Using the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, we examine the association between taking Algebra I by the eighth grade and students’ later achievements and advanced mathematics course-taking. To explore our research questions, we employ three distinct methods—regression analysis, fixed effects models, and propensity score matching. In all our analytic models, we consistently found that students who have taken Algebra I by the eighth grade are more likely to have higher achievements in the ninth and eleventh grades and to take classes beyond Calculus during high school. Although the study is correlational, considering the increasing number of students taking Algebra I by the eighth grade, its findings have meaningful implications for education policy, research, and practice.

使用 2009 年的高中纵向研究，我们研究了八年级学习代数 I 与学生以后的成就和高等数学课程学习之间的关系。为了探索我们的研究问题，我们采用了三种不同的方法——回归分析、固定效应模型和倾向得分匹配。在我们所有的分析模型中，我们一致发现，在八年级学习代数 I 的学生更有可能在九年级和十一年级取得更高的成绩，并且在高中时学习微积分以外的课程。尽管该研究是相关的，但考虑到八年级学生越来越多，其研究结果对教育政策、研究和实践具有重要意义。