A couple of weeks ago, we looked at whether parents and voters thought that a 70% in Algebra 1 indicated readiness for Algebra 2. On an earlier survey for Winning the Issues, voters had previously said a 70% in Algebra 1 did not indicate readiness for Algebra 2, but by a narrow margin (41-45 ready-not ready). This week, we look again at the topic, and also an additional potential threshold for academic readiness.
On the April survey for Winning the Issues (April 27-29), we again asked voters whether a hypothetical student who received a 70% in Algebra 1 would be ready for Algebra 2. This time, virtually the same share of voters said students would be ready (42-43 ready-not ready). Parents narrowly said that student was ready (48-45). Non-parents resembled the overall electorate.
As we observed in the last survey, it is notable that many voters do not think a 70% indicates readiness for the next academic level, even if it is typically considered passing. For this survey, we included another question: was a student earning an 80% ready for Algebra 2?
The share saying that a student with an 80% would be ready for Algebra 2 shot up by 41 points (83-10 ready-not ready). Among non-parents, it also increased by 41 points (81-10). Among parents, it increased by 39 points (87-9).
Overall, 80% was clearly a more acceptable threshold and indicator of readiness for the next subject level. Simply getting a passing grade was not seen as enough. The electorate seems to expect some level of mastery beyond the binary pass/fail. Agreement that a student with an 80% was ready for Algebra 2 held across other groups, including age and partisan groups. There are two questions that remain. First, why is a 70% a more acceptable threshold for some than it is for others? And second, what knowledge does a student with an 80% in Algebra 1 have that a student with a 70% does not?