In its August 3 editorial, “It’s OK to Track Middle School Math, Cambridge,” The Boston Globe argues that Cambridge should reconsider tracking middle-school math students by ability. The editorial contends that putting all eighth graders in Algebra I has left many students struggling and unable to succeed, while failing to challenge others. It points to Texas as a model for “mindful” tracking, where students who demonstrate strong math performance on a state math assessment are automatically placed in an advanced pathway, with the option to opt out, rather than having to be recommended or advocated for by their parents.  

However, this approach leaves out students who do not initially demonstrate strong math performance. Without a meaningful opportunity to grow, catch up and eventually access advanced math, they risk being placed on a narrow track, where their needs are no better met than they were under the old system. Cambridge does have a real problem: Too many students are reaching eighth grade without the math skills they need to succeed in Algebra I. Rather than responding by returning to tracking, we should ask why so many students were not prepared in the first place and what we can do earlier to ensure they are.

I would argue that what we have long called the “achievement gap” is more accurately understood as a pathways gap. The term achievement gap focuses on what students have failed to achieve. A pathways gap asks a different question: What pathways have we failed to make available to them? Students’ preparation for algebra by eighth grade reflects the opportunities and support they have or have not received over time. Differences in instruction, expectations, support and access to enrichment accumulate over years. If we simply sort students according to those differences, we should not be surprised when the same groups remain underrepresented in advanced mathematics.

I came to this issue through 35 years as a social worker at Cambridge Rindge and Latin, where I eventually became director of the onsite daycare center and supervised many student interns. For 14 years, I also worked with students through the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program, writing plays based on interviews exploring social justice issues. Two of those plays focused specifically on the achievement gap and tracking. Listening to students, teachers and parents through that work gave me a deeper understanding of how complicated, and consequential these issues are.

During my years at CRLS, I often encouraged students to challenge themselves by taking a more demanding math course. Too often, they would say, ‘Oh, no, I’m terrible at math.’ I found myself wondering, ‘Where did they learn that about themselves? How many times had they heard, directly or indirectly, that they weren’t good at math?’ Once students begin to see themselves as “not a math person,” they may stop believing that advanced math is for them long before anyone actually puts them on a track.

I worry that we are treating tracking as the solution. Tracking can close a pathway by placement. But a pathway can also close long before that, through low expectations, inadequate preparation, lack of encouragement, or a student’s belief that they simply do not belong in challenging mathematics classes. As the editorial notes, calculus matters. It can be a gateway to selective colleges and to future opportunities in STEM. Are we comfortable accepting that, by eighth grade, we have already placed those opportunities out of reach for so many students?

If we want more students to succeed in Algebra I, our priority should be strengthening the pathway that leads there, beginning in the elementary grades, and not accepting that large numbers of students belong on a different track.
Every student should be on a pathway to success. That means providing the preparation, support, encouragement and opportunities necessary to get there.
The Globe concluded with this message to Cambridge: “Track mindfully.” My message is simple: Build pathways mindfully.

Tracking determines where students are placed. Pathways determine where they can go.

A stronger

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