Given that most college eligibility requirements include at least three years of math, the misplacement of ninth-grade students in lower-level math classes can have far-reaching implications for their college and career opportunities, a report from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area argues. According to the report, Held Back: Addressing Misplacement of 9th Grade Students in Bay Area Schools Math Classes (37 pages, PDF), African-American, Latino, and Pacific Islander ninth-graders, especially in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, were being disproportionately kept out of advanced math classes — and as a result were unlikely to pursue studies in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. Funded by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the report examines the potential for legal liability as a result of misplacement, highlights effective strategies for improving the placement process, and recommends actions for school districts, parents and community advocates, and attorneys, including collecting and analyzing data and eliminating subjective measurements.