Lessons Learned From Detracked Mathematics Departments

Students' mastery of and achievement in high school mathematics is considered pivotal to their opportunities for and within postsecondary education. For this reason, many educators have attempted to implement equity-geared reforms, including detracking, that affect the organization and instruction of high school mathematics. This article describes how schools with successful detracked mathematics programs share 4 characteristics: (a) a view of subject that focuses on connections and meaning, (b) a curriculum focused on important mathematical ideas, (c) a balance of coordination and professional discretion for teaching decisions, and (d) clear distinctions between doing math and doing school in the structures of the classroom and the evaluation of students' thinking. This analysis can support other schools' attempts to detrack mathematics.