talked to.
I guess it comes down to the implementation of the instruction and curriculum.
Many parents I know are disenfranchised with the special education system, as well as the general education curriculum which keeps getting less rigorous as time goes on.
Families should have the option to choose the type of program they want for their family.
We are paying taxes and we should have more of a choice in which program and school we want to place our child(ren) to learn and achieve to an appropriate level to their ability.
The choice is not an option for very many of us, who’s children are being left behind.
Plus when schools shut out families and refuse to work together to reach an agreement on how best to help their children to achieve to a level that ensures a child is proficient in their native language, as well as proficient in foundational math skills too!
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Threatened Out West– I would quibble even with the value of such courses for kids w/longterm illness, having had such a child, whose flare-ups occasionally caused him to miss months of school. I can bolster the experience w/that of a local friend whose son was in the same boat. Both kids were able to catch up w/peers again thro a combination of a county program providing 1/2-day small-group tutorials plus regular in-home tutorials delivered by district teachers. A kid who is this sick lacks energy and staying power, and greatly benefits from the stimulation of 1-on-1 live teaching. States which substitute this sort of special ed with online courses are states (like NC) which place little value/ resources into public education.
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Let’s see. Given option A) no option for advanced course vs option B) taking an online course independently …. And then having to learn how to become a more independent learner and learning how to find resources to use to study from vs being spoon fed and then graded subjectively by a traditional teacher …. I’m not at all surprised that they ended up with higher grades in the traditional classrooms …. Really? A study was needed to tell somebody that? Interesting…..
Did they ask the students how many thought they became better and more active participants in their country course? I’m sure that they gained other skills in the process that will pay off farther down the line, like when they get to college as becoming a stronger student that can learn to gain knowledge outside of the lecture is what will be necessary and if this was the first time they had taken an online course , there’s a learning curve. What they need to do is follow them thru to college and see how they rank against their traditional cohorts,,,
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Accelerated, 8th grade math students taking a standard 9th grade algebra I class is the reason they are identified as “accelerated” students. Very few good reasons for making the on-line course the only option.
Despite your adult view of the situation, most 14 year olds do not like learning from a computer program. Even the best students miss the human interaction that makes learning for effective and more fun. Spoon feeding of accelerated students is not what any math teacher would call it.
Can you imagine asking a kid what her favorite learning program was?
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My adult view comes from my experiences as a student. I can still remember 8th grade and taking Algebra 1. Although I did not have the option of online class as an option, instead we had to stay after school to take an accelerated class, taught by the nuns at the Catholic school. It was to prepare us to take it as a condensed Algebra 1 class in HS. We would take Algebra 1 for the 1st half of the year and Geometry for the 2nd half of the year and then take the Regent exams following the completion of each class (so January & June.) This article isn’t very rich in details either. It doesn’t say if the class was totally online; if there was any teacher that was providing instruction via online methods or if the students were provided with any help by their teachers outside of the online class; if there were any online or physical study groups utilized; how much if any instructional material was provided; how much interaction the students had with any online instructor or other students; or if they had ever taken an online class before. All of which would be important details to know. There also is no information regarding how the students viewed the experience. A)If they thought it was a method that worked for them and would take more online classes or b) if they had such a negative experience they don’t think they would take another online course ever again.
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I agree with this. I have seen this with my own kids who had no choice but to learn online. The public school would not accommodate their needs. I think common core has failed too. Math scores in the USA have dropped compared to other countries. Someone needs to rethink the math curriculum across the board.
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“Someone needs to rethink the math curriculum across the board.”
The fundamental scope and sequence of math instruction in the US has been closely aligned to NCTM standards for decades. Common Core math has pushed the standard S&S down a grade or two which is probably the opposite of what needed to be done. Brain development stays very concrete up until grade 8 or so. Too much abstraction for elementary children in math prior to this. The best math students are generally rule followers – they can get the right answer but remain largely innumerate. Too much too soon in my opinion, for most kids. The other fundamental problem with math for most kids is that it seems relatively pointless. The human brain yearns for meaning, understanding, logic, and reason. Math rarely supplies that. That’s why students much prefer science to math as a general rule.
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Could someone explain how Algebra became the holy grail of learning? I took Algebra I(9th grade), Algebra II(10th grade) and Advanced Algebra/Trig in eleventh grade many years ago and struggled each year with the subject;algebra was not a good match for my particular academic skill set.
Why is this subject being pushed so aggressively? If it is so important, than please provide actual good classroom teachers who have the skill and experience to work with struggling students.
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Possibly it’s related to future post-secondary earning potentials and greater success at finishing college degree programs? http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_701JBR.pdf
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True! I have first-hand experiences with this one. The handbook was wrong. Everything about this online Algebra course for high school was a JOKE! Felt sorrybforvthecstudentscwho were told to take this Algebra 1 online course.
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Although I got all my degrees in history, I have been teaching algebra and geometry for the most part for 29 years. During that time, I helped some with the credit recovery program for kids that had had trouble. The reason I was teaching math was that my certification meant I could be legally used I that role. I have probably been one of those bad teachers mentioned by Trump Jr, but I have tried to be nice about it.
It is my opinion that students who have trouble learning from a traditional classroom are absolutely cowed by the online experience if,it is equivalent in subject matter. If, however, the online course is gutted of content, students can get through it.
I read that students from the sparsely populated Great Plains do very well with online courses. They really have no choice. I went by a town in the Sandhills of Nebraska, one of our most beautiful and under appreciated places , that consisted of about two families.
I believe that students can learn from all sources. Some of the electronic exercises my daughter has done as a fourth grader have been excellent. They are, however, often imbedded in programs that are not beneficial as a whole. Thank heaven she is guided by excellent teachers in a school system that does its best.
The point is, political leaders who claim we are spending mounds of money on students and still failing really do not understand two basic truths of education. The first of these is that it takes people to educate their young. Children are a work in progress. Humans remain so for an entire life. We have to have good relationships with older people to develop our abilities. The second truth that policy makers miss is that really good people,have to be bought. Nonwithstanding Malthus’ contention that population would always keep wages low naturally (now I cannot recall if that was actually Malthus), we must make teaching a profession rewarded enough to give families a decent life. If we do not, few people, perhaps only ascetic monks, will teach.
Machines can help, but teaching is a human job. That is why I have been doing it.
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My daughter was able to stay in a regular school and work to her potential with the help of online classes. She took Algebra I online in 6th grade during the regular math time and her teacher helped her as needed. But algebra I wasn’t an option for her in the elementary school she was at unless she took it online. I think it worked great – and she took the same written final as the kids from the junior high and got 100%. Fast forward a few years and she is entering 9th grade and has been able to do her other math classes in a classroom setting and has done great. Having options for all kids and finding what works for each kid is a good thing. It would have killed her interest in math to have to sit in school bored and repeat math concepts from her past years. Challenge each kid to their ability.
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Jackie,
That’s so awesome!
Children should be able to reach their individual potentials!
Unfortunately, in too many instances today, that’s not what’s happening.
Students should have a range of options available and be supported to achieve to their potential, not to what a school or teacher predetermines that they can achieve or what they can offer as a compromise and aimed at the middle of the road general education student.
Too many students are being left behind on every level.
When a program option is cut or never implemented to start with, then the student is left behind. The gifted students are left behind if there is not gifted program or individualized options to work to their ability level; the honors student is left behind when they don’t have an option for honors classes; the general ed student is left behind when they are in classes with kids that are struggling or bored and act up in class; the special ed students are left behind because they were all placed into a class together because they all had more significant learning needs, but totally different learning issues or extremes of similar issues, and nobody is really well versed in providing the proper remedial instruction for each and every learner’s struggle.
When these struggling learners are promoted without mastering the skills they need, they are left at a disadvantage just as much as a gifted child is when their courses are not appropriately challenging. And it’s even harder for the 2E (Twice Exceptional) students! Those with high IQ’s and learning differences/disabilities! Those students appear to be learning at what seems to be acceptable and sometimes higher than average general education level, but they are being hindered by their learning disability, and yet teachers/schools do not recognize or believe there is an issue because the student appears to be doing OK. Yet the student is struggling to reach her potential and is impacted by the increased amount of effort to stay afloat in her classes.
Congratulations and best wishes for her continued educational success!
The more options students and families have access to choose from, the more successful they can be, especially when provided with the proper instruction and supports and services!
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