Implementation of Math 180 for Middle School Students

Through our observation of four K-12 districts, it was clear that administrators’ experience with affiliated products and the program’s high quality motivated them to select Math 180.

Math 180 is a support system for struggling older students who are two or more years behind in math.

This research explores the implementation of Math 180 for middle school students, and covers program motivations, structure, placement, funding, and assessment.

Math 180 implementation

While profiled districts’ motivations for selecting Math 180 vary, the high-quality curriculum was an important factor at all profiled districts. At District C, District A, and District B, previous success with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) products influenced their selection of Math 180. Administrators at District A and District C cite successful experiences with Read 180—a computer-based reading intervention program also produced by HMH. This prior experience with Read 180 meant administrators understood the style of curriculum and had confidence in the new program. Administrators at District D learned about Math 180 during an academic conference. The presentation on the program highlighted the style of intervention and concept-based curriculum, which persuaded administrators to pilot the program.

Profiled districts motivations for selecting Math 180

Math 180 utilization

Districts must use diverse metrics, including grades, teacher recommendations, and past test performances, to determine if a student should be placed into Math 180 programming. At District C, special education students tend to be placed into Math. At other profiled districts, teachers and administrators recommend students for Math 180 programming based on teacher referrals and academic performance, among other metrics. Because Math 180 programming is developed for students from fourth grade to eleventh grade, profiled districts typically place students in these grades into the program. Administrators tend to place emphasis on students from sixth to eighth grade, as a strategy to prevent students from falling behind in content knowledge before high school.

Correct placement into Math 180 prevents academic underperformance

At District D, administrators emphasize that incorrect placement into a Math 180 course can impact a student’s academic success. If a student must be removed from Math 180 because of incorrect placement, the student is more susceptible to falling behind in the general education course. Administrators at District B echo these sentiments and further emphasize how incorrect placement within Math 180 can cause a student to perform significantly worse.