Effect of Chicago's tougher science policy mixed

A policy change that made college-preparatory courses the default high school curriculum in the Chicago public schools increased the number of science courses that students took and passed. But it also kept some students from taking higher-level science courses and did not increase the college-going rate, according to a study by the Consortium on Chicago School Research.

The study, released March 15, examines the effects of increasing science coursetaking in the nation’s third-largest school district...