Mathematics Achievement for Black Students in the LAUSD for Grades 2-11

The fact that STEM disciplines, especially mathematics is of utmost importance has been exhaustively research (Musen, 2010).  All findings point to the fact that students who had taken Algebra II in high school were twice as likely to earn a bachelor’s degree as students who had not taken this course but had also enrolled in college (Adelman 2006).Algebra I acts as a gateway to a bachelor’s degree.

The caption below the table describes the data.  Note that fully 60% of Black students test proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) CST exams.  This table also gives the baseline number of Black students in grades 9-11 since all students take the ELA portion of the CST.

Figure 1 above displays Black student performance on the mathematics portion of the CST for students in Grades 2 through 11.  The lower third of each bar represents the percentage of students scoring either proficient of advanced.  These are the two levels of performance that denote subject competency.  Note the steady decline in competency beginning at grade 4.

Study these illustrations.  Our next post will offer some detailed explanations and hopefully foment some soul searching and thought provoking responses.

Overview and Blog Focus

Overview and Who We Are

This blog is brought to you by the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Education Research Collaborative (STEMERC).

(STEMERC) was created to serve as an education, research, and training center by enlisting a wide range of community based organizations, professional researchers, consultants, businesses and professional organizations.

The STEMERC provides a forum for systematic study and joint action to resolve pressing problems in the areas of science, math, and technology (STEM) education and research.

The STEMERC's agenda creates an appropriate balance between business, research, school, community, and student learning.

Close cooperation with professional technical organizations and constituencies is a central feature of the STEMERC’s commitment to performing relevant, high-quality research, consulting and information dissemination.

Michael Batie Ph.D.

The STEMRC

Principal –

Focus of this Blog

Most Black people in Los Angeles believe that our students are not doing as well as they should in coursework related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

This blog will present the State of STEM.  That is, what is the status of Black students' preparation to participate in this age of New Media Literacy and STEM?  Our first posts will highlight the lowlights of the California Standardized Test (CST) in the STEM areas for Black students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

Why do we focus on these areas?  We focus on these areas because they are the gateways to success in this 21st century economy.  So let's begin.

Our first posting will be an overview of the CST scores in selected math and science courses.  Sit down before you review this data.